HOW TO KEEP YOUR FUR BABY OUT OF THE VET
AVOID STRESSFUL TRIPS TO THE VET WITH THESE TOP TIPS
All pet owners hate to see their beloved pet feeling ill and often trips to the vet can cause stress for both you and your fur baby. Here, Dr Cherlene Lee from My Vet Animal Hospital reveals her top tips for keeping your pet in good health so you can avoid those visits to the vet.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
A complete and balanced diet that provides all the nutrients at the correct level your pet needs is the best diet. Try to stick to feeding your pet with about 90 per cent quality dry food and 10 per cent treats such as cooked chicken breast, and you should have a furbaby with good teeth, good weight, and good poop!
STAY ON TOP OF VACCINATIONS
Set yourself a calendar reminder for your dog’s or cat’s vaccination dates so you don’t miss any crucial immunisations. These give you peace of mind about nasty and deadly diseases such as Parvovirus and Kennel Cough in dogs, and Feline Panleukopenia, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (similar to HIV) and FELV (Feline Leukaemia Virus) in cats.
BE THE WORM TERMINATOR
Make sure your furbabies are wormed regularly. It will help keep your pets, and even you (some of the worms in pets can infect humans) in top shape! Dogs can be infected by both heartworm and intestinal worms – since these are completely different parasites, you will need to worm your dog for both. For cats, a combination of spot-ons and worming tablets will ensure full protection from tummy worms and fleas.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE LOO
This may sound gross but you should know what your pet’s pee and poo look like. Make a mental note on how often they are doing numbers one and two. Any changes in the shape, colour and consistency could be an early indicator of something more serious. If your pet has diarrhoea, it is best to bring them to the vet immediately as they can lose a lot of water and get very sick quickly.
DIY HEALTH CHECK
We may often feel that our fur babies can communicate with us, but unfortunately, we can’t understand what every “woof ” or “meow” means! Therefore, you should try to pick up early signs of illness. I bathe my dog and cat every two weeks, and I use that time to run a quick health check on them at home. Things you should be aware of include any lumps or bumps on their skin, any changes in their weight, and the condition of their teeth.