Dog Health Care

The goal of dog owners everywhere should be to keep their canine companions as healthy as possible to ensure the highest possible quality of life. After all, preventing disease is much easier than having to treat it. That said, here are fifteen tips that can help you achieve that goal.

Dog Health Tip #1: Keep your dog current on all core vaccinations and agree to optional vaccines only when absolutely necessary. Both undervaccinating and overvaccinating are equally bad.

Dog Health Tip #2: Administer heartworm preventive medication year-round. It protects not only against heartworms but intestinal worms as well.

Dog Health Tip #3: Keep your dog's teeth free of plaque and tartar build-up. Periodontal disease is a leading cause of heart disease in dogs.

Dog Health Tip #4: Avoid obesity. Obesity is an underlying cause of many serious illnesses in dogs, including diabetes and heart disease.

Dog Health Tip #5: Exercise your dog for at least 20 minutes every day. This is good not only for your dog's physical health, but for his/her mental health as well.

Dog Health Tip #6: Brush the haircoat daily. If you brush your dog often, you'll rarely have to bathe (your dog, that is!)

Dog Health Tip #7: Make your dog an indoor dog. Indoor dogs live longer.

Dog Health Tip #8: Feed a well-balanced, quality diet, avoiding table scraps.

Dog Health Tip #9: Clean your dog's ears on a routine basis (at