Raising dogs, in particular taking care of the sarplaninac, is a specialty of humans. Experts speculate that dogs were first domesticated between twelve thousand and twenty five thousand years ago—and that all dogs evolved from the wolf. Since then, humans have selectively bred more than 400 different breeds, ranging in size from four-pound teacup poodles all the way up to Irish wolfhounds, whose 3-foot stature earns them the title of the tallest canine. However, the most widespread canines are the non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mixed-breeds. The sarplaninac is also a popular choice among dog owners. Some owners are unaware, however, of some critical sarplaninac care tips.
Health care cost for the sarplaninac
The yearly budget for caring for your sarplaninac—which includes everything from meals and snacks, veterinary care, toys and license—could range between $420 and seven hundred eighty dollars. This doesn’t even count capital expenses for sterilization procedures, collar and leash, carrier and dog crate. Tip: Make sure you have all of your items before bringing your sarplaninac home for the first time.
General sarplaninac Care
How To Feed the sarplaninac
- sarplaninac puppies between eight and 12 weeks old need four bowls of food in a day.
- sarplaninac puppies 3 to 6 months old should be fed three meals in a day.
- Feed puppies six months to one year old 2 meals daily.
- When the sarplaninac makes her first birthday, 1 bowl every twenty-four hours is usually sufficient.
- Some adult sarplaninacs might prefer 2 lighter meals. It’s your duty to adapt to your sarplaninac’s eating habits.
Excellent-quality dry food ensures balanced nutrition to full-grown sarplaninacs and may be mixed with canned food, broth, or water. Your sarplaninac may also enjoy cooked eggs, cottage cheese, and fruits and vegetables, but these additions shouldn’t add up to more than ten percent of his or her daily calorie intake. sarplaninac pups should probably be given top-quality, brand-name puppy food. Please cut down on “people food”, however, because it can cause vitamin and mineral imbalances, tooth and bone issues, and may result in extremely finicky eating habits and obesity. Give clean, potable water only, and make certain to clean food and water bowls daily.
sarplaninac Care Tips: Make sure to get your sarplaninac some daily physical activity
sarplaninacs need some exercise so they can stay in shape, recharge their minds, and stay healthy. Exercise also seems to help sarplaninacs fight boredom, which often has the potential to lead to to difficult behavior. Getting out of the house can quell many of your sarplaninac’s desires to herd, dig, chase, retrieve and chew. Individual exercise needs will depend on your sarplaninac’s age and her level of health—but ten minutes in the backyard and a couple of walks down the street every day probably will not be enough. If your sarplaninac is a 6 to 18 month adolescent, her requirements will be much more.
Grooming tips for sarplaninacs
You can help reduce shedding and keep your sarplaninac clean with regular brushing. Inspect for ticks and fleas daily during warm weather. Sometimes sarplaninacs don’t need a bath more than a few times per year. Before giving him a bath, cut out or comb any mats from the sarplaninac’s hair. Carefully rinse all soap out of the coat, or dirt will stick to the soap.
How to Handle Your sarplaninac
Puppies, as opposed to adults, are obviously the easiest to manage. When carrying the sarplaninac pup, put 1 of your hands under the dog’s chest, either with the forearm or other hand supporting the back legs and rear. Never try to grab or lift your puppy by his forelegs, tail or back of the neck. If you have to pick up a bigger, adult sarplaninac, lift from the underside, supporting her chest with 1 of your arms and rump with the other arm.
How to House your sarplaninac
Your sarplaninac needs a comfy quiet location in order to rest apart from all the breezes and off the floor or ground. You might want to think about purchasing a dog bed, or consider making one out of a wooden box. Place a clean blanket, sheet, comforter, or pillow inside the bed. Wash the sarplaninac’s bed covering frequently. If the sarplaninac will be outdoors frequently, be sure she has plenty of cool water and covering in the summer, and a covered, warm, dry area during the winter.
sarplaninac Licensing
Your community has licensing regulations to heed. Be certain you affix the license to your sarplaninac’s collar. This, along with an ID tag, can possibly help secure your sarplaninac’s return if she happens to go missing.
Information on sarplaninac Behavior
Thoughts on sarplaninac Training
A well-mannered, companion sarplaninac is a blessing to have. But when left untrained, your dog can easily be a lot of trouble. Training your sarplaninac on the minimums—”Come”, “Down”, “Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, and “Leave it”—bolsters the relationship both with your dog as well as your neighbors. If you have a puppy, begin teaching him or her the appropriate behavior as fast as you can! Use a snack as an incentive and a reward. Pups can be enrolled in obedience classes when they have been adequately vaccinated. Contact your local humane society or SPCA for training classes. It is best to walk your sarplaninac leashed while in public, even while a puppy. Be positive your dog will come back to you when you tell him. A disobedient or aggressive sarplaninac shouldn’t play with other people.
Knowing Your sarplaninac’s Health
sarplaninacs should visit the vet for a complete check-up, shots and a heartworm screening every year, and promptly when she is hurt or sick.
