When you love your pet and want to help care for them, you know that they are vulnerable and need you to keep watch over them to ensure they are safe and healthy. Your pet may encounter illnesses throughout its lifetime that you need to keep an eye out for. Some of these illnesses can be prevented with vaccinations. Read on for a few of these illnesses to keep watch for.

Rabies

The rabies vaccine is usually given when your dog is a puppy, every three years, and as a booster throughout your pet's lifetime. If your dog doesn't get a rabies shot, you are leaving your dog open to this disease, which could be given to your pet by another animal, either domesticated or wild. Rabies presents itself differently in all animals, although you may see signs such as foaming at the mouth, growling, change in disposition, lethargic or more anxious or agitated, or even aggression. If you spot any of these changes in your dog, and your dog has not been vaccinated for rabies, it's important to take your dog to the animal hospital for care and treatment.

Kennel Cough

Kennel cough can affect puppies, but can also affect adult dogs as well. Kennel cough is a vaccine given to your dog as a puppy, and should also be given if your dog is being boarded. Kennel cough sounds just like it's illness name; a kennel cough is a cough. It sounds like a dry cough that can persist. Your dog may cough so much that he seems unable to breathe properly, or may even throw up saliva often. Be sure to have this vaccine given to your dog as a puppy, as well as later down the road if you end up boarding your dog.

Heartworms

Heartworms may be difficult to spot in your dog, although a simple test from your veterinarian will be able to tell if your dog has heartworms. A formal fecal test is usually given to test for heartworms, although you can also check for signs of worms in your dog's feces. Be sure you have a heartworm vaccine given to your dog as required and heartworm preventative medication is also given to your dog monthly.

If you spot signs of illnesses in your dog, you need to be sure to take your dog to the animal hospital for treatment. Also, be sure you are up to date on your dog's vaccinations. For more information about vaccines given at an animal hospital, contact a local facility, like Apple Valley Animal Hospital.