You want to do all you can to give your pet their best shot at a long and healthy life full of fun. Along with lots of love and attention, there are a few other basic steps that are essential when it comes to helping to ensure your pet's health. Here, our Orange Park veterinary team recommends 5 of the top things you can do to help your pet live a long and healthy life.
Your Pet's Health
Ensuring the health of our companion animals is a big responsibility, but it doesn't need to be complicated. Caring for the health of your pet essentially comes down to doing all you can to help prevent diseases from developing. Below you will find 6 things you can do to help prevent disease and keep your animal companion happy and healthy.
1 - Provide Nutritious Meals
Your pet's well-being will greatly depend upon the quality of the food they eat. To help keep your pet healthy, speak to your vet about the best foods for your pet based on age, breed, and lifestyle. Your vet will be happy to offer tips for finding just the right food to meet your pet's nutritional needs, or if your animal is experiencing health issues that may be related to diet, book a nutritional consultation.
2 - Keep Your Pet at a Healthy Weight
Obesity has been linked to a number of serious conditions in pets including diabetes and joint pain, so keeping your pet at a healthy weight is essential for optimal health. Once you have chosen nutritious food for your dog, cat or other animal your vet will be able to calculate the optimal number of calories your pet should consume each day. Once you know how many calories are appropriate for your pet, you will be able to easily work out exactly how much you should be feeding your pet at each meal.
3 - Annual Wellness Exams
Diagnosing and treating conditions in the very earliest stages helps to ensure the very best treatment outcomes. Annual veterinary exams, when your pet seems healthy, are all about prevention, monitoring your pet's overall health, and checking for early signs of developing issues. Your vet will discuss your pet's diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors with you, ask if you have any concerns about your pet's health or behavior, then perform a comprehensive physical examination. Once the exam is complete your veterinarian will discuss any findings with you. If anything concerning has been detected your vet will make recommendations regarding diet, diagnostic testing, or treatment.
4 - Vaccinations
Our Orange Park vets believe that vaccinations are essential for helping your pet live a long and healthy life. Regularly scheduled vaccines help to protect your dog from many highly contagious, potentially life-threatening diseases. Most states require by law that all eligible pets be vaccinated against rabies, but there are a number of other serious conditions that vaccines protect against as well including parvo, distemper, and panleukopenia.
5 - Parasite Prevention
Ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes can all carry organisms that lead to a range of diseases that seriously threaten the health and longevity of your pet. A bite from one of these parasites could cause your pet to become gravely ill if not protected. Speak to your vet about the most effective ways to protect your pet against a full range of tick-borne diseases, heartworms, and other parasitic conditions common in your area.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition, please make an appointment with your vet.