Once a year is the baseline for a healthy adult Italian Greyhound, with puppies visiting every few weeks early in life and seniors moving to twice a year from about ten. The breed-specific twist is teeth: Italian Greyhounds are famously prone to dental disease in a small jaw crowded with teeth, so many vets like to see the mouth more often than the standard annual rhythm, and a brief mid-year dental check is a sensible addition for this breed alone.
The Mouth Is the Main Event
At every visit, the vet should lift the lips, grade tartar and gum inflammation tooth by tooth, and plan cleaning before disease loosens teeth and seeds ongoing mouth pain. Between visits, you are the surveillance system: lift the lip weekly, watch for tartar build-up along the gumline, red or bleeding gums, a sour smell, pawing at the mouth, or a dog who suddenly prefers soft food and drops kibble. Any of those earns a prompt dental appointment rather than a note to mention next year. Ask for a home dental routine sized for a tiny mouth, because prevention in this breed genuinely changes how many teeth a dog keeps into old age.
Fragile Bones, Kneecaps and Careful Weight
Italian Greyhounds have fine, light bones, and leg fractures from jumps off furniture are a classic breed injury, so the annual visit should cover gait, kneecaps that can slip out of place, and honest weight, because even a small gain loads delicate legs while too little weight leaves a thin-skinned dog cold and fragile. Report any limping, skipping on a hind leg, or yelping after a leap the day it happens rather than waiting, since a hairline injury in a leg this fine worsens quickly. The vet will also check eyes, because inherited eye problems occur in the breed, and skin and coat, since sparse-coated dogs sunburn and chill more readily than owners expect.
Puppies, Adults and a Long Senior Chapter
Puppy visits track vaccines, parasite prevention, retained baby teeth, which this breed is prone to keeping alongside adult teeth, and growth in a dog who finishes very small. Prime adults hold at once a year plus dental vigilance, with prompt visits for eye cloudiness, sudden limping or appetite loss, because a dog this small dehydrates and loses condition faster than a large breed. Seniors live long, so the twice-yearly chapter from about ten can last years: teeth, eyes, heart, kidneys via bloodwork, weight and mobility all reviewed twice as often, which suits a breed whose problems tend to be gradual.
A Visit Plan Built for a Very Small Dog
Bring a note of dental observations, any dropped food or mouth pawing, jumps or falls, and appetite changes with dates. Ask for the mouth to be graded honestly, whether a cleaning should be scheduled now, whether the kneecaps moved as they should, and whether weight is right for a frame this fine, because half a pound matters here in a way it never would on a large dog. Keep a running dental and weight log after each appointment. Recording it in KinsLe with Pet Passport means your Italian Greyhound's dental history and delicate weight trend are never left to guesswork.