A new year provides you with a clean slate to reinvent who you want to be—whether your goals pertain to fitness, diet, work, or leisure time. While making your resolutions for a better life, remember to include your furry pal. The new year is a perfect time to set your pet’s health and wellness goals, and you should strive to help them stick to these positive changes throughout the next 12 months. Setting your four-legged friend’s overall wellness foundation will have lifelong positive effects on their health and happiness. Read our Memorial Villages Animal Hospital team’s wellness-focused resolutions, and jump-start your pet’s health.
#1: Brush up on your pet grooming
No matter the length of your pet’s hair, they need regular grooming to look and feel their best. Not only does a grooming session allow you to spend time focusing solely on your furry pal, the activity also gives you the opportunity to spot potential health issues before they become serious. As you bathe your pet and brush their coat, you may find small lumps or bumps, superficial wounds, or external parasites. In addition, through regular ear cleaning, you can spot an ear infection at the condition’s earliest stages—likely before the inflammation becomes unbearably painful—and allowing you to get your four-legged friend the relief they need. Routine grooming also promotes healthy skin and fur, preventing matting.
#2: Double down on pet dental care
With roughly 85% of pets developing dental disease by age 3, your four-legged friend can benefit from a comprehensive oral health care plan. Although our Memorial Villages Animal Hospital team does an excellent job at professional dental cleanings, your pet still needs daily at-home oral care. Sticky plaque can harden into cement-like tartar in just a few days if you do not remove this substance through toothbrushing. Although daily toothbrushing is best, aim to brush your pet’s teeth at least three times per week. In addition, offer Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC)-approved pet dental products, which have demonstrated their ability to slow plaque and tartar accumulation through regular use, reducing your pet’s oral bacteria load. By following this two-pronged approach to dental care, you help lower your furry pal’s gingivitis, tooth-root abscess, and organ disease risks.
#3: Focus on pet fitness
Domesticized pets often do not exercise enough, especially during the work week. When pets exercise too little, they can develop a multitude of health and behavior issues, including obesity, boredom, anxiety, inappropriate elimination, aggression, and destructive behavior. Sticking to a daily exercise routine is a great habit to develop. However, the same old activities can become boring, hampering any desire to exercise. To make your pet’s physical activity exciting, spice up the routine with new activities. If you and your pup walk the same route day in and day out, shake up the stale routine, and head to a local nature preserve or hiking path, or play a rousing game of fetch in an off-leash park. If your cat spends their days lounging in the windowsill, encourage them to move by flicking a feather wand above their head, shining a laser light down the hallway, or tossing them a catnip mouse. You can also squeeze in a daily training session to brush up on old skills and learn new tricks.
#4: Reconsider your pet’s diet
Are you losing sight of your pet’s waistline? Is your pet struggling to participate in their favorite activities? They may need to drop some excess pounds. Changing your pet’s diet and portioning out the correct amount will go a long way toward helping them reach their ideal weight, especially when paired with adequate exercise. Ask our Memorial Villages Animal Hospital team about the best diet to feed your furry pal, and use a pet calorie calculator to determine the food amount they need each day.
You might also consider giving your pet supplements designed to boost their health, such as hip and joint supplements, or products that will improve their skin and haircoat. Before beginning any supplement, check with your veterinarian to ensure your four-legged friend can safely take the product. Our team has the expertise to make appropriate health-boosting supplement recommendations.
#5: Make way for pet wellness care
Wellness care forms your pet’s overall health and wellbeing cornerstone, and is an essential veterinary care component. Although you may question why your pet should have a veterinary visit when they appear perfectly healthy, wellness care appointments help your veterinarian detect disease at an early stage—before treatment becomes drawn out and costly. During your pet’s wellness appointment, our team will perform several important tasks, including:
- Administering lifestyle-appropriate vaccinations
- Performing a thorough physical exam
- Checking for parasites
- Running early detection screening tests
- Prescribing parasite prevention
- Discussing pet health care topics such as dental care, grooming, and behavior issues
- Creating a diet and exercise plan
Regular wellness care is the best way to help your four-legged friend live a long, happy, and healthy life. So, resolve to never miss your pet’s annual wellness visit.
Our Memorial Villages Animal Hospital team wants to make 2023 your pet’s healthiest year yet. Give us a call to schedule a wellness visit or a professional dental cleaning.
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