Owning dogs, in particular taking care of the american water spaniel, is nothing new for people across the globe. Some historians say dogs were domesticated between twelve thousand and twenty five thousand years ago—and that dogs evolved from wolves. Since then, humans have selectively bred more than four hundred breeds, varying in size from 4-pound teacup poodles to Irish wolfhounds, whose 3-foot stature earns them the title of the tallest canine. However, the most widespread canines are non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mutts. The american water spaniel is also a popular pick among dog owners. Some owners are misinformed, however, of some of the most crucial american water spaniel care tips.
General health care cost of your american water spaniel
The annual cost of caring for your american water spaniel—including food and snacks, veterinary care, toys and license—can range between four hundred twenty and seven hundred eighty dollars. This figure doesn’t include capital expenses for spay/neuter operations, dog collar and a leash, carrier and a dog crate. Tip: Make sure you have obtained all of the required supplies before you bring your american water spaniel home.
Basic american water spaniel Care
american water spaniel Feeding Outline
- american water spaniel puppies between 8 and twelve weeks old need 4 bowls of food in a day.
- Feed american water spaniel pups three to 6 months old three meals daily.
- Feed puppies six months old to 1 year two bowls of food every twenty-four hours.
- When your american water spaniel hits his 1st birthday, one meal in a 24 hour period is sufficient.
- Many times american water spaniels, however, do better with 2 smaller bowls. It’s your job to adapt to your american water spaniel’s eating schedule.
Top-quality dry dog food provides a balanced diet to full-grown american water spaniels and can mix with water, canned food, or broth. Your american water spaniel may be fond of cooked eggs, fruits and vegetables, and cottage cheese, but these shouldn’t be more than 10 percent of her daily allowance. american water spaniel pups need to be given top-quality, name brand puppy food. You should cut down on “table food”, however, since it can cause mineral and vitamin imbalances, bone and teeth issues, and might cause extremely finicky food choices and obesity. Give clean, potable water always, and be sure to clean food and water dishes daily.
american water spaniel Care Tips: Your american water spaniel needs exercise daily
american water spaniels must get some exercise in order to stay healthy, stimulate their minds, and maintain good health. Daily physical activity also seems to help american water spaniels avoid boredom, which would often lead to naughty behavior. Outside playtime would quench many of your american water spaniel’s instinctual urges to retrieve, dig, chew, chase and herd. Exercise needs are dependent on your american water spaniel’s level of health and her age—but 10 minutes in the backyard and just a walk around the block every day probably won’t be enough. If your american water spaniel is a 6 to eighteen month adolescent, her requirements will be a little greater.
american water spaniel Grooming
Regular brushing will help keep your american water spaniel clean and reduce shedding. Check for ticks and fleas every day during warm weather. Most american water spaniels don’t need a bath more than a few times per year. Prior to giving him or her a bath, comb or cut out any and all mats from the american water spaniel’s coat. Carefully rinse all soap from the coat, or dirt will stick to soap residue.
How to Handle Your american water spaniel
Puppies are obviously the easiest to manage. To carry the american water spaniel puppy, put one hand under the dog’s chest, either with the forearm or your other hand supporting her back legs and rear. Don’t ever attempt to grab or lift your pup by the front legs, back of the neck or tail. If you have to pick up a larger, full-grown american water spaniel, lift from the underside, holding her chest with one arm and rump with the other.
american water spaniel housing
american water spaniels need a comfortable quiet place in order to rest apart from all drafts and away from the floor. You may want to buy a doggie bed, or prefer making one from a wooden box. Place a clean comforter, sheet, or pillow inside the bed as cushioning. Wash the american water spaniel’s bedding often. If your american water spaniel will be spending a lot of time outdoors, be sure he has access to plenty of cool water and shade in the summer, and a covered, dry, warm area during the winter.
american water spaniel Licensing and Identification
Make certain to follow your city’s licensing rules. Make certain you affix the license to your american water spaniel’s collar. This, together with an identification tag or tattoo, can possibly help you recover your american water spaniel should she go missing.
american water spaniel Temperament Facts
About Training the american water spaniel
A well-behaved, companion american water spaniel can truly be a pleasure to raise. However, when left untrained, your dog can easily be a big pain. Training your american water spaniel on the basics—”Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “Come”, “Down”, and “Leave it”—improves your relationship both with your american water spaniel and the company. If you’re the owner of a pup, begin training him on the right responses asap! Use a treat as an incentive and a reward. Puppies can join obedience classes when they have been sufficiently vaccinated. Contact your community humane society or SPCA for details on training schools. It is wise to walk your american water spaniel on a leash while in public, even as a pup. Just be certain your dog will come back to you at all times whenever you tell him to. A disobedient or aggressive american water spaniel shouldn’t play with other people.
The Health of Your american water spaniel
Your american water spaniel should see the veterinarian for a full check-up, innoculations and a heartworm assessment every single year, and promptly if she is sick or hurt.
Knowing Your american water spaniel’s Oral Health
While many of us might simply dislike our american water spaniel’s foul breath, it’s important to be aware of what it might represent. Foul breath is a sign that your american water spaniel is in need of a dental exam. Dental plaque triggered by germs creates a foul smell that can only be cured with treatment by a professional. After you give your american water spaniel a professional cleaning, his gums and teeth can be be preserved in a healthy state by feeding a special diet focused on dental health, eliminating table food, and regular brushing. The vet can provide you more information on eradicating oral ailments as well as stinky breath. You should clean your american water spaniel’s teeth using a dog toothpaste or a baking-soda-and-water paste a few times per week. Brush them with a sterile gauze pad, nylon stocking stretched across the finger, or a child’s soft toothbrush. Sometimes, american water spaniels get periodontal disease, which is an infection between the gum and tooth. Sometimes, teeth loss takes place due to gum infection. Infection can possibly also propagate to other areas of your american water spaniel’s body. The veterinarian will sometimes clean your american water spaniel’s teeth while performing her regular health assessment.
