Thursday, April 22, 2010

How To Keep Your Puppy Healthy And Fit

By Christian Velez

Do you know how much your puppy is eating each day? Do you know how much he should be eating each day? The label on the package may not be specific enough for a young, growing puppy.

Worried that increasing your puppy's food intake could cause him to gain weight? This is a valid concern, as extra weight is responsible for health problems in many animals. It is important to make sure that your puppy is getting additional exercise when his food intake increases.

Obesity in dogs is easier to avoid than to correct. If your puppy is being overfed, start slowly reducing his food until his weight becomes acceptable. If you aren't sure what this is, be sure to have a vet take a look. If your puppy needs to eat more, increase his food for a couple of weeks until his weight gets to where it should be, than sustain the amount.

An overweight (or underweight) dog is more likely to get sick than a dog at a healthy weight. Starting your puppy out at a healthy weight while he is young will help him now and later.

You can avoid a fever getting out of hand by checking your puppy's temperature regularly. Two or three times a week should do it. A dog's temperature should be between 99.5 and 102.5 degrees.

Do you know how to take a dog's temperature? Simply lubricate the thermometer with petroleum jelly or mineral oil before sliding it into the rectum. Not too far - about half-way will do it.

The thermometer will only need to stay in the rectum for three minutes. If your puppy's temperature is higher than it should be, be sure to take him to the vet right away!

Make absolutely certain that you purchase a rectal thermometer for this purpose! An oral thermometer is likely to give you a false reading and make you think your puppy is sick when he is not. Now have fun getting your puppy off to a healthy start!

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