• Household decorations that your curious pet may bite into are probably the biggest threat to their health. Your pet dog should be kept away from shiny stuff and chewy decorations. Tape down or cover electrical cords so that they don’t lead to electric shocks or mouth burns for your pet dog. Unplug the decorations when you are not around.

• Common house plants such as poinsettias, mistletoe, holly, lilies, and even the Christmas tree can make your pet dog sick if the animal ingests the leaves from these trees.

• It is not necessary that your pets will take to the influx of visitors to your house; give your pet space if you can see that new faces are making it uncomfortable. Place your dog in a separate room or a kennel. Have your pet dog wear an ID collar at all times.

• This point is very important – absolutely no one must feed your pet dog with foodstuffs meant for human consumption. Chocolates and artificial sweeteners can be deadly for your dog.

• The Christmas tree can be dangerous to your pet dog. It is a big plant and often people have decorations on the tree. A dog that jumps around the tree, nibbles at the leaves, swallows tinsel, or bites into the electrical wiring, can be seriously hurt. Even the sap from a live Christmas tree can make your dog sick.

• If you add antifreeze to your outside track then ensure that all spills are cleaned up – antifreeze can be deadly poisonous to dogs attracted by its sweet smell and taste.

• Ensure that your dog has been vaccinated for distemper, parvovirus, coronavirus, hepatitis, Lyme disease, parainfluenza, and Bordatella.
• Breeds such as Doberman Pinschers, Rottweilers, and Pit Bulls need an additional fourth booster shot so that they can develop complete immunity.
• Use flea and tick killing powders periodically; at the very first indication of your dog being troubled by these parasites; spray the animal. Fleas and ticks can spread a lot of disease such as Erlichiosis and Babesiosis.
• As far as heartworm is concerned, prevention is definitely better than cure. The treatment procedure is risky, long-drawn, and expensive. Take your dog to a vet for regular heartworm checks and keep your dog on good heartworm preventative medicine.
• Keep a check on what food items cause a food allergy to your pet pooch. It could be maize, chicken, beef, seafood, wheat, etc. This way you can regulate the animal’s diet so that it gets maximum nutrition and no discomfort from the food it ingests. Skin inflammation and itchy skin as well as repeated ear infections are signs that the animal is suffering from some form of allergy.
• Dogs are susceptible to respiratory infection, particularly if they are with other dogs in an animal center. Dust and mold can also cause such infections. Fever and dry cough are signs that the animal is probably experiencing some form of infection.
• Keep your dog free from fungal infection because not only do they make things miserable for your pet; some infections like ringworm are transferable to humans.
• As dogs age they experience joint pain and mobility-related issues that come with age. This is more common with the larger breeds such as Labrador Retrievers.