{"topic_id":"companion_costs_dog","category":"companion-costs","context":"---\ntopic_id: companion_costs_dog\ncategory: companion-costs\ntitle: \"Dog — cost & responsibility awareness (housing/food/vet/emergency/dental; social & health benefits)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version (merckvetmanual.com). First-hand consumer text saved to source_file; C1 substring-verified. Pulled/extracted 2026-08-01.\"\nsource_file: /home/cai/notes/knowledge/side-projects/petfood-data-station/pdf-raw/companion-care/dog_owner_combined.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-01\ntokens_estimated: 560\nverification:\n  method: substring_match\n  claims: 12\n  passed: 12\n  date: 2026-08-01\nrecovered: false\npath: companion-costs/companion_costs_dog/01_companion_costs_dog.md\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), pet owner version\"\n  title: \"Dog — cost & responsibility awareness (housing/food/vet/emergency/dental; social & health benefits)\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/selecting-and-providing-a-home-for-a-dog\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-01\"\n  ref: \"Providing a Home for a Dog (Merck pet-owner version, Jun 2025)\"\n  doc_type: \"professional veterinary manual (consumer version)\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Dog — cost & responsibility awareness (housing/food/vet/emergency/dental; social & health benefits)\n\nSource: first-hand Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner text, saved to `source_file`; every claim below is a C1 byte-substring of it.\n\n## Claims\n\n- `You’ll need to think about the costs of housing, good food, and veterinary care.`\n- `This includes regular vet check-ups, vaccinations, parasite control (like heartworm prevention), treatment for illnesses or emergencies, and dental care.`\n- `having a pet can create a strong bond between people and animals, providing both social and health benefits.`\n- `Having a pet can also teach children about responsibility and caring for others.`\n- `Many adult dogs also feel safe in a crate because it’s their own space.`\n- `What Do I Feed My Dog? Good nutrition is crucial for your dog’s health.`\n- `Look for dog foods that have the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) label, which means they meet certain nutritional standards.`\n- `One common issue is overfeeding, which can lead to obesity and other health problems .`\n- `For most dog breeds, you should always be able to feel the animal's spine and ribs, but not see them.`\n- `Puppies need a lot of care, including vet visits, feeding, socialization, and training.`\n- `What Should I Feed My Puppy? Proper nutrition is crucial for puppies.`\n- `Look for puppy foods that have the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) label, which means the food meets certain nutritional standards.`\n\n---\n\n**Source:** `pdf-raw/companion-care/dog_providing_home.txt` · https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/selecting-and-providing-a-home-for-a-dog\n","sources":["companion-costs — Dog — cost & responsibility awareness (housing/food/vet/emergency/dental; social & health benefits) (retrieved 2026-08-01)"],"source":{"authority":"companion-costs","title":"Dog — cost & responsibility awareness (housing/food/vet/emergency/dental; social & health benefits)","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/selecting-and-providing-a-home-for-a-dog","retrieved":"2026-08-01","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version","verification_file":"/home/cai/notes/knowledge/side-projects/petfood-data-station/pdf-raw/companion-care/dog_owner_combined.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version","source_file":"/home/cai/notes/knowledge/side-projects/petfood-data-station/pdf-raw/companion-care/dog_owner_combined.txt","tokens_estimated":465,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}