Topic
The blog’s topic is canine health, focusing on such aspects as food, vaccination, and hygiene. Although they are directly related to the business, the information will cover nutrients and diseases in general without mentioning specific products or services. The customers need to know why rabies is an issue and what is considered nutritional for dogs. They may want to understand whether the food they buy is safe and discover the available vaccination strategies. The blog provides value by covering those essential aspects in an approachable way, borrowing the data from recent studies.
Canine Health
Owners are often concerned about their pets’ health, trying to procure the best food, equipment, and services for them. Manufacturers will attempt to convince a person that their product is the healthiest and most appropriate, but one should be aware of what contributes to a dog’s wellbeing. Knowing beneficial nutrients, vaccination strategies, and good hygiene implications can help an owner properly care for their pets and be more selective about purchases.
Nutrients
People should pay attention to certain nutrients and additives, which constitute healthy food for dogs. One of them is alpha-lipoic acid, which is anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective and serves as an antioxidant, preventing cell damage (Anthony et al., 2021). Dogs also require essential fatty acids, especially from the omega-3 group, as their bodies are unable to synthesize them (Kaur et al., 2020). They prevent cardiovascular and renal diseases, atopy, and other conditions, although the wrong dosage may lead to immune dysfunction and metabolic issues (Kaur et al., 2020). Meanwhile, bisphenol A, commonly used in canned food, is to be avoided due to its endocrine disrupting nature, potentially causing tumors (Koestal et al., 2017). Overall, owners should pay attention to what their dogs consume; knowing that a preferred food brand contains beneficial and nutritional elements can be life-saving.
Vaccination
Vaccination is one of the crucial aspects of ensuring that a pet is healthy. Rabies is something that endangers both the owner and the dog, so controlling it is essential, considering that domestic ones are responsible for the majority of cases (Wallace et al., 2017). Vaccination is generally cheap, and three strategies are available for consideration (Wallace et al., 2017). It can be Mobile Static Point when dogs are immunized at a centralized location, door-to-door, meaning that vaccinators visit each household, and oral, implying the use of baits (Undurraga, 2020). More methods exist, but the described ones are suitable for owned dogs (Undurraga, 2020). Some believe that the oral strategy has the biggest potential, as it can be combined with the other two (Cliquet et al., 2018). Owners may choose the most convenient path for them and the pet.
Hygiene
Proper hygiene is the key to ensuring that a dog does not experience health issues. Starting from bathing, an owner should perform many procedures to avoid diseases (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [ASPCA], n.d.). They include brushing the dog’s teeth, examining its eyes, and trimming the nails (ASPCA, n.d.). The negligence may result in such conditions as flea infestation, allergies, infections, tooth loss, and others (ASPCA, n.d.). A pet’s hygiene should be maintained regularly to prevent them.
Conclusion
Many people want to own a pet, but not everybody knows which areas to focus while caring for one. The aspects described in the blog (food, vaccination, and hygiene) are not exhaustive, although their importance should not be underestimated. Being informed already prevents numerous conditions, and diligently following the recommendations regarding nutrition, choosing the right vaccination strategy, and performing various grooming procedures will guarantee a pet’s wellbeing.
References
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (n.d.). Dog grooming tips. Web.
Anthony, R. M., MacLeay, J. M., & Gross, K. L. (2021). Alpha-lipoic acid as a nutritive supplement for humans and animals: An overview of its use in dog food. Animals, 11(5), 1454-1468. Web.
Cliquet, F., Guiot, A.-L., Aubert, M., Robardet, E., Rupprecht, C. E., & Meslin, F.-X. (2018). Oral vaccination of dogs: A well-studied and undervalued tool for achieving human and dog rabies elimination. Veterinary Research, 49(1), 61. Web.
Kaur, H., Singla, A., Singh, S., Shilwant, S., & Kaur, R. (2020). Role of omega-3 fatty acids in canine health: A review. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 9(3), 2283-2293. Web.
Koestel, Z. L., Backus, R. C., Tsuruta, K., Spollen, W. G., Johnson, S. A., Javurek, A. B., Ellersieck, M. R., Wiedmeyer, C. E., Kannan, K., Xue, J., Bivens, N. J., Givan, S. A., & Rosenfeld, C. S. (2017). Bisphenol A (BPA) in the serum of pet dogs following short-term consumption of canned dog food and potential health consequences of exposure to BPA. Science of The Total Environment, 579, 1804–1814. Web.
Undurraga, E. A., Millien, M. F., Allel, K., Etheart, M. D., Cleaton, J., Ross, Y., Vaccine Evaluation Team, & Wallace, R. M. (2020). Costs and effectiveness of alternative dog vaccination strategies to improve dog population coverage in rural and urban settings during a rabies outbreak. Vaccine, 38(39), 6162-6173. Web.
Wallace, R. M., Undurraga, E. A., Blanton, J. D., Cleaton, J., & Franka, R. (2017). Elimination of dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030: Needs assessment and alternatives for progress based on dog vaccination. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 4, 9. Web.