Vaccines against all three of these are available. Nutrition and parasite control are very important for dogs as well. Dogs should be fed a high quality dog food. A fecal exam should be done on puppies at each visit and annually for older dogs to check for intestinal worms. Heartworm disease is very common among dogs here in the South.
Mosquitoes transmit the disease, and left untreated, causes heart failure.
It is very important to start your puppy on a heartworm prevention program to avoid contracting this deadly but preventable disease. It is very important to have your dog spayed or neutered. It lessens the chance of them catching diseases, lessens their chances for some types of cancer, and lowers the excess cat population, as well as making them healthier overall. They can experience heart disease, arthritis, poorly functioning liver and kidneys, metabolic changes, and weight problems. It is particularly important that older dogs receive an annual geriatric exam in conjunction with their annual vaccinations.