Interactive lesson

Dog and cat health, step by step

Interactive lesson: the daily look, vaccinations, worms and tapeworms, ticks, diseases that pass to people, emergencies and care of the homestead dog and cat.

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The whole lesson as text

1. A look every day

A dog's and cat's health rests on a few simple habits, and the first is a daily look.

Normal temperature — Dogs and cats run at 38.0–39.2 °C (100.4–102.5 °F). Take it with a digital thermometer in the rectum, smeared with petroleum jelly, 1–2 cm deep.
Behaviour and meals — A healthy animal comes for food, is lively and isn't hiding. It finishes its meal and isn't suddenly drinking much more than usual.
Faeces and urine — Faeces are formed, without blood or worms. A tom passes urine normally.
Eyes, ears and skin — Eyes are bright, with no pus, and ears have no smell or dark discharge. The skin has no ticks, wounds, bald patches or heavy scratching.

Why: Homestead dogs and cats hunt mice, find carcasses and run through grass full of ticks. So they carry more parasites and get more injuries than pets in town. If you know what a healthy animal looks like, you notice illness early.

A dog's pulse is 60–140 a minute (lower in large dogs), a cat's 140–220. A dog breathes 10–30 times a minute, a cat 20–30.
With a large dog, taking the temperature is easier when a second person holds it.

2. Vaccinations

Vaccinations on schedule protect both the animal and the family.

Rabies by law — Rabies vaccination of dogs is required by law in most US states and Canadian provinces; in the UK and Ireland it's needed for travel. First dose at about 3 months, then as the law requires (1 or 3 years).
Core dog vaccines — Distemper, parvovirus and infectious hepatitis are the core vaccines. On a farm leptospirosis is also recommended; it comes from rat urine.
Core cat vaccines — Panleukopenia (feline enteritis) and cat flu are the core vaccines for cats. Where rabies occurs, it's also required or recommended for cats that go outdoors.
Schedule and certificate — First vaccination at 6–9 weeks, then every 3–4 weeks until at least 16 weeks; your vet sets the plan. Enter the certificate in the pet passport or vaccination record and keep it.

Why: Unvaccinated puppies and kittens die of parvovirus, distemper and panleukopenia more often than anything else. Vaccinations don't wait “until the pup gets stronger”. In North America an unvaccinated dog can bring rabies into the house.

Until the course is finished, don't take the pup where unknown dogs go, and keep kittens away from other cats.
Kennel cough: if the dog goes to boarding kennels or shows, on the vet's advice.