The Best Advice for Keeping Your Pet Healthy
For some pets, it seems like good health can be a challenge to maintain overall, while for others it feels like they always need something, be it a new prescription, allergy treatment, or procedure. This can make it a daunting task for many people to find the right advice, so we’ve compiled the best tips and bits of advice available for keeping your pet healthy through the upcoming holidays and beyond, for many years to come.
Regular Checkups & Wellness
The best offense is a good defense, and that goes for illnesses and medical conditions as well. By leveraging insurance from one of the Best pet insurance companies, you can make sure your pet has the benefit of both yearly medical checkups, as well as periodic wellness checks.
These wellness checks, along with standard yearly checkups, can help provide a first-hand look at any potential changes in your pet, from your vet’s perspective. Early diagnosis is the key to successful treatment and recovery for so many things, that if you have a chance to screen for them easily, it seems a shame not to.
An Ounce Of Prevention
Nearly just as important as early diagnosis is taking proper precautionary measures and preventative health maintenance. This includes preventative medication, such as the application of flea and tick treatment, and administering a heartworm preventative medication as well.
Other preventive and precautionary health behaviors include brushing your pet’s teeth regularly and giving them either special dental chews or massaging their gums. This helps to both keep the teeth and gums clean, but also helps to keep the blood flow optimal, and it’s a perfect time to check for any abnormalities in their mouth.
Provide Proper Nutrition
Feeding your pet the right nutrition in the right amount is one of the best things you can do to help them fight off illnesses and infections and to live their best life. Many people do not give much thought to their pet’s nutrition, which leaves some pets malnourished, or deficient in important dietary components. It can also result in overweight or even obese pets, which then can become a higher risk for other issues.
Good quality food with balanced nutrition, as well as proper portioning, will help your pet to maintain good health and optimal weight. Be sure you also supply plenty of fresh, clean water as well, and be sure you do not give treats that amount to more than 10% of your pet’s overall diet.
Exercise
Exercise can be difficult at some points in the year, particularly winter when long periods outside can be uncomfortable and even dangerous, and the same being said for the height of summer. However, it is still crucial that your pet get plenty of aerobic exercise and enrichment.
In the case of many dogs, this means taking them to the dog park and letting them run their batteries down for a while. If you use dog parks, be sure you keep an eye out for dangerous or broken toys and make sure there is a water source nearby so your pooch doesn’t get parched.
For some pets, it may also mean taking them to an indoor play area, such as doggy daycare, for extended periods. If you have cats, try to provide a very active and enriching playtime that keeps their instincts sharp. Either way, the more physical activity they get, the better.
Affection & Emotional Fulfillment
An important component to your pet’s physical and mental health is their emotional fulfillment and attention provided by you. Giving your pet extended cuddle or belly rub sessions can make the bond between you two even stronger while making their skin and coat healthier at the same time.
This can pay dividends for pets that may have trust or fear issues since you can do a little bit every day to get them used to it. It also reinforces the positive association between humans and your pet, making them more social overall.
Enrichment
Dogs have physical needs that you can address with exercise and playtime, and they have emotional and connection needs that you can fulfill with interaction and good old-fashioned snuggles, but they also have intellectual needs as well and these often go overlooked.
Dogs need intellectual stimulation to help their minds stay sharp and to keep them falling back on undesirable behaviors. There are many different toys and puzzles that can be used to help dogs develop and refine problem-solving skills.
There are some toys that will require the dog to use their nose or paw to activate buttons or slide tiles to receive a treat. Other popular puzzle toys include forage mats, which have pouches and fabric “grass” to hide treats in, which the dogs then have to sniff out and retrieve. There are tons of options out there to keep your dog smart as a tack.
Opportunities For Socialization
Socialization is vital for all pets, particularly in the first weeks and months of their life, but also throughout their lives with us. By interacting early and often with both dogs and cats, you can help them grow accustomed to interacting with people, which can also help avoid aggressive behaviors.
This means making sure they have the opportunity to interact with as many different kinds of people as possible. People of all shapes, ages, and genders will help your pet acclimatize to human interaction. This is often accomplished easily by trips to a busy dog park, where many pets and their families will be able to interact in a natural way on neutral ground.
Giving Your Pet The Best Chance For Good Health
Pet health can seem complicated at first glance, but it doesn’t have to be. With this guide and the information from your vet, you will be in a great position to help your pet maintain good health for years to come.