10 Tips to Keep Your Pet Healthy
1. Feed a high quality food in an amount to maintain an ideal body weight. Obesity is the most common nutritional disease for pets and predisposes your friend to many other health issues. Feed an amount of food that maintains an ideal weight and don’t simply go by the feeding guide on the pet food label. If your pet seems hungry try adding fresh raw vegetables for filler like green beans or give baby carrots for treats instead of dog biscuits.
2. Provide fresh water at all times. Water is vital and even mild symptom free dehydration leads to reduced organ and brain function. Be sure to rinse out the bowl with warm water and dry with a paper towel before refilling. Remember to add Oxyfresh Oral Hygiene Solution to ensure that you are taking care of your pet’s oral hygiene.
3. Provide plenty of exercise. Just like for people, exercise provides many health and emotional benefits for pets. Adequate exercise is the best prevention for destructive behavior like chewing and escaping.
4. Prevent parasites. Both internal parasites like heart worm and intestinal worms and external parasites like fleas and ticks pose serious health threats. Fleas and ticks may be carriers of other pet diseases like tapeworm, Lyme’s disease, Rocky Mountan Spotted Fever and more. There are many good products on the market that are effective against these parasites.
5. Follow Vaccination guidelines. Many of the common contagious diseases can be prevented.
6. Keep your pet leashed. Do not allow your pet to run free. The risk of injury and becoming lost or stolen is too great.
7. Start a preventive dental program. Dental disease affects 85% of all dogs over 2-3 years of age. An unhealthy mouth stresses the immune system and can take years off the normal life expectancy. Brushing is the gold standard ye just adding Oxyfresh’s Pet Oral Hygiene Solution to your pet’s waterbowl will make a huge difference in your pet’s oral health. Start early before the symptoms begin.
8. Keep your pet well groomed. Good grooming is much more that simply making your pet look good. A well groomed coat and clean skin just plain feels good and each grooming is another opportunity to examine your pet closely for any lumps, bumps or other things that shouldn’t be there. Good quality shampoos can be used regularly and will keep the skin clean and the coat shiny without drying out the skin. Be sure to keep your pet’s coat brushed. Brushing is a great chance to spend quality time with your pet and will help your pet look great.
9. Pet proof your house. Be watchful for things your pet might want to chew or lick on. Many common household items can be toxic to pets and many other items may be swallowed causing digestive upset or even obstruction.
10. Provide plenty of affection. Not much more needs to be said about this one J. Besides, isn’t that why we have pets anyway?
Boyd Harrell, DVM
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