Routine Pet Care, Pet Preventive Care Pet and Pet First Aid
Every animal requires proper care and pet owners should be aware of any issues that relate to their specific animal. Keep in mind that a little preventive care can go a long way to maintaining your pet’s health.
Pet Grooming
Dogs: Regular brushing, bathing, and nail care are essential. Special care for puppies while bathing is needed – consult your veterinarian for specific recommendations. Be sure to protect your pet’s eyes and ears when bathing.
Cats: Regular brushing to prevent matting of hair is important. Cats rarely need a bath, but one can be given if necessary (be sure to use a shampoo designed specifically for cats or kittens – dog shampoos may be irritating).
Mealtime For Your Pet
Be sure to consult with your veterinarian regarding your pet’s diet. Check the ingredient label on pet food and special use foods for information on processing, water content and other components such as vitamins and minerals.
Dogs: The amount fed will vary with the type of food and the individual dog. Consult your veterinarian regarding the proper formulation to use and frequency of meals. The formulation and frequency of meals will change as your pet ages.
Cats: Consult your vet regarding an appropriate diet for your kitten. Dry foods have the advantage of providing a rough surface that will help reduce plaque and tartar buildup on your kitten’s teeth but canned foods can be fed/supplemented if desired. The amount fed will depend on the diet, as well as the age, size, and activity level of your pet.
Remember: If canned foods are left unrefrigerated, they can spoil. So be sure to feed your pets only at regularly scheduled times.
Pet Preventive Care
Be sure to have all new pets examined by a veterinarian to ensure that it has no major health problems and is started on a program of preventive care. Assuring your pet’s well-being requires regular care and close attention to any hint of ill health. Consult your veterinarian if your pet shows any of the following signs:
- Abnormal discharge from the nose, eyes, or other body openings
- Abnormal behavior, sudden viciousness, or lethargy
- Abnormal lumps, limping, or difficulty getting up or lying down
- Loss of appetite, marked weight losses or gains, or excessive water consumption
- Difficult, abnormal, or uncontrolled waste elimination
- Excessive head shaking, scratching, and licking or biting any part of the body
- Dandruff, loss of hair, open sores, or a ragged or dull coat
- Bad breath or excessive tartar deposits on teeth
Vaccinations
The shots your pet needs, and when, depend on your pet’s risk of infection, age, breed, and environmental exposures. Your dog should be checked for intestinal parasites, fleas and heartworm disease, and appropriate treatment should be administered when needed. Your cat should be checked for intestinal parasites, fleas, and ear mites and appropriate medications given for these problems.
*Remember – Your pet is an individual and the need for specific vaccinations, timing of boosters, and risk factors for disease are best assessed by your veterinarian.
Spaying / Neutering
Thousands of dogs and cats are euthanized each year because there aren't enough homes for them. If you don't plan to breed, spay or neuter your pet.
Dogs: Spaying your female pet can help prevent cancers of the reproductive tract and may decrease the incidence of reproductive infections. Neutering your male dog will also prevent cancers and decrease the incidence of prostate problems. The incidence of more aggressive behavioral problems has also been shown to be reduced when dogs are spayed or neutered.
Cats: Spaying/neutering decreases the incidence of some tumors and reproductive infections. A male cat should be neutered if it will be a house pet because the strong urine odor of unneutered males will make your cat an unacceptable housemate.
*Your veterinarian can discuss with you the benefits of spaying/neutering and the best time to schedule the procedure.
Declawing
It’s part of your cat’s nature to sharpen its claws, so save your furniture and walls by providing a scratching post. For indoor cats, if you decide to declaw, consider declawing only the front feet, so if the cat gets outside it has some mechanism of defense. For outdoor cats, you can avoid declawing by keeping nails trimmed or using nail caps.
Dental Care
Dental care is an important part of your pet’s preventive health care. It is estimated that by age 3 80% of dogs and 70% of cats show some signs of gum disease. Bad breath is an early warning sign of gingivitis. Particularly at risk are small dog breeds which are more likely to develop tooth problems because their teeth are crowded into small mouths. Bad breath, a yellow brown crust of tartar around the gum line, pain or bleeding when the pet eats or when you touch its gums may indicate the presence of gum disease. Prevention is the key:
- Visit your veterinarian for an initial exam and discuss a routine for preventive care
- Start a dental care routine at home – remove plaque regularly from your pet’s teeth
- Your veterinarian can offer more information on dietary options – foods that can help reduce the accumulation of plaque and tartar from teeth when the pet eats
- Get regular checkups
Pet First Aid
It is important to be aware of your pet’s normal behavior, so you can recognize what is not normal. Your veterinarian’s telephone number should be kept with other emergency phone numbers. Never leave dangerous objects like pins, string, ribbon, or fish hooks within reach of your pet.
During the winter months, it is important to store all snow removal products out of the reach of pets and remove salt from your pet’s paws. Frostbitten skin is red or gray and may slough off. If your pet exhibits signs of frostbite:
- Apply warm, moist towels to thaw out the frostbitten areas slowly until the skin appears flush
- Contact your veterinarian as soon as possible for further care
Remember: a sick or injured animal is often in a frightened state, so if emergency first aid is necessary protect yourself (even if it is your own pet).
Pet Poisoning
Family pets risk poisoning from all kinds of places: snakes; plants; perfumes and aftershaves; common household hazardous waste; pesticides; weed killers; fertilizers; paints – the list is endless. Most often, poisoning is accidental. Poison-proof your home - be sure to keep poisonous materials out of reach of your pet. If your pet is poisoned:
- Keep the animal warm and quiet
- Try to determine what the poison was and amount ingested
- Immediately call your veterinarian or your nearest poison control center
- Bring the container (or label) of the poison with you if you need to take your pet to the vet
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