Sunday, September 25, 2011

How To Keep Your Puppy Healthy And Fit

By Christian Velez


How much are you feeding your puppy? If you are simply going from the packaging label recommendations, you may be feeding your puppy too much or too little.

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.

If your puppy is eating too little, start increasing his food intake slowly over a period of two weeks. If at that time he reaches an ideal weight, you can keep the food amount there. Do the opposite for an overfed dog.

A puppy at a healthy weight is less likely to get sick then overweight and underweight puppies. Being at a weight that is too high or two low weakens the puppy's immune system.

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.

Wait three minutes then pull the thermometer out slowly and read the results. The mercury level will rise to the accurate temperature. If your puppy is running a fever, you'll want to call your vet immediately and arrange to have him seen.

Make absolutely sure that you are NOT using an oral thermometer! This can give a false reading. Imagine paying for a vet visit only to find out that your puppy's temperature is just fine, you were simply using the wrong thermometer! Or worse, what if your puppy really is sick and you get an inaccurate reading?




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