Raising dogs, in particular taking care of the lagotto romagnolo, is a specialty of humans. Zoologists speculate that dogs were originally domesticated between twelve thousand and twenty five thousand years ago—and that canines evolved from wolves. Since then, we have selectively bred more than four hundred different breeds, ranging in size from 4-pound teacup poodles all the way up to Irish wolfhounds, whose 3-foot stature has earned them the title of tallest dog. However, the most preferred canines are non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mixed-breeds. The lagotto romagnolo is another popular pick among dog owners. Some owners are unaware, however, of many important lagotto romagnolo care tips.
General health care cost of your lagotto romagnolo
The yearly budget for raising the lagotto romagnolo—which includes food, to doctor bills, toys and license—can range between $420 and $780. This is not even counting capital costs for sterilization operations, dog collar and leash, carrier and a dog crate. Note: Be positive you have all your items before bringing your lagotto romagnolo home.
General lagotto romagnolo Care
lagotto romagnolo Feeding Schedule
- lagotto romagnolo puppies between 8 and twelve weeks old need four meals each day.
- lagotto romagnolo pups 3 to 6 months old should be fed 3 meals in a twenty-four hour period.
- Feed pups six months old to 1 year old two bowls of food per day.
- By the time the lagotto romagnolo reaches her 1st birthday, 1 meal in a day is all that’s necessary.
- Some lagotto romagnolos might eat two lighter meals. It’s your duty to learn your lagotto romagnolo’s eating schedule.
High-quality dry dog food provides balanced nutrition for full-grown lagotto romagnolos and can mix with broth, canned food, or water. Your lagotto romagnolo may dig fruits and vegetables, cooked eggs, and cottage cheese, but these shouldn’t result in more than ten pct of her daily food. lagotto romagnolo puppies ought to be given high-quality, name brand puppy food. You should cut down on “people food”, though, because it can result in mineral and vitamin imbalances, bone and teeth concerns, and may lead to very picky food choices as well as obesity. Give fresh, potable water only, and be sure to clean food and water bowls often.
lagotto romagnolo Care Tips: Your lagotto romagnolo needs physical activity daily
lagotto romagnolos must have daily exercise to stay healthy, recharge their minds, and stay healthy. Exercise also tends to help lagotto romagnolos avoid boredom, which often leads to destructive behavior. Getting out of the house would quench many of your lagotto romagnolo’s desires to retrieve, dig, chew, chase and herd. Individual exercise needs will depend on your lagotto romagnolo’s level of health and his age—but ten minutes outside and just a walk down the street every day probably isn’t enough. If your lagotto romagnolo is a six to eighteen month adolescent, his requirements will be higher.
lagotto romagnolo Grooming Tips
You can help keep your lagotto romagnolo clean and reduce shedding with frequent brushing. Check for fleas and ticks every day during the summer or other warm weather. Sometimes lagotto romagnolos don’t need to be bathed more than a few times per year. Prior to giving him a bath, cut out or comb all mats from the lagotto romagnolo’s hair. Rinse all soap from the coat, or the dirt will stick to soap residue.
How to Handle Your lagotto romagnolo
Puppies are obviously easier to manage. To carry the lagotto romagnolo pup, take one hand and place it under your dog’s chest, with either your forearm or your other hand supporting his or her hind legs and rump. Never try to grab or lift your puppy by her forelegs, tail or nape. If you have to pick up a larger, full-grown lagotto romagnolo, lift from underneath, bracing her chest with 1 arm and rump with your other.
Housing the lagotto romagnolo
lagotto romagnolos need a cozy peaceful location in order to relax apart from all drafts and away from the ground. You may want to buy a dog bed, or try making one from a wood box. Put a clean comforter, blanket, sheet, or pillow inside the bed as cushion. Wash your lagotto romagnolo’s bedding often. If the lagotto romagnolo will be outdoors much, be sure he has access to shade and plenty of cool water in the summer, and a dry, covered, warm shelter in winter.
lagotto romagnolo Licensing and Identification
There are licensing regulations to heed in your area. Be certain you affix the license to your lagotto romagnolo’s collar. The license, along with an ID tag or tattoo, may help you recover your lagotto romagnolo should she become lost.
lagotto romagnolo Behavior Information
Thoughts on Training your lagotto romagnolo
A well-mannered, companion lagotto romagnolo can truly be a pleasure to raise. However, untrained, your dog will most likely be a headache. Teaching your lagotto romagnolo the minimums—”Stay”, “Come”, “Down”, “Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, and “Leave it”—improves your relationship both with the dog as well as the neighbors. If you have a pup, begin training her on manners as fast as you can! Use doggie snacks as recognition and incentive. Pups can start obedience class when they have been adequately immunized. Contact your local SPCA or humane society for information about obedience classes. It is wise to walk your lagotto romagnolo leashed while in public, even while a pup. Be sure your lagotto romagnolo will come back to you whenever you say so. An aggressive or disobedient lagotto romagnolo cannot play with children.
The Health of Your lagotto romagnolo
Your lagotto romagnolo should see the veterinarian for a full check-up, immunizations and heartworm exam each year, and as soon as possible if he is ill or hurt.
