How to protect?

In this article you can find information about your duties as a pet owner, about possible health problems and their symptoms and also about what you can do to improve the quality of your pet’s life.

When you adopt a pet, you become responsible not only for it, but also for its offspring. If you are not able to take care of the offspring, sterilize or emasculate your pet.

Do not leave your dog on its own on the street as a dog without an owner is considered a stray dog by default.

Take care of your pet identification: microchip it and write your contact information on the dog’s collar or collar pendant. Every dog that is at least 6 months old must be microchipped and registered in the Latvian database ldc.gov.lv

Follow the pet maintenance regulations developed by your local municipality.

Provide veterinary care for your pet every time it’s needed: make annual vaccinations, make sure your pet is clear from body snatchers, buy anti-mite collars and drops, provide comfortable conditions in hot and cold times of the year and also make sure that your pet is not hungry and has an access to fresh water.

If you adopt a pet, it is your responsibility to provide a proper healthcare for it. Pay attention to any changes in your pet’s behavior. If your pet got sick, contact a veterinarian immediately. Do not try to treat your pet medically by yourself or with the help of the internet.

Here are the first signs that indicate that your pet has a health problem:

  • Rheum from the eyes, nose or ears
  • Changes in the hair coat structure
  • Apathy
  • Loss of appetite
  • Excessive water drinking

The majority of health problems is caused by improper treatment and feeding. It is highly important to feed your pet properly. Pets can’t eat the same food as humans. They need special food and vitamins. Do not overfeed your pet, especially if you don’t have enough time to provide your dog with physical exercises and walks.

Learn the basics of pet treatment: how to give an injection, trim the nails, give a bath, clean the ears and eyes. Here is the list of common pets health problems and its consequences:

Toxoplasmosis – a disease caused by toxoplasma. A cat can catch it if it eats raw beef, a human – if he or she eats rare meet. A human can also catch it when cleaning cat’s litter box, especially if the feces were not scooped out just after the cat has done it’s doings. 
Usually there are no signs of toxoplasmosis in both cats and humans (in rare cases they are similar to cold symptoms). However, it is considered that the pregnant women who didn’t have antibodies to toxoplasmosis at the moment of impregnation are especially prone to this disease (which can disturb the formation of the fetus). Prevention measures: clean your cat’s litter regularly; do not leave feces for several days.

Trichophytosis (caused by fungi) – is usually carried by cats and is very unpleasantly looking as it affects skin and hair forming oval bald patches. Cats that walk outdoors are especially exposed to this disease. If you think that your cat might have trichophytosis, show it to a veterinarian immediately. To protect yourself during the treatment period, it is advised by dermatologists to use anti-fungal anti-dandruff shampoo: apply it not only to your hair, but also to the rest of the body for several minutes.

Another danger is parasitic worms.. Basic signs of the infections in dogs are: dull, tousled and stiff hair, excessive proneness to skin diseases, dandruff, eczemas (the dog is not getting all the necessary nutrients from food as the worms take the majority of them), underweight (even cachexia), digestive disturbance (low appetite, diarrhea, vomiting), blood or mucus in stool, rheum from the eyes, distended and hard stomach, anemia (the mucous membrane is white or grey instead of pink) and low temperature. 
Worm your dog at least 2 or 3 times a year.. In some cases it is advised by veterinarians to worm your dog even more often (every 3 months).

Remember that vermicides are still toxic, so don’t overuse them. If your dog is a working or a hunting dog or it has an opportunity to eat litter from the street, worm your pet once every 3 months. If your dog is at home most of the time and you can control it, you can worm it less frequently, but not less than 2 times a year. 

Some vermicides have to be taken two times within 12 or 14 days of each other. it’s the time needed for the new worms to hatch out. Remember that vaccination is always performed after dehelmintization (worming). Otherwise vaccination is useless or even dangerous.