Welcome to Legacy Dogs Health

These few notes are intended for anyone who hasn't owned a dog before and will hopefully point you in the right direction. Most of what you'll need to know can be found in one of the good reference books such as "The RSPCA Complete Dog Care Manual" by Dr Bruce Fogle. It offers straightforward and reliable advice on all aspects of care and should be available from most public libraries.

Feeding

When your new dog arrives it's usually best to continue with the same food it's become familiar with at the kennels or previous home. Sudden changes of diet can cause upsets so it is worth asking for as much detail as possible. If you want to change to another type of food do this gradually over several days or weeks.

Dogs are not true carnivores so as well as the protein provided by meat they require carbohydrates from dog-meal or similar for energy. Most will thrive on a good-quality commercial dog-food containing a proper balance of protein, fat, carbohydrates and vitamins.

The main choice in commercial foods is between tinned, dry, or semi-moist foods. Tinned food is either 'supplementary', which needs to be balanced by the addition of dog-meal, or 'complete', which does not. Dry "kibbled" food has the advantage of helping to keep teeth clean and is always sold as 'complete' but may need the addition of water. Fresh water should always be available with all foods.

Whichever you use you should read the packaging for instructions and several manufacturers offer a free-phone advice line if you're unsure. Cat-food is not formulated for dogs and isn't suitable for them.

Many owners choose to feed their own specially-prepared fresh food and while this doesn't need to be expensive it does require more time and care to maintain a proper balance. Meat such as heart and liver should only be fed in moderate quantities. Pasta or rice is a useful source of carbohydrates.

All meat, especially chicken and offal produced using 'factory farming' methods, needs to be cooked sufficiently to kill any harmful bacteria or parasites. Although wild animals naturally eat meat raw, they will frequently suffer from disease and live shorter lives than we can expect for our pets.

If your dog requires a special diet for health reasons you should carefully follow your vet's instructions. Chicken or fish with rice, although easily digested and ideal for dogs recovering from illness, are not suitable for most dogs over a prolonged period without supplements.

Whatever a dog eats, it needs to be in the right quantities because the most widespread health problem in dogs is obesity. Keeping a dog's weight down by giving the right amount of good food and sufficient exercise will maximise its chances for a long, healthy life.

Grooming and parasites

As well as keeping them healthy and clean, regular grooming helps to build an important bond with our animals and at least a small amount needs to be done every day. After a run your dog needs to be checked all over especially feet, ears and eyes. Check too for grass-seeds in the ears which can lead to serious injury. Many dogs are susceptible to ear infections and a healthy ear should be clean without redness and sweet-smelling.

As well as keeping the coat free of tangles pay attention to claws, particularly 'dew' claws, and remove excessive fur from beneath the feet which can otherwise lead to lameness.

All dogs pick up parasites from time to time and fleas find our warm, centrally-heated homes extremely comfortable. The secret to controlling fleas is regular inspection and early treatment. Flea droppings, tiny black specks often found around the neck that turn red when dropped onto wet tissue, are a sure sign of fleas.

Flea-sprays are available from vets and pet-shops but all should be used with great care according to the instructions. If the infestation is severe you will need another more powerful insecticide for carpets and bedding but this shouldn't be sprayed directly onto your dog. If your dog is hugged by small children then 'Program', which is given by mouth, or 'Frontline', a spray, are thought to be the safest but in the UK are still only available from vets.