It’s easy to blame the weather or old age if your dog lacks vitality. But there are always things you can do to improve your dog’s wellness. Wellness is not lack of illness. A well dog is one with plenty of energy and exercise tolerance. It is a dog with a keen appetite and firm, regular bowl motions, clean teeth and “nice” doggy breath. It is a dog interested in its environment and connecting with its family. So if you don’t think your dog scores well on any of these points, maybe you should try the seven steps.
Step 1: diet
Diet and nutrition are the building blocks for wellness, but no one diet will suit all dogs. These days, there are plenty of commercial, premium and prescription diet options for pets and your vet can advise you on these. Check the labels for quality of ingredients — eg meat rather than meat byproducts, natural preservatives such a vitamin E and essential fatty acids for skin and coat.
Many dogs benefit from an upgrade that includes some fresh homemade food. There are lots of recipes you can find online or in books, but ask your vet for specific advice. A basic recipe can be supplemented with flax oil, a pinch of iodised salt, kelp, alfalfa, spirulina, chorella and a small amount of garlic (a quarter of a clove to one small clove daily for large dogs).
Obesity is a common problem in dogs, particularly those on all-dry-food diets and not having enough exercise. Obesity can lead to painful osteoarthritis, diabetes, breathing problems and increased risk of heat stress, cardiac disease and liver disease.
One of the best things you can ever do for your dog’s health is help them lose any excess weight. Have your vet show you how to measure your dog’s body condition score. Reduce food and treats and slowly increase exercise. At first your dog will harass you for more food but you will ultimately be rewarded with a happier, more energetic companion.
Step 2: dental health
Clean teeth and healthy breath are more than just cosmetic. Chronic gingivitis and periodontal disease have been linked with renal disease, cardiac disease and immune stress. Sensible feeding of raw meaty bones, rawhide chews and, in some cases, manual cleaning with a special pet toothbrush will help remove food and plaque and keep your dog’s teeth clean.
Have your dog’s mouth checked by your veterinarian at least once every six months. If diet and brushing do not keep the teeth clean, they may need a prophylactic clean under general anaesthetic.
Step 3: exercise
Dogs need regular exercise. Both dogs and their humans benefit from fresh air, improved circulation and cardiovascular fitness, maintaining muscle tone and reducing that excess weight and socialising with doggy and human friends. If your dog is old and arthritic, try more frequent but shorter walks. Warm up your dog before intense ball play. A brisk walk followed by a short jog should be enough. Your vet can show you some basic canine stretches to help prevent injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Swimming is another way to exercise dogs.
Step 4: environment
There are many ways you can improve your dog’s environment to improve their wellbeing. Don’t smoke near your dog. Reduce the use of household chemicals and pesticides and weedkillers in the garden. Keep household poisons securely packaged and out of reach. Some plants in the garden may be allergens, so pull these up. Others may be poisonous. Take care when removing toxic plants that you don’t leave any for your dog to chew.
If possible, reduce your use of “safe” chemicals such as flea control and worming tablets. Flea control may not be required over cooler months. In older pets, you may find you can increase the space between treatments and use other methods such as flea combing and environmental cleaning. If your dog is sensitive to worm medications, have a faecal test to check for worms.
Heartworm prevention will still be needed all year round in many parts of Australia but think carefully about the type of heartworm prevention you use. Discuss the best and safest form of tick prevention in your area with your vet.
Step 5: regular wellness checks
Your veterinarian can give your dog a thorough check, which should include heart sounds and blood pressure, oral health check, skin and coat, body weight and body condition score, and a nutritional assessment, gently feeling the abdomen for changes in size or shape of internal organs, checking muscle tone and joints and checking gait for lameness. In older pets, blood tests can check for diabetes, kidney or liver disease, anaemia, hypothyroidism and Cushings disease.
Holistic vets may use TCM diagnosis to find any imbalance in your dog, make suggestions for diet and lifestyle and prescribe herbs to correct them. A regular wellness check will keep your dog in tip-top shape and may also lead to early diagnosis of more serious health problems.
Step 6: sensible vaccination programs
The Australian Veterinary Association has recently published guidelines recommending a reduced vaccination frequency in dogs. This approach recognises that all dogs need to be vaccinated to protect them from potentially fatal infectious diseases. However, it also recognises that overvaccination may lead to illness in some dogs.
An alternative to vaccination for older or sick dogs is to have a titre test to assess for antibody levels to see if vaccination is necessary. For most dogs, a rational regime is to vaccinate against core viruses only (those causing potentially serious disease such as parvovirus, distemper and canine infectious hepatitis). Puppies should be vaccinated after a wellness check, and only if well, at 10 and 14 weeks of age. A booster is given at 14–16 months and then vaccination no more frequently than every three years. Discuss your dog’s vaccine program at your veterinary wellness check.
Step 7: reduce anxiety
This should be step one because stress and anxiety can reduce immunity and lead to illness. In veterinary medicine we see anxious cats with cystitis and sometimes seizures in epileptic dogs triggered by anxiety. Exercise, sunshine, training and play will all help reduce anxiety. Bach Flower Essences such as Rescue Remedy or herbs such as chamomile may also help. Connect with your dog through a relaxing session of grooming or massage. Try to identify causes of stress, such as separation anxiety, and discuss these with your vet or a trained animal behaviourist or communicator.
Follow these seven steps and over a few months you will notice the change in your companion. If you follow them for yourself, you too will feel better.
