If you own a dog, you should register them with a vet. In the event of your pet becoming ill or injured unexpectedly, this will mean you are better prepared and less stressed. Additionally, dogs require routine vaccinations and health checks to protect them from disease and identify potential health concerns early. You should also consider taking out pet insurance to cover your dog in the event that he/she needs veterinary treatment.

Vaccinating your dog will help prevent avoidable diseases, such as, distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza and leptospirosis in your pet. Some of these diseases can be fatal, especially parvovirus in puppies which unfortunately, is still relatively common in Ireland. In general, dogs require a primary course of 2 injections 2-4 weeks apart and yearly vaccination boosters after this. 

For dogs who are frequently in contact with other dogs, e.g. at doggy daycares or while staying at boarding kennels, vaccination against kennel cough is recommended and generally required by the business owner. Ensuring that your dog receives his/her annual boosters will also give your vet a chance to assess your dogs’ overall health.

For more information on vaccinations, please contact your vet. 

Almost all dogs become infected with parasites such as, worms, fleas or ticks at some point in their life. Treatment and prevention of these parasites is an important part of safeguarding your pets health. Some are also zoonotic, meaning they can infect humans, so there is also a human health concern. Although most dogs recover well after treatment, worm infestation in puppies can cause serious illness if left unchecked.

Treatments can be in the form of liquid or a tablet which are ingested or by applying a ‘spot-on’ to the skin on the back of your dogs neck. Frequency and type of treatment recommended will depend on your pets age and lifestyle. Your vet will advise you on an appropriate parasite control regime.

Neutering not only prevents unwanted litters but reduces the risk of certain health issues, such as, mammary tumours in females dogs. Neutering is a surgical procedure which involves removal of the reproductive organ in male or female animals.

While neutering can reduce some undesirable behaviours, such as urine marking or humping, it is not a ‘quick fix’ for behavioural issues. Please contact a qualified positive reinforcement trainer or your vet if you have behavioural or medical concerns.

There are so many food options available for your dog, it can get confusing very quickly. In general, dog foods can be divided into the following categories:

• complete dry foods (sometimes referred to as kibble)
• wet or tinned food
• raw food
• home produced or fresh diets

You should choose the option, or mix of options, that best suits your dog and lifestyle while taking your dogs’ life stage and breed into account. For example, a 6 month old Jack Russell will have different requirements to a 6 month old German Pointer or a 12 year old border collie. 

There are also variations in the quality of food within each category. Quality can be reflected in price but looking at the list of ingredients will give you lots of information. As a general rule, you should make sure that processed food contains high quality meat and avoid preservatives and additives. If you make the decision to feed raw or home-cooked food, you will need to ensure that your dog is getting the right amount of each nutrient group. And for all food types you should ensure your dog is eating enough and maintaining a healthy weight. Dogs should be feed at least twice a day and how you feed is also important. Feeding your dog from a bowl can be a missed opportunity for enrichment, as described below.

You can seek advice on nutritional requirements from your vet, especially if your dog has an underlying condition which could benefit from a veterinary prescription diet.