Keeping your dog safe from fleas and ticks is another very important thing not just for the vet but also for your pets health, and comfort. A natural remedy you can give to your dog is apple cider vinegar diluted water, it keeps fleas away. For a 40 pound dog, add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to 1 quart of their drinking water, this can also help improve your dogs skin and make their coat look shiny, as well as being a natural remedy for tear stains.
Dog Obesity is another problem you might have, asides from keeping your dog from eating any kind of people food, try to give your dog less food than usual. If your pet is a vacuum eater you can get them to slow down when they are eating by putting a large ball or long rubber bone into their bowl so that they have to eat around it.