Important Dog Health Checklist

I wanted to share with you this important Dog Health Checklist to help you ensure your dog stays happy and healthy.

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Just like humans, dogs can get sick too.

You don’t always know what makes your dog ill, or how he got ill.

Even if your home is completely safe for your dog, he can still get injured or infected with viruses outside of your home.

While you can’t always prevent every illnesses, you CAN monitor your dog regularly thus catching any signs of illness before it becomes serious.

So here is a simple checklist you can use to help you ensure your dog is healthy.

Note: While I know a lot about pets, I’m not a Veterinarian, therefore this is not a professional advice!

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You should always consult your Veterinarian with any questions or concerns regarding your pet’s health!

You should regularly inspect the following:

Eyes

Your dog’s eyes should be clear, bright, no redness and free of any discharge.

There are dog breeds (such as Poodles), where people think the reddish-brownish discharge is “normal”.

While most of the time it isn’t a big health concern, it is definitely not normal.

If you notice anything unusual in your dog’s eyes, have a Veterinarian examine it.

Better safe than sorry.

Nose

A dog’s nose should be moist not dry, free of mucus and other discharge, and shouldn’t have any cracks.

Some people say a dog’s nose should be cold, and if it’s hot, it means he is sick.

While I don’t know how accurate this statement is, I have observed that a dog’s nose most of the time is cold and moist.

However, when a dog is sleeping, sometimes his nose will be dry and warm.

But when he wakes up and starts moving around, his nose will be moist again and feel cold to the touch. This is normal.

If your dog’s nose is always dry and hot, you should consult a Veterinarian.

Also, since your dog’s nose is moist, you could see clear (like water) discharge from his nose. This is normal.

But if the discharge isn’t clear, but yellowish, white or red he needs to go to the Vet.

Ears

Some breeds are more prone to ear infections than others.

But regardless of breed, you should regularly clean your dogs ears.

You should get your pup’s ear checked by the Vet if you notice:

• Constant shaking and scratching

• Foul smell from ears

• Red, inflamed ears.

Sometimes scratching the ears could just mean there is dirt in the dog’s ear, which you can easily handle by cleaning it.

But if you notice redness and/or inflammation, you need to get it checked by the Vet.

Mouth

How should a healthy dog mouth look like?

Clean white teeth, no tartar build up, no foul smell, pink moist gums, no redness and inflammation on gums.

Teeth

A dog’s teeth should be white and healthy looking.

You may have heard that you can determine a dog’s age (approximately) by the condition and color of his teeth.

Sure a young dog’s teeth will be whiter than an old dog’s teeth.

But this isn’t really normal.

Healthy diet, right supplements and regular teeth cleaning should keep your dog’s teeth white and healthy looking even when he is older.

Gums

Gums should be moist and pink. There should be no visible redness or inflammation, or “bad breath”.

Yes, bad breath in a dog isn’t normal. Sure, it won’t smell like mint, but a disgusting foul smell means there is a problem.

If you notice any inflammation or redness on your dog’s gums, you should schedule an appointment with the Vet to get it checked out.

Snout

Your dog’s mouth area should look healthy, no excessive redness and dryness, no unusual bums or “missing fur spots”.

Paws

Now let’s talk about your dog’s paws.

A healthy dog paw should have no cracks, no excessive dryness, no foul smell, no overgrown nails, no swelling or unusual lumps.

You should inspect your dog’s paw for any dryness.