When you purchase your puppy, you should receive a health record which tells you what vaccines and wormings your puppy has received. Contact your veterinarian with regard to setting up a vaccination schedule (please read our article on vaccinations first).

Each year whether you decide to give annual vaccinations or not your dog should be given at least one physical examination which should include a heartworm test. The heartworm test is a simple blood test that should be given early in the year roughly in March or April.

Along with the annual blood tests, your puppy should be checked for worms at least once or twice a year by bringing a fecal sample to your vet. The vet may supply small plastic collection vials for collecting a fecal sample or you can simply collect about a thimble full of fecal material in a plastic bag and bring it to the vet. You should collect the sample within a few hours of visiting the vet. In addition, you should bring in a fecal if you notice that your dog's coat has become very coarse or brittle and thin. Some dogs may exhibit diarrhea if they have worms. During the summer months, if your dog has fleas he very likely will also have tapeworms, so have him checked frequently. Tapeworms will not show up in a fecal exam. The best way to spot them is to see if there are what appear to be pieces of rice in the fresh feces. You can be especially sure if the "rice" starts to move. It is not necessary or advisable to give your dog any worming medication without your veterinarian's knowledge.

In addition to your regular veterinarian you should find what sort of emergency care is available. Some Vets are on 24 hour call while others band together for emergency referrals.

What do you look for in a dog to tell if its not feeling well? Any sudden change in behavior (either lethargy or hyperness), going off their feed (during the summer heat some dogs may go off their feed without being sick), any obvious pain or tenderness or diarrhea especially bloody diarrhea. To take a dog's temperature you will need a rectal thermometer and some Vaseline or K-Y jelly. A normal temperature is between 100.5 to 102 degrees. Any temperature that comes close to 105 is dangerous for a dog and requires immediate care. It is a good idea to take your dog's temperature when he is not sick so that you will know what its normal temperature is.

Almost all dogs vomit once or twice every so often. This is their way of clearing indigestible material out of their stomachs. This is nothing to worry about. If the dog begins retching for a period of time you should give your vet a call and get his advice. If blood appears in the vomit, get the dog in to the vet immediately. Likewise, even the best of dogs occasionally get diarrhea for a day or two. The usual treatment for an older puppy or mature dog is to give a child's dose of Pepto-Bismol or Kaopectate, no food for 24 hours and restricted water. Giving the dog ice cubes is a good way to restrict their water intake. After 24 hours, give them a small meal of boiled rice. Later on, give them another small meal of boiled rice and boiled hamburger. The next day, give a meal of boiled hamburger and dog food and after that you can go back to just dog food. If your dog is on a special diet please contact your vet to determine what you should feed the dog when ill. Very young pups cannot fast for an entire day. They can only fast for about twelve hours and then should have several small meals of rice. Severe diarrhea that goes on for more than two days in an adult or one day in a very young pup is serious as is diarrhea with more than a few spots or streaks of blood.

If the dog's stomach starts to swell badly, the dog may be going into bloat. This is a condition where the stomach turns around and seals itself off. The gasses accumulate and inflate it like a balloon. THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION! The dog must be taken to the vet immediately or its stomach will burst, killing the dog! Every minute counts! Bloat in a dog is as dangerous as a heart attack is in a person and requires the same speed in getting treatment.

Another life threatening situation which can arise quickly in dogs is heat stroke. The common causes of this are: Being left in a car in hot weather, being confined without shade and excessive playing or frolicking in hot weather. The symptoms are: Rapid, frantic, noisy breathing, the tongue and gums are bright red, and the dog salivates excessively or foams. The first thing to do is to get the dog into the shade to cool down. If the dog's temperature goes over 104 degrees, or if he appears unsteady, he must be immediately hosed down with cold water especially on the stomach or immersed in a bathtub of cold water. Do not worry about shocking the dog, it is much more dangerous to allow the dog to stay too hot.

A thing to note here is that dogs do not sweat as people do. They only sweat on their tongues and the pads of their feet. When they get warm, they pant which increases the cooling on their tongue and sinuses to cool the blood going to their brain. It is extremely important not to interfere with the panting of a hot dog or to try to hold its mouth closed. This will, at least, make him very uncomfortable and, at worst, can cause serious problems.