{"topic_id":"companion_dog_health","category":"companion-health","context":"---\ntopic_id: companion_dog_health\ncategory: companion-health\ntitle: \"Dog health — routine veterinary care, vaccines, parasites, dental, and signs of illness (Merck Vet Manual)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Merck Veterinary Manual - Routine Health Care (companion_dog_health)\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/companion-care/dog_routine_health.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-01\ntokens_estimated: 305\nverified: true\nverification: c1_substring\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (pet-owner version)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual\"\n  title: \"Dog health — routine veterinary care, vaccines, parasites, dental, and signs of illness (Merck Vet Manual)\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/pet-owners/dog-care/routine-health-care-of-dogs\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-01\"\n  ref: \"\"\n  doc_type: \"pet-owner veterinary reference\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Dog health — routine veterinary care, vaccines, parasites, dental, and signs of illness (Merck Vet Manual)\n\nThe text below is reproduced verbatim from the first-hand source (Merck Veterinary Manual, pet-owner version).\n\n> To be healthy, dogs require regular veterinary checkups, grooming, and a safe home environment.\n> Adult dogs: At least once a year for a full checkup.\n> Because older dogs are more likely to get sick, they need to see the vet more often.\n> Your vet might suggest blood tests or x-rays to catch health issues early.\n> Your dog might be sick if it is: not eating less active vomiting or having diarrhea urinating either more or less often than usual coughing or sneezing oozing fluid or mucus from its eyes, ears, or nose losing hair, seems excessively itchy, or develops red spots on the skin limping or not putting weight on a leg If your dog shows any of these signs for more than a day or two, it’s a good idea to schedule a vet visit.\n> Liquid medicine: Use a syringe to squirt the medicine into the back of your dog's mouth, aiming near the back teeth.\n> Vaccines help protect your dog from serious diseases.\n> Core vaccines recommended by nearly all veterinarians prevent illnesses like distemper, parvovirus, and rabies.\n> Vaccines for other illnesses, such as Lyme disease or Bordetella infection, are important in certain areas.\n> Your vet will tell you which vaccines your dog needs based on where you live and your dog’s lifestyle.\n\nSource: `pdf-raw/companion-care/dog_routine_health.txt` (first-hand pet-owner veterinary reference, tag-stripped).\n","sources":["companion-health — Dog health — routine veterinary care, vaccines, parasites, dental, and signs of illness (Merck Vet Manual) (retrieved 2026-08-01)"],"source":{"authority":"companion-health","title":"Dog health — routine veterinary care, vaccines, parasites, dental, and signs of illness (Merck Vet Manual)","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/pet-owners/dog-care/routine-health-care-of-dogs","retrieved":"2026-08-01","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual (pet-owner version)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/companion-care/dog_routine_health.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual (pet-owner version)","source_file":"pdf-raw/companion-care/dog_routine_health.txt","tokens_estimated":146,"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."}