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Puppy Basics: Health Care Essentials
Puppy Basics: Health Care Essentials-mobile

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Puppy Basics: Health Care Essentials

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You’ll do anything to keep your puppy healthy and happy—IAMS™ is just the first step. Here’s some extra advice to help your puppy stay extra healthy.

 

 

Giving Your Puppy a Pill

Step 1: Begin with a play session and praise to relax your puppy. Then get on the same physical level as your puppy. With a large dog, kneel next to him while he's in the sitting position; with a small puppy, place him on a grooming table or a countertop.
 

Step 2: Place one hand over the top of the puppy's muzzle as shown. Hold the pill in your free hand and then gently open his mouth with that hand.
 

Step 3: Place the pill in the center of the tongue as far back as you're able to reach. Then close your puppy's mouth and hold it shut while you blow gently but quickly at his nose. This will cause your dog to swallow before he has a chance to spit the pill out. Give him a treat immediately afterward to ensure that the pill has really been swallowed. End each session with play and praise.

 

 

Finding a Veterinarian

Just like you, your new puppy needs high-quality health care. Before you run into any dog health issues, ask a friend or your local humane society to recommend a veterinarian, then choose one with these factors in mind:
 

  • Education and experience. How long has this veterinarian been practicing? Did he or she graduate from a respected veterinary college?
  • Specialty. In urban areas, you might find veterinarians who deal exclusively with the special problems of dogs and cats.
  • Location. Don't let it override education, experience, and specialty, but location is important. A drive across town during a medical emergency could delay needed treatment.

 

 

Schedule a visit and interview

Once you've narrowed your choices, visit the veterinarian's office. Inspect the facility and talk to the doctor about your new puppy. If you like what you see and hear, arrange a time to bring your puppy in for an initial examination. It's a good idea to visit the veterinarian within the first three days after you bring your puppy home to make sure he's in good health. The veterinarian will probably check:
 

  • Stool. A fecal exam will reveal the presence of internal parasites.
  • Body. A head-to-tail physical exam includes inspecting your dog's coat and feeling his body for abnormalities, as well as checking the eyes, ears, mouth, and heart and examining the anus for signs of intestinal parasites.
  • Once an exam is completed, your veterinarian can schedule immunizations and vaccinations and advise you on the importance of spaying and neutering.

  • Why Ethoxyquin Is Important to Your Dog’s Health
    Why Ethoxyquin Is Important to Your Dog’s Health mobile
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    Why Ethoxyquin Is Important to Your Dog’s Health

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    What Is Ethoxyquin?

    Ethoxyquin is a synthetic antioxidant (artificially manufactured from other elements) that is approved for different uses.
     

    Ethoxyquin is approved and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for use as a preservative in animal feeds.
     

    Dog-food manufacturers have been using ethoxyquin to prevent rancidity and to maintain the nutritional quality of their products for more than 35 years.

     

     

    Why Is Ethoxyquin a Good Preservative for Dog Food?

    Ethoxyquin remains stable at the high temperatures required to process dog foods during extrusion. It is important in protecting fats and oils from degrading, losing available calories, and becoming rancid.

     

     

    Why Do Some People Question the Use of Ethoxyquin in Dog Food?

    Despite the fact that all studies conducted to date prove that ethoxyquin is safe for use in all animal foods when used at approved levels, rumors continue to circulate to the contrary.
     

    Individuals who seek to discredit the use of ethoxyquin will often cite certain studies that showed toxic effects in animals fed ethoxyquin. What these individuals fail to point out is that the animals in these studies were given excessive amounts of ethoxyquin—20 to more than 50 times the maximum limit—before negative effects were exhibited.

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