October is National Pet Wellness month. A month dedicated to educating our clients about the importance of wellness and preventative care for their pets. Wellness care is so important for the health and longevity of your pet and one of the reasons we focus on it so heavily here at Veterinary Center of Parker!
Did you know that dogs and cats age five to seven times faster than humans? This means that by age two, your pet has reached adulthood, by age four they’re considered middle aged and by age seven they have started into their senior years. So, by your pet seeing the veterinarian one time per year, this is equivalent to you seeing your doctor or dentist every five to seven years (yikes!). This is why we do wellness exams twice a year (bi-annually) so we are better equipped to catch issues sooner!
Wondering what you can do to keep your pet healthy and on top of their wellness game? Here are 5 tips:
1. Bi-annual Wellness Exams
We have already talked about how pets age much faster than humans and that your pet needs a wellness exam two times a year. This helps give us a baseline of their health in shorter timeframes so we can keep an eye on their health and are more likely to detect problems early. This also gives you the opportunity to discuss other things that are important to your pet’s health more frequently such as nutrition, behavior, dental health, and other concerns.
2. Stay Up To Date On Vaccines
Your pet can be exposed to diseases from other animals at the dog park, on the trails, socializing in the backyard, pretty much anywhere they go. They can also be exposed to many diseases such as Rabies, Leptospirosis and Distemper from wildlife and some of these diseases can be passed to your family. By getting your pet vaccinated it may prevent them from contracting potentially fatal diseases as well as keep you and your family safe.
3. Nutrition
High quality nutrition is vital to your pet’s health. You know the old saying, “You are what you eat!”, well this applies to our pets in the same way. Feeding your pet high quality food with high quality ingredients ensure your pet is getting the adequate nutrition their bodies need. Good nutrition provides the building blocks to support your pet’s immune system, support their organs bones and muscles, provides more energy, less waste (aka less poo to pick up) and support their overall health. Picking a food that has high quality ingredients, provides what your pet needs and isn’t full of by-products, fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc. can be a challenge. But don’t fret we are here to help! We offer nutrition consultations to make sure your pet is getting just what they need!
4. Don’t Forget Dental Health
Dental and oral health is very important in keeping your pet healthy. Did you know that your pet’s dental health can harm other organs in the body such as the heart and kidneys? Good dental hygiene is just as important for pets as it is for us. We recommend brushing your pet’s teeth everyday to help keep their teeth healthy and reduce the tartar and calculus build-up. It is also important to have your pet’s mouth checked twice a year (something we do at every wellness exam!) to look for early signs of dental disease and so your veterinarian can give you their recommendations on any dental health treatments such as dental prophylaxis (cleanings).
5. Remember To Give Preventatives
It is important to give your pet the preventatives they need every month such as heartworm prevention, as well as flea and tick prevention. Making sure your pet is protected against these potentially fatal bugs ensure that not only they are safe but are protected from parasites that your family can get as well (such as roundworms which some heartworm preventatives eliminate). Also, annual heartworm testing is necessary even if pets are on year-round prevention to make sure no breakthrough infection has occurred. Heartworm prevention is highly effective but not 100 percent.
Keeping your pet well and healthy is so important and one of our main focuses here at VCPI. We want your pet to live a happy and healthy life and be around for as long as possible! Give us a call at 720-851-0820 today to get your pet scheduled for their wellness care!