Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Pet Care 101: Maintaining Pets' Good Health And Wellbeing

In many homes, pets are considered as part of the family and they give their owners great joy. While owners depend on their pets for companionship, pets depend on their owners for their health and well being. A dog cannot speak if he is feeling ill and a cat cannot convey her discomfort to her human owner. It is because of this that pet owners have the full responsibility to take care of their pets and ensure their pets are getting all they need.

So what are the things you need to take care of to ensure the good health and well being of pets?

1. Regular check-up
Aside from giving them food, shelter and a lot of love, pets need to have regular check-ups with their vets. Since most pet owners are not veterinarians, they won’t know if something is wrong with their pets just by looking at them. Pet owners need the expertise of vets to diagnose and cure their pets of any diseases or illnesses they may be having. Veterinarians can also give their pets required vaccines and treatments.

Pet owners should take note of a house call vet in their area for emergency situations. During emergencies or if on a tight timeline, they can call on their trusted mobile vet to give their pets a check-up in their own homes.

2. Dental hygiene
Most pet owners forget to take care of their pet’s dental hygiene. It is important that owners maintain their pet’s hygiene by brushing their pet’s teeth regularly. Pets will also need to undergo a dental scale and polish, which is taken care of by a vet. Oral infections and periodontal disease might develop if pet owners don’t take care of their pet’s dental hygiene.

3. Nutrition and weight management
The pet owner’s responsibility to their pets doesn’t stop at just providing them food. They should make sure they give their pets food that supplies the nutrients they need. Pet owners should also make sure that they are not giving their pets too much as obesity is a common problem in pets. Some pet owners may just brush this aside, but if untreated this may lead to diseases. Just like humans, animals also need to stick to a proper diet and maintain a healthy weight.

4. Geriatric care
Pets that are in their older years should get increased veterinary care. They need more attention as it’s during these older years most illnesses show up. If pets get regular check-ups veterinarians may detect illnesses early on and allow pets to live more comfortably in their last years.

5. Bereavement counseling
Like humans, animals also feel grief over the loss of someone close to them. And like humans, there are ways to help animals go through their loss. Some cases of animal grief have led to change of eating habits, some eating less while some not eating at all. Other effects are being quieter or more vocal than usual, and being too dependent or possessive of their owners. Pet owners can take their grieving pets to a pet clinic. A mobile vet in the area can also provide grief and bereavement counseling for pets. Some house call vet provide this as part of their wellness program.

Pet owners need to ensure that their pets are given the best care. Whether emergency care or preventive care, pet owners need to make sure that their beloved pets get access to these. This is the least that pet owners can do in appreciation to the happiness that pets bring to every home.
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By Debra Wright
Debra Wright blogs about a plethora of topics including mobile and house call veterinary services. Wright considers Vetaround as one of the best veterinarians.

1 comment:

peterparker said...

Awesome work! That is quite appreciated. I hope you’ll get more success.
Ruff Hero