The Oral Health of Your lagotto romagnolo
Although we may simply dislike our lagotto romagnolo’s bad breath, we must pay attention to what it may represent. Bad breath usually indicates that your lagotto romagnolo requires an oral screening. Dental plaque caused by bacteria causes a bad odor that can only be cured by the help of a professional. Once you have given your lagotto romagnolo a professional oral cleaning, his teeth and gums may be maintained by brushing regularly, feeding a special diet focused on dental health, and eliminating table food. Your veterinarian can give you other data on mitigating oral diseases as well as halitosis. You can brush your lagotto romagnolo’s teeth with a dog toothpaste or a baking-soda-and-water paste a couple of times a week. You can brush them with a piece of nylon pantyhose stretched across your finger, a gauze pad, or a soft, child’s toothbrush. Some lagotto romagnolos have periodontal disease, sometimes referred to as gum disease. Frequently, tooth loss takes place as a result of gum infection. Infections can also spread to the rest of your lagotto romagnolo’s body. The vet may clean your dog’s teeth at a typical physical.
lagotto romagnolo Halitosis
Although bad breath due to dental disease might not be too serious if found early, sometimes bad breath may be indicative of more serious, persistent causes for concern. A fruity, even pleasant smell may be indicative of diabetes, while liver or intestinal diseases may cause foul breath. Kidney disease may be the cause if your lagotto romagnolo’s breath smells of ammonia or urine. Any time you notice your lagotto romagnolo has foul breath along with other symptoms of disease, such as loss of appetite, vomiting or nausea, loss of weight, depression, a lot of drinking and urination, plan a visit to the vet.
lagotto romagnolo Flea and Tick Issues
Daily checks of your lagotto romagnolo for ticks and fleas during the warm seasons are crucial. Remove fleas with a flea comb. There are many new techniques of tick and flea elimination. Visit your veterinarian about these and other recommendations.
lagotto romagnolos With Heartworm Issues
This parasite resides in the heart and is passed from a contaminated dog to your lagotto romagnolo by mosquitoes. Many lagotto romagnolos die yearly due to heartworm infections. It’s very important to make sure your lagotto romagnolo takes a blood test for heartworms annually in the spring. A monthly tablet taken throughout the course of the warm, wet time of the year can protect your lagotto romagnolo. If ever you vacation in warmer regions with your lagotto romagnolo in winter, your dog ought to be on the preventive medicine during the trip. In some of the milder areas, veterinarians recommend preventative heartworm medication be taken continuously.
Medicines and Poisons
Please don’t give your lagotto romagnolo medicine that hasn’t been prescribed by his veterinarian. For example, did you know that 1 regular-strength ibuprofen capsule causes stomach ulcers in some dogs Keep rat poison and other rodenticides away from your lagotto romagnolo. If you think that your doggie has ingested a toxin, notify your veterinarian or the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for twenty-four-hour animal poison information.
lagotto romagnolos: Spaying and Neutering
Male lagotto romagnolos should be neutered – the removal of the testes – and females spayed – the removal of the uterus and ovaries – by six months old. Spaying before maturity significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer, which is a frequently fatal and common ailment of more mature female dogs. Spaying also eliminates the risk of a sick uterus, a traumatic issue in more mature females that necessitates surgery and intensive medical care. Testicular cancer, prostate diseases, some hernias and certain aggressive behavior are all preventable by neutering males.
lagotto romagnolo Innoculating
- The combo vaccine (also known as the “five-in-one shot”) must be given to your lagotto romagnolo at 2, three, and 4 months old and then once every year. This immunization protects your puppy from hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and distemper. Your lagotto romagnolo puppy’s vaccination program cannot be completed prior to 4 months of age.
- If you have an unvaccinated lagotto romagnolo older than 4 or five months, she must have a set of 2 immunizations given 2 or three weeks apart, followed by a yearly immunization.
- lagotto romagnolo pup immunization and socialization should coincide. Many veterinarians recommend that new owners take their lagotto romagnolo puppies to socialization courses, as early as eight to 9 weeks old. They should have already received their first vaccinations by then.
Since regulations are so different around the country, call your community vet to get info for rabies shots. In NYC, for instance, the statute requires any pets older than three months must be vaccinated for rabies. The initial rabies shot must be followed by a subsequent shot a year later, and then every 3 years after that. There are many immunizations, many of which are right for your lagotto romagnolo. Others, however, are not. Your veterinarian can give you her recommendation. By the way, if your lagotto romagnolo gets sick because she is not properly immunized, do not give the innoculation until the dog has made a full recovery.
Hookworms in lagotto romagnolos
lagotto romagnolos are often exposed to worms and possible infestation—even in urban areas. Tiny eggs produced by hookworms are passed in an infected dog’s stool. Most pups, from all environments, even those with healthy mothers, carry hookworms or roundworms. The key to treatment is early detection. Early, accurate diagnosis maximizes the possibility that prescribed treatment will be highly effective against your lagotto romagnolo’s worms. A dewormer that eradicates roundworms, for example, will not kill tapeworms. Your doctor can best figure out the culprit—and prescribe the most effective medicine.
lagotto romagnolo: Miscellaneous Care Tips
Checklist of lagotto romagnolo Supplies
- High-quality dog food and snacks specifically for lagotto romagnolos and similarly-sized dogs
- Food dish
- Water bowl
- As many safe toys as you can provide, especially chewable
- Comb & brush for grooming, including flea comb
- Collar with license and ID tag
- Quality leash
- Carrier (for puppies)
- Training crate
- Dog bed or box with warm sheet or towel
- Dog toothbrush
The no-no list
The following items should never be fed to lagotto romagnolos:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Chocolate
- Grapes and raisins
- Spoiled or moldy food of any kind
- Onions, chives and garlic
- Chicken, turkey, or any other poultry bones
- Salt & salty foods
- Tomato leaves, stems & unripe fruit
- Dough
The scoop on poop
Retain your lagotto romagnolo on a leash when you are outdoors, unless you are in a fenced-in, secured location. Whenever your lagotto romagnolo goes number two on a neighbor’s grass, her sidewalk or any other public place, please dispose of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about lagotto romagnolos
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