Your sarplaninac’s Oral Health
Although we might simply dislike our sarplaninac’s foul breath, it’s important to be aware of what it may be a symptom of. Bad breath is a sign that your sarplaninac requires a dental exam. Plaque , which is caused by germs creates a foul odor that can only be cured by professional treatment. Once you have given your sarplaninac a cleaning from a professional, his gums and teeth may be kept healthy by eliminating table food, feeding a special diet focused on maintaining dental health, and brushing regularly. Your veterinarian can supply you with other information for eradicating oral problems and stinky breath. You can use a baking soda and water paste or a dog toothpaste once or twice per week to brush your sarplaninac’s teeth. Use a child’s soft toothbrush, a gauze pad or a piece of nylon pantyhose stretched over your finger. Some sarplaninacs develop periodontal disease, frequently referred to as gum disease. This dreadful condition will sometimes result in loss of your sarplaninac’s teeth and also cause infection throughout his body. The vet will most likely brush your dog’s teeth as a regular part of your sarplaninac’s health screening.
sarplaninac Halitosis
Although bad breath due to periodontal disease might not be that serious if caught early enough, sometimes bad breath may also indicate serious, chronic causes for concern. A sweet, even pleasant smell may often be a sign of diabetes, while diseases of the intestines or liver may cause foul breath. When your sarplaninac’s breath smells like urine or ammonia, kidney disease is a possible cause. Any time you find your sarplaninac has halitosis accompanied by other indications of ill health, like diminished appetite, nausea and vomiting, loss of weight, bad mood, too much urination and drinking, set a visit to his vet.
Fleas and Ticks in sarplaninacs
Daily, regular checks of your sarplaninac for fleas and ticks throughout the warm seasons are vital. Remove fleas with a flea comb. There are several new technologies of flea elimination. Speak to your sarplaninac’s doctor about these and other options.
Heartworms in sarplaninacs
Your sarplaninac is at risk of developing heartworms if he is exposed to mosquitoes often. Mosquitoes carry heartworms from dog to dog. Heartworm infections are known to be fatal. It is wise to give your sarplaninac a blood test for heartworms each and every spring—this is vital for stopping infections from the past year. It’s also wise to give your sarplaninac a once-a-month tablet in the warm, wet time of the year to be able to protect him from heartworms. Your sarplaninac should be on heartworm medication throughout a winter trip to a warmer climate. There are some locations, usually the areas with milder climates, where doctors advise worm tablets be used all throughout the year.
Medications and Poisons
Never give your sarplaninac medicine that hasn’t been prescribed by her vet. Are you aware that one regular-strength ibuprofen capsule will cause ulcers in sarplaninacs? Make sure your sarplaninac is never exposed to rat poison and other rodenticides. When you have reason to believe that your pooch has eaten a poison, immediately call the vet or the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 twenty-four hrs. a day for help.
sarplaninac Sterilization Procedures
Male sarplaninacs should be neutered – the extraction of the testicles – and females spayed – the extraction of the uterus and ovaries – by 6 months of age. Spaying before maturity greatly reduces the breast cancer risk, a common and often deadly problem of older female dogs. Spaying also eradicates the possibility of a diseased uterus, a very serious problem in older females that can only be treated with surgery and intensive medical care. Testicular cancer, prostate diseases, certain aggressive behavior and some hernias are preventable by neutering males.
sarplaninac Shots
- The combination vaccine (also known as the “five-in-one shot”) needs to be given to your sarplaninac at 2, 3, and four months of age and again once per year. This innoculation protects your pup from hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and distemper. Your sarplaninac must be immunized for at least the first four months of her life.
- If you have an uninnoculized sarplaninac older than four or five months, she will need a series of two innoculations given 2 to three weeks apart, followed by an annual immunization.
- Your sarplaninac pup’s innoculations should coincide with his socialization program. Most veterinarians recommend that new owners take their sarplaninac pups to socialization courses, as early as 8 to nine weeks of age. They should have already received their first innoculations by then.
Rules vary so much between different areas, that it’s best to contact your local veterinarian for rabies immunization info. In NYC, for instance, the statute requires any pets older than 3 months of age to be vaccinated for rabies. After the first shot, you must get a second shot the next year, and then every 3 years. There are many innoculations, many of which are effective for your sarplaninac. There are others that are not, however. Ask your sarplaninac’s vet for her opinion. Also, if your sarplaninac gets ill because she is not immunized, do not give the innoculation until the dog has made a full recovery.
Worms in sarplaninacs
sarplaninacs are commonly exposed to worms and possible infestation—especially in rural areas. Tiny eggs made by roundworms are passed in an infested dog’s feces. Most pups, even from healthy mothers in good homes, carry roundworms or hookworms. The secret to treatment is early detection. This will make sure that the medication is highly effective against the worms your dog has. A dewormer that eliminates hookworms, for example, can’t kill tapeworms. Your doctor can best define the culprit—and decide the right medication.
Miscellaneous sarplaninac Care Tips
sarplaninac Supply Checklist
- High-quality dog food and snacks designed for sarplaninacs and similarly-sized dogs
- Food bowl
- Water bowl
- As many safe toys as you can provide, especially chewable
- Brush and comb for grooming, including flea comb
- Collar with license and identification tag
- Leash
- Carrier (for puppies)
- Crate for training
- Dog box or bed with sheet or towel
- Doggie toothbrush
Warnings to be Heeded
The following items should never be fed to sarplaninacs:
- Alcohol, beer, wine or liquor
- Chocolate, coffee, or tea
- Grapes or raisins
- Spoiled or moldy food of any kind
- Onions, garlic or chives
- Poultry bones
- Salt and salty foods
- Tomato leaves, unripe fruit or stems
- Yeast dough
Final Thoughts
Keep your sarplaninac on a leash whenever you are outside, unless you are in a secured, fenced-in area. And please, when your sarplaninac defecates on your neighbor’s grass, take care of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about sarplaninacs
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