Preventive Care: 5 Excellent Ways to Keep Your Pet Healthy

Your pet’s health is essential for overall well-being and the prevention of potentially fatal diseases. Most often, “preventive care” refers to regular visits to the vet for a wellness check and vaccinations, as well as treatment or testing for parasites and prescription medicines.

Pet Preventive Care for Pets

Preventive care is essential. Monitoring your pet’s overall health has the added benefit of lowering your vet bill.  For example, assume your veterinarian can detect any health issues earlier. In that case, it will be significantly less expensive than if the problem is already advanced. Taking these preventative health measures will also keep your pet happy and healthy.

Here are some safety precautions you can take to keep your dog healthy.

Visit the vet regularly

Even healthy dogs must be checked by a vet at least every year, ideally twice a year. A more frequent visit may be necessary if your pet is old or has medical problems. A dog’s visual capacity, for example, can be determined by looking at his eyes. A comprehensive orthopedic exam can help determine whether a dog has arthritis and requires pain medication. A dermatological examination of the coat can determine whether or not flea and tick treatment is needed.

Vaccinate your pet

Regular vaccinations are required for both humans and animals. Rabies, parvovirus in dogs, and panleukopenia virus in cats are just a few of the illnesses against which your veterinarian can immunize your pet. Unfortunately, these diseases are lethal to pets, and the rabies virus is deadly to humans. They do, however, protect your pets from cat influenza, FIV, cough, hepatitis, and distemper. Therefore, it’s important to ensure you are up-to-date with the above and other vaccinations.

Desex your pet

Desexing your pet can help prevent illnesses like urinary tract infections and prostate issues. Have your pet spayed or neutered if you do not intend to breed. If your pet has previously bred and wants this to be their last, have them de-sexed. Desexing your pet’s body will significantly increase their lifespan. In this case, you may need boarding for cats while recuperating following an operation.

Clean your pet’s teeth

Dental Treatment. It is well known that a dog’s oral health impacts his overall health. In layman’s terms, pets with healthy mouths live longer. This is because the bacteria that cause periodontal disease do not remain in the mouth. Instead, they enter the bloodstream and travel to major organs such as the liver, kidneys, and heart, where they can cause serious health problems.

Exercise your pet

Exercise is essential for maintaining strong muscles and bones, maintaining ideal body weight, and keeping dogs mentally active. Highly active or working dog breeds require a lot of physical activity. Excessive exercise for puppies may result in joint pain later in life. Cold laser therapy for cats and dogs can improve muscle spasms. Dogs should exercise for at least 20 minutes daily, with 30 to 60 minutes recommended. However, this varies depending on age and breed.

Ultimately

Discuss these topics and treatment options with your veterinarian during your routine wellness check-up. If you haven’t been scheduled for an appointment, ensure you’re taking enough preventative medications to treat your pet all year. If you aren’t already protecting your pet from parasites, pests, and diseases, now is the time to start because you’ll be spending more time outside with your pet.