By System | Published on May 17, 2025 | Updated on May 17, 2025
Building a Health Baseline
Dogs can't say "I feel off," so your best diagnostic tool is trend awareness. Keep a journal (or use our free app) to log weight, appetite, water intake, and stool quality— subtle shifts often precede visible illness by weeks.
1 Preventive Care Calendar
| Age | Vaccine / Test | Frequency | Why it Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puppy 8–16 wks | DHP Series | Every 4 wks ×3 | Maternal antibodies fade |
| Adult | Rabies | Every 3 yrs* | Legal requirement, zoonosis |
| All ages | Heartworm test | Yearly | Early detection prevents heart failure |
*Check local law— some regions require biennial boosters.
2 Spotting Trouble Early
Skin alarms: Constant paw-licking may signal environmental allergies; greasy odour could be seborrhea or a resistant yeast infection.
Gut whispers: Two loose stools are a diet blip; three days of diarrhoea with lethargy warrants a faecal test and blood panel.
Mobility flags: Reluctance to jump into the car? Time for a vet consult— early arthritis managed with NSAIDs, omega-3s, and physiotherapy preserves cartilage.
3 Therapeutic Nutrition
Food can be medicine. Prescription renal diets slow kidney disease by reducing phosphorus; hydrolysed-protein diets calm immune-mediated itch. Never self-prescribe— therapeutic ratios are precisely balanced and require bloodwork monitoring.
4 Emergency Playbook
Red-zone symptoms: collapse, seizure over 3 min, bloat posture (praying stretch with unproductive retching). In these cases, every 15 minutes cuts survival by 10 %. Leave within five minutes— call the clinic on the way.
Stock a home kit: digital thermometer, sterile gauze, chlorhexidine, tweezers, self-adhesive bandage, activated charcoal (dose by vet advice), and a printed CPR flowchart.
Poison hotline (EU): +32 (0)70 245 245 | US: +1 (888) 426-4435