Health & Veterinary on TailWise Dogs

The Complete Guide to Dog Health: Vaccines, Parasites, Dental Care and Checkups

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Key takeaways

Preventive care comes down to four habits: vaccinate on a schedule that fits your dog’s risk, use year-round parasite prevention, keep teeth clean, and keep your dog lean. Regular vet checkups tie them together.
Vaccine guidance has moved toward fewer boosters for core vaccines once a dog has finished its puppy series and first-year booster. Your vet should tailor the plan to your dog’s lifestyle and location [1].
Parasite prevention is recommended all year in many regions, not only in summer, and heartworm testing is advised yearly [3, 9].
Dental disease is extremely common in adult dogs and is largely preventable with home care and professional cleaning [4, 5].
Weight and body condition should be checked at every vet visit [7].
Most adult dogs benefit from a checkup at least once a year. Mature and senior dogs are usually seen every six to twelve months [8].

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Key takeaways

Some health problems run in breeds because of inherited traits or body shape. Knowing your breed’s risks lets you plan screening and spot early signs, but a breed risk is not a certainty for any single dog.
Health testing helps you choose a puppy, but only if you know what the results mean. A “CHIC number” shows that testing was done, not that the results were good [10].
Five conditions come up most often in popular breeds: hip dysplasia, brachycephalic airway syndrome, intervertebral disc disease, degenerative myelopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy. Each has a different mix of genetics, body shape and environment.
Several of these conditions have DNA tests, but a clear result does not always mean a dog is safe. Some tests are specific to certain breeds or cover only some of the genes involved [8].
Weight, exercise and early veterinary checks reduce the impact of many of these conditions, even in dogs who carry the risk.

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Key takeaways

Choose a food that is labeled “complete and balanced” for your dog’s life stage, and ask the company the questions WSAVA recommends. The best food is one your dog does well on, at a healthy weight, not the one with the most appealing ingredient list [1].
Marketing words like “natural”, “premium” or “human-grade” tell you little about nutritional quality. The nutritional adequacy statement and the company’s answers matter more [1, 3].
The grain-free and heart disease question is unresolved. The FDA reported a correlation but has not shown that these diets cause heart disease [4]. Talk to your vet before changing or keeping a diet because of it.
Raw feeding carries real risks for dogs and for the people who handle the food [5].
Some common human foods are dangerous to dogs, including xylitol, grapes and raisins, chocolate, onions and macadamia nuts.
Weight matters as much as what you feed. Ask your vet to check body condition at each visit [6].