Five Most Common Medications for Dogs

Domesticated animals simply cannot care for themselves. It is up to their owners to provide all the love and support they need.It’s no secret that caring for a dog is an incredible amount of work. Domesticated animals simply cannot care for themselves. It is up to their owners to provide all the love and support they need.

And the amount of love and support they need is incredibly abundant. Even just leaving your dog alone, regularly, for too long over an extended period of time can lead to lasting mental issues.

The day to day responsibilities of caring for a dog are certainly numerous, but they are also well worthwhile. Getting up in the middle of the night to take your dog out for a walk is small payment in return for the fantastic greeting they gave you when you walked in the door from work.

The same thing goes with feeding your pet. All the money and time you put into making sure they eat healthy is paid back to you tenfold by simply curling up next to you on the couch while you watch a movie at night.

But caring for a pet extends well beyond simply making sure they eat well and get exercise. Dogs get sick too, and they can’t exactly get themselves to the doctor.

When a pet gets sick it can be an incredibly stressful time. The important thing to remember is that it happens. Any pet owner will inevitably need to go to the vet a few times. Just don’t forget that this is perfectly normal.

Just to give you an idea of the types of illness you may encounter with your pet, here is a quick rundown of the top five most common types of medications for dogs.

Diabetes

Humans are well aware of the dangers of eating too much sugar. When unhealthy foods are stretched out over a long period of time, this can lead to even more serious health issues such as diabetes.

But most people probably don’t know that diabetes can also affect their dog. In fact, it is easily one of the most common dog illnesses, often found in overweight pets.

Luckily, there is treatment for this disease. The first, like anything else, is prevention. While diabetes can certainly be genetic, you can also prevent this disease by making sure your dog gets plenty of exercise. If your dog does contract diabetes, though, there are several different specific medications you may encounter. iPet, U-40 and U-100 Insulin Syringes, and Humulin N Insulin are just a few examples.

Arthritis

As humans age we often encounter the frustrations of arthritis. Most of the time the causes of this are simply overuse of a certain joint, injury, or simply getting older. Of course these can all be the causes of arthritis in dogs as well, but there are also other more insidious cause.

Overbreeding is one of the most prevalent causes of arthritis in dogs. These animals have been bred over hundreds of years in a small gene pool to have certain physical characteristics. But also, certain genetic deficiencies have also been passed down in different gene pools. When a dog is “pure bred” they don’t get the resilience provided from other types of dogs.

That is why the best way to prevent arthritis in a dog is by adopting a “mutt” from the local animal shelter. This is a great way to insure a healthier dog. If your dog does have arthritis, however, you can treat it with drugs like Deramaxx and Novox.

Antibiotics

Dogs get sick, and sometimes it is just a plain old cold. For regular illnesses like this your vet may prescribe an antibiotic. This is also common after a surgery, when there is a chance of the scar tissue becoming infected.

Just like with us, the best way to keep your dog healthy is to boost their immune system. That means a consistent diet (so easy on the table scraps!) and lots of exercise. Drugs like Zeniquin, Cephalexin, and Simplicef are some of the more popular dog medications.

Anxiety / Behavior

As mentioned in the introduction, anxiety issues are far too common today in dogs. The leading cause of this is simply because owners do not spend enough time with their pets. This can easily be remedied by just hiring a dogwalker or getting a friend to pop in and take your dog out while you are at work.

But if you decide to adopt from the pound, you may also end up with a dog that has anxiety issues from past abuse. This needs not only a lot of training (and even more love) to treat, but also anxiety / behavior medications. Some common ones include Fluoxetine and Clomicalm.

Heart / Blood Pressure / Respiratory

One of the leading causes of most dog illnesses today is them being overweight. This is due largely to inactivity and an erratic and unhealthy diet. This causes to all sorts of problems, especially in the cardiac and respiratory system.

To get your dog healthy again they need to eat healthy and exercise, but they will also need the right medications to get them on their way. Plavix, Disal, and Atenolol are commonly used to treat these diseases.

When it comes to your dog’s health, you can’t afford to roll the dice. Make sure you get them to the vet at the first sign of an issue.