How Often Should I Take My Dog To The Vet? Here Is What Vets Recommend!

It depends on so many factors like your Dog’s age, medical history, etc. Therefore, we have penned down a simple guide regarding “When to take Dog to vet?”

• When To Take Your Dog To The Vet Immediately?
  • When Do Puppies Need To Go To The Vet?
  • When Do Adult Dogs Need To Go To The Vet?
  • When Do Senior Dogs Need To Go To The Vet?
• What If My Dog Hates Walking Through The Vet’s Doors?

How Do You Know When To Take Your Dog To The Vet Immediately?

Before understanding a normal routine concerning; When to take a puppy to a vet? It would be best to recognize when your Dog requires immediate vet assistance in an emergency. We have listed a few emergencies when you need to call the dog vet as soon as possible;

• Caught up in an accident 
• Experiencing Seizures
• Consumed harmful substances (e.g., chocolate, jalapeño, choked on almonds, etc.) and finding it hard to throw up
• Blood in Urine
• Injured any body part
• Seems to be in Pain
• Trouble breathing
• Unconscious
• Skin rash
• Refuse eating or drinking water for 24 hours or more
• Swollen stomach or abdomen
• Suddenly collapses

Or whatever that appears to be abnormal from your Dog’s usual behavior.

When Do Puppies Need To Go To The Vet?

From birth to when a dog is at least a year old, it is considered a puppy. You should know that a pup also needs more care and attention like a human child. For that very reason, you might require to take your puppy to the Vet more than the other phases of its life.
Until your dog is sixteen weeks old, you should take your pup to the Vet at least once every three to four weeks. During these visits, the Vet will examine whether the puppy grows like an average dog of its breed and gender. As soon as your dog turns at least eight weeks, the Vet will organize a vaccination schedule for your pup. The basic vaccination schedule based on the pup’s age is explained as follows;

• An eight-week-old gets its first shot of the DA2PP vaccine, and this vaccine is mainly for distemper, hepatitis, para influenza, parvo, and canine corona. 
• The pup gets its second shot of DA2PP and Leptospirosis injection when it turns 10–12 weeks old.
• The Vet gives the third shot of DA2PP, the second shot of Leptospirosis, and rabies injection when the pup is 14- 16 weeks old.

If your dog was a stray dog earlier or the chances of flea and tick are higher in your area, the Vet can also prescribe anti-tick and flea medications to your pup.

During these visits, you can ask the Veterinarian for information regarding your dog’s diet. A professional can better tell about the best food for your pup and instruct you about your puppy’s nutritional requirements according to its age and breed.

Once the pup arrives at six months of age, the Vet will advise spaying if your pup is a female dog and neutering if it is a male dog. Although it is a perfect age to remove dogs’ reproductive organs, it is still your decision whether you want your dog to undergo a surgical procedure. Most dog parents who want their dogs to have pups in the future avoid these procedures.

When Do Adult Dogs Need To Go To The Vet?

Annual Vet Visits:
Annual visits are enough when a pup matures to an adult a year after birth. You don’t need to visit the Vet with dog every month. However, these annual checkups are very crucial. The Veterinarian will run all kinds of tests; physical examination, blood tests, stool tests, etc. The first checkup of your year-old dog will also require another shot of rabies, just like it used to have when it was a puppy. The Vet will evaluate heartbeat, lung functioning, teeth health, limbs, and every body part of your dog. Based on their examination, the Vet will let you know necessary diet changes or improve your dog’s physical activity and might recommend medications if needed. If your dog got some severe disease, it could be easily detected and treated in its earlier stages just because of timely inspection by a professional.

During these visits, you can share changes in your dog’s behavior if you have felt it in recent days. Along with this, you can ask about the best food of your adult dog from the Vet and use their suggestions to maintain it’s a proper healthy diet.

It is highly suggestible to visit the same Vet you used to take your dog to when it was a puppy. It is because dogs find vet visits highly anxious. However, if you take your dog to the same Vet, there are chances that the dog will be familiar with the Vet’s touch and feel more comfortable around them. The Vet will also know your dog’s medical history and how to handle your pup better to carry out the examination smoothly.

When Do Senior Dogs Need To Go To The Vet?

We will experience a circling situation here. From such a delicate phase of a dog’s life, being a pup and reaching the highly active adult stage, your dog will again enter fragile years when it turns eight or more. It won’t be as healthy as it used to be in its adult years.
Dogs’ teeth start decaying, limbs weaken, bone density reduces, and the immune system weakens. Naturally, you will require to take your dog to the Vet, more than you used to take it in its adult age.

Most Vets recommend bringing a senior dog once every six months and suggest some regular exercise for dog. However, if the dog is weaker and has serious health concerns, the Vet might ask you to bring your aged dog more than just twice a year. Blood Tests, urine tests, Fecal tests, Blood pressure, Ultrasounds, radiographs are used to check the health condition of senior dogs. The Vet might keep your dog on necessary medications and give it required vaccinations based on your pooch’s health condition.

What If My Dog Hates Walking Through The Vet’s Doors?

Indeed, a hospital environment can be a little overwhelming for your dog. Medication odor, barking noise of other pups, and a random person’s (Vet) touch can make your dog uncomfortable.
To avoid this, you can choose the following methods;

• Firstly, try not to replace your dog’s Vet every time. Even it’s best if you will visit the same Vet as you used to take your dog when it was a puppy. Familiarity with the clinic’s environment and the Vet will be little comfort for your dog. 
• Bring treats during the pet visits. Treats can keep your dog occupied while the Vet will examine your dog. For that very reason, many vets keep dog treats in their clinics.
• Instead of directly driving to the vet clinic, you can firstly take your dog for a walk to calm them down and then bring it to the Vet. If your dog gets more anxious than expected, you can ask the Vet to give it some antianxiety drugs.
• Before the visit, you can inform the Vet and tell them about your dog’s anxiety issues if it had experienced any in their last visit. Vets know how to handle situations like these, and they will be prepared in advance if your dog gets anxious during the checkup.

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