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Caring for Your Dog's Health through Vaccines, Shots and Medicines
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Author: Mike Cavanaugh Although it may be hard for us to see or perform on our animal friend, vaccines, shots and medicines provide crucial protection or assistance to him or her. Without them they may be in pain, unhealthy or even worse - could die. Vaccines, shots and medicines are an important way for us to care for our beloved dog. Vaccines and booster shots keep our dogs safe from numerous diseases, viruses, bugs and infections. Although not everything can be cured with a shot, it definitely reduces the number of problems that can arise in our dog's health. Vaccinations done on a yearly basis work against common fatal diseases. Booster shots include protection from hepatitis, para-influenza, parvovirus, coronavirus, leptospirosis, rabies, kennel cough or Lyme disease. Distemper vaccinations are the usual vaccinations done on a yearly check-up. Just like with human vaccines, the canine variety can cause side effects and should be watched in a recently vaccinated dog. Nausea, vomiting, allergic reactions and difficulty in breathing are frequent side effects to the vaccines. Most noticeable reactions occur within fifteen minutes of the shot, but a watch should be conducted for up to a few days post-shot. Inform your dog's vet if side effects are severe, persist beyond a few days or if noticeable changes happen to the skin or under the skin of the injection site beyond a few days. Medications give your dog the chance to live life relatively pain-free or they manage or prevent adverse health conditions or treat temporary medical conditions. Some dogs respond to taking their medicine unknowingly while others go to great lengths to avoid it. The easiest and most used method of disguising pill-form medications for your dog involve hiding it within a piece of cheese or treat that the dog likes. If this won't work try hiding it in the canned food given. If the nice methods don't pan out, less pleasant modes will need to be applied such as forcibly placing it in the dog's throat. To do this you will need to grab your dog's muzzle in one hand while opening the jaw with the other. Place the pill as far back into the throat as is possible. Force your dog's mouth to close to induce swallowing rather than moving it back up in the mouth to spit out. While the mouth is closed, gently rub the mouth to the throat until a swallow is noticed. Liquid drops require tilting the dog's head slightly upward, opening the mouth as with forcing a pill. Take the premeasured medicinal amount in a dropper and place behind the lip fold on the side of his mouth. Drop out the liquid here slowly in order for the dog to be able to swallow it. Perhaps the liquid drops are for the eye rather than the mouth? An extra set of hands would do nicely for this. While someone else holds the dog's head up in a locked position while you gently open the eyelid and squeeze out the medicine. Ear medicines are usually in dropper form as well. Kneel beside your dog in a sitting position and lift his or her ear flap. In the other hand apply the medicine carefully into the ear canal. Release the dog's ear flap and massage the ear gently to move the medicine down into the canal. Taking the necessary measures, no matter how upsetting to us, to care for our dog to make him or her healthy is truly a good thing. Forcing yourself and your dog to go to the veterinarian's in order to receive vaccines, shots or medicines or to apply medicines ourselves is what may save our animal friend's life or quality of life.
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