Bad Breath in american water spaniels
If your american water spaniel has foul breath, periodontal disease might not necessarily be the reason, as other diseases have that symptom. Intestinal or liver diseases can also cause halitosis, and a sweet, even pleasant smell can frequently be indicative of diabetes. Kidney disease may be the cause when your american water spaniel’s breath smells of ammonia or urine. If you find your american water spaniel has bad breath in conjunction with other signs of disease, like diminished appetite, nausea or vomiting, loss of weight, bad mood, excessive urination or drinking, plan a visit to the vet.
Dealing with Fleas and Ticks in american water spaniels
During the warm seasons, it’s important for you to perform regular, daily checks of your american water spaniel for fleas and ticks. Use a flea comb to remove fleas. There are several new methods of flea and tick reduction. Refer to your vet about her options.
american water spaniels With Heartworm Issues
Your american water spaniel is at risk of contracting heartworms if he is exposed to lots of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes transport this parasite from dog to dog. Heartworm infestations can be potentially fatal. It’s important you make sure your american water spaniel takes a blood screening for heartworms each spring. You should also give your american water spaniel a monthly pill throughout the course of the warm, wet time of the year to help you protect her from heartworms. Your american water spaniel should be on heartworm medication throughout a winter trip to a warmer climate. In some of the milder climates, vets recommend preventive worm medication be taken all year.
Medicines and Poisons
Never, ever give your american water spaniel medication that has not been prescribed by a veterinarian. Just one ibuprofen tablet can cause stomach ulcers in american water spaniels. Make sure your american water spaniel is never exposed to rat poison and other rodenticides. If you suspect that your pooch has eaten a poisonous substance, contact your doctor or the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 twenty-four hrs. per day for help.
american water spaniels: Spaying and Neutering
Male american water spaniels should be neutered – the removal of the testicles – and females spayed – the removal of the uterus and ovaries – by six months of age. You will usually greatly diminish your female american water spaniel’s breast cancer risk by spaying before maturity. Spaying also eradicates the risk of an infected uterus, a traumatic issue in older females that demands intensive medical care and surgery. Testicular cancer, prostate diseases, some hernias and certain aggressive behavior are all preventable by neutering males.
Vaccinating your american water spaniel
- american water spaniel puppies should be innoculated with a combo vaccine (called the “5-in-1”) at two, 3 and four months old, and then once yearly. This innoculation immunizes your puppy from parainfluenza, parvovirus, leptospirosis, hepatitis, and distemper. Your american water spaniel puppy’s vaccination regimen cannot be finished prior to four months of age.
- If your american water spaniel has not been immunized and is older than four months, he will need 2 immunizations asap, two or 3 weeks apart. After that you must vaccinate annualy.
- Your american water spaniel puppy’s vaccinations should coincide with his socialization program. Most vets recommend that new owners bring their american water spaniel puppies to socialization classes, beginning at eight or 9 weeks old. They should have received their first vaccinations by this point.
Because laws are so different between different areas, call a local vet to get instructions about rabies innoculation. As an example, NYC codes declare that pets older than 3 months be vaccinated for rabies. After the first vaccination, you must get another immunization the next year, and then every three years. There are a variety of innoculations that might effective for your american water spaniel. Your veterinarian can give you her advice. Another thing, if your american water spaniel happens to get sick because she is not properly vaccinated, the shot ought to be given once your pet fully recovers.
Intestinal Parasites in american water spaniels
american water spaniels are often exposed to worms—even in urban areas. Microscopic eggs made by hookworms and roundworms are passed in an infested american water spaniel’s stool. Even the healthiest of american water spaniel puppies carry hookworms or roundworms. Getting an accurate, early diagnosis is the key to effective treatment. This will maximize the possibility that the medicine is effective against the parasite your dog has. A dewormer that eradicates hookworms, for example, won’t kill tapeworms. Your veterinarian can best figure out the culprit—and decide the effective medicine.
american water spaniel: Miscellaneous Care Tips
Checklist of american water spaniel Supplies
- Premium-quality dog food and snacks specifically for american water spaniels and similarly-sized dogs
- Food dish
- Water bowl
- Toys, toys and more toys, including safe chew toys
- Brush and comb for grooming, including a flea comb
- Collar with license and ID tag
- Leash
- Carrier (for pups)
- Training crate
- Box or dog bed with blanket or towel
- Dog toothbrush
Warnings to be Heeded
Never feed your american water spaniel the following:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Caffeinated foods, like coffee, tea or chocolate
- Grapes and raisins
- Spoiled or moldy food of any kind
- Onions, chives and garlic
- Chicken, turkey, or any other poultry bones
- Salt or salty foods
- Tomato leaves, unripe fruit & stems
- Dough
The “Bottom” Line
Unless you are at home, or in a fenced-in, secured space, keep your american water spaniel on a leash at all times. Whenever your american water spaniel goes #2 on a neighbor’s yard, his sidewalk or any other public spot, please remove it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about american water spaniels
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