Cane di San Bernardo - Health problems and visiting the vet

Health problems and visiting the vet

  Parasites from the outside can cause serious health problems to our dog. A major infestation by fleas (below) and/or ticks (above) could cause anemia, as these parasites feed on blood: but that's not all. Flees transmit tapeworms, as intermediate hosts for these intestinal parasites, while ticks cause pyroplasmosis, an illness that can get very serious (sometimes even lethal) if not discovered and cured in time.
  Let's check always the dog's coat, and act with an antiparasitical immediately, as soon as we spot parasites or eggs (which present themselves as small crops of black dirt). In spring and summer it is good to intervene even if we don't see presence of parasites.
  Be careful: change often the brand and type of antiparasitical, because fleas and ticks become easily immune to these products.

Parasites...

  Intestinal parasites can also cause severe damage, in particular if the dog is very young.
  Most common varieties are roundish worms (ascarides) and the tapeworm, but a dog can be infested also by more aggressive parasites such as anchilostomes and trichocefalosis.
  Eggs can't always be spotted with the naked eye from the examination of fresh faeces: if we are in doubt, it is best to consult a vet and ask him to run an "enrichment exam", consisting in centrifugation and sedimentation of eggs, if present, that can then be examined under the microscope.

FILARIASIS

Another very serious disease, transmitted by mosquitos, is filariasis. Filariases are parasites which attack the heart, causing death.
It is possible to prevent it by giving a certain kind of pill to the dog at specific times of the year. Consult the veterinarian, in particular if you live in areas infested with mosquitoes.

VACCINATIONS, RECALLs, WORMING

  The vaccination and worming "ritual" does not end when the puppy is all grown up: vaccines against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirosis do not make the dog immune for life, they can protect him only for eleven months (and not for a years, as people usually assume).
  It is true that an adult dog has better immune defences against viral pathologies than a puppy: but the aforementioned are extremely aggressive and sometimes lethal diseases. So to forget vaccinations call-backs is very dangerous.
  Intestinal parasites are also not too picky as far as age: a puppy is infested more easily because he eats anything he can get his paws on, but the adult is certainly not immune to them. Be careful: it is better not to give the dog broad spectrum (the so-called "polyvalent") worming medicines if you are not sure the dog is infested; it is best to run periodical exams of faeces and get a prescription for a worming drug specific to the parasite the dog has contracted. Polyvalent wormings are not efficient against all parasites, especially in cases of major infestation.
  The following layout will help remind you of the proper time for the different interventions.

Vaccinations:

Recalls are run eleven months after the last vaccination of the puppy; the dates are registered on his health card;

At approximately eight months the puppy can receive his first vaccination against rabies, compulsory for exhibition dogs but advisable for all dogs

Worming:

Check faeces every two months.

Other tests:

Blood test to exclude the presence of filarial worms: if negative you can start prevention following the vet's advice.

At seven months make a preventive x-ray for dysplasia, the x-ray won't give us an official result yet but at least it will lay out a fairly reliable general picture;

Antiparasitical bath (or treatment with antiparasitical spray) once a month, from April to June, is advisable.

ADULT:

Vaccinations:

One call-back every eleven months, including vaccination against rabies.

Worming:

Faeces control every six months.

Other tests:

Each spring: filariasis prevention.

For dogs employed in breeding, it is advisable to run an x-ray to detect dysplasia of the hip and of the elbow.

Antiparasitical treatment: once a month between April and September.

VISIT TO THE VETERINARIAN

  The Saint Bernard is usually a very good dog when visited by the veterinarian, but the rare exemplars that turn aggressive towards the vet, because of their size, are a true danger.
  If a Saint Bernard decides he does not want to be touched, there is no way (except, maybe if put under general anaesthesia) he'll let the doctor work on him.
  In most cases, the aggressiveness of the dog is caused by a tense and over anxious master, who can transmit "negative vibes" to the Saint Bernard, who will then interpret them in his own way.
  The best thing to do, if the dog shows signs of being in a bad mood, is to leave the office and go to the waiting room, leaving the dog alone with the vet. Usually that way both cause and symptom… disappear: the dog becomes calm and the vet can carry on with the visit peacefully.

WHEN YOU CAN AVOID VISITING THE VETERINARIAN

  To avoid unnecessary stress caused by a visit to the vet, try to spare the dog from the ones he does not need.
  The following are a few examples of occasions when you could avoid going to the vet's:
  Inspection of the faeces: there is no need to bring the dog along, it is sufficient to put a little amount of faeces in a sterile cup; oral or subcutaneous medicine subministration: anybody can learn methods of how to make a dog swallow a pill or medicine drops, and to perform a subcutaneous injection is the easiest thing in the world; ask the vet to explain it to you once (or consult the chapter "La clinica in casa") and do it yourself; to frequent check-ups; a well-bred and fairly kept Saint Bernard is not "at risk": if he doesn't show signs of illness, it is pointless to examine his faeces every month, temperature, heartbeat and so on, because the only result would be making the dog nervous and making even the friendlier pet reluctant to visit the vet. Proper frequency of visits to the veterinarian should be once every six months.