Thursday, June 2, 2011

Preventive Care Of Your Pet

By Rosemarie Harrell


Preventive care is just as important for dogs and cats as it is for humans. It is a means of preventing health issues in the future. It has been done among humans for many years, and is now increasingly becoming popular for our pets.

Vaccinations are an important part of preventing illnesses. Parvovirus and distemper are two very common fatal illnesses our dogs and cats can acquire. Vaccinations are given to them to prevent them from becoming ill with these sicknesses. Treatment for these sicknesses can be very expensive, the vaccines are not. The possibility of your pet contracting these illnesses are still possible. The risks, however, are much lower. A preventive care vaccine that is required for our pets in most countries is the rabies vaccine. Rabies is a zoonotic disease that can be passed from animals to humans.

A way to prevent many health problems for our pets is to feed them proper food. Giving them human food as a treat or for meals is very bad for them. They can easily become obese from people food, and diabetic as well. Often times when a pet becomes obese they also end up becoming diabetic. Other risks of improper diet are arthritis and periodontal disease. Feeding your pet the proper food gives the animal proper nutrition. By not having proper nutrition many health problems are sure to happen with your pet.

Spaying and neutering your pet is extremely important. Having done at a young age they have less chance of developing bad habits like marking their territory which can ruin your carpet and furniture. Prostate cancer is very common in older unneutered male dogs. Unspayed females can develop mammary cancer as well as pyometra. Besides, you can avoid any unwanted litters of puppies which can be hard to take care of and find good homes for.

Yearly examinations and lab work are a great way to keep up on your pets health. Doctors perform a full exam checking for any noticeable or palpable abnormalities. Even if your animal aces their check up running a full blood panel should be done. This can give a baseline to compare to future panels if sickness occurs, it can also catch a problem early on.

Preventing your dog or cat from developing bad teeth and gums is also important. Dental cleaning can be done to remove tarter and remove teeth that may be causing problems. Bad teeth and gums can lead to periodontal disease which will cause a lot of heart and kidney issues.

Preventive care is equally important to the health of a dog and cat, as it is to human beings. Serious health issues can be avoided by it. It is a way to give us all long and happy lives.

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