Taking Proper Care Of Your Poodle

In order to keep your Poodle healthy you need to focus on practicing preventative Poodle health care. By maintain proper care you can minimize the severity and likelihood of any health problem. Preventative Poodle health care not only involves at home health exams, but also relies on providing good nutrition and enough exercise. Working along with your veterinarian provides the best preventative care.

When your Poodle is young you should start with regular visits to the veterinarian and then maintain a regular checkup at least once or twice a year to make sure you dog is kept in healthy condition. An important part of the veterinarian visits is to stay current on vaccinations, which can help prevent serious conditions such as infectious diseases, rabies, parvo virus, distemper and hepatitis. For the Poodle, having a licensed veterinarian doing vaccinations is extremely important since they are one of the breeds that are particularly prone to problems caused by over vaccinating a pet.
It is very important to do a home health check to monitor your Poodle health since it can help you to identify problems early. The best way to do it is during the grooming routine. Not only does this make it easy on the dog, but it is easier to remember as well. First you just want to rub your hands along the dog's body and check for unusual lumps or tender areas. Next you can keep track of your dogs weight gain or loss by press to feel the ribs and gauging how hard you have to press.

The eyes should always be bright with little or no discharge. There should be no redness or swelling on the insides of the ears. An ear infection will be obvious by a brown waxy substance or a bad odor. Make sure there is no tartar buildup on the teeth and that they are white. Make sure you know your dogs normal gum color since pale gums is the sign of serious problems. If you notice anything out of the ordinary during this check then you should take your dog to the veterinarian as soon as possible.
It can often be difficult to recognize any signs of Poodle health problems. Not only do you have to watch for subtle signs but also the easily recognizable signs. Just always keep in mind that it is easier to treat conditions if you catch them early. It is important that you note any changes you may notice in behavior, appetite, water intake, urination or bowel movements. Some symptoms that are easily recognizable and require immediate attention by a veterinarian include weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, blood in the urine, swelling, skin lumps, shallow breathing, coughing, lethargy, unusual odor, convulsions, choking, pain, sensitivity to touch, dull coat, excessive hair loss, fever and runny nose or eyes.

It is also important to make sure you have your pet spayed or neutered since it will help the animal to live a longer, healthier life while being better behaved. Cancer is also less common in pets that are fixed. By practicing proper preventative Poodle health care you can ensure you dog has a long and healthy life.

Lisa Collins has many years experience raising and caring for Poodles. Proper Poodle care is necessary to a healthy life for your pet. Finding the best Poodle diet will help to keep them healthy and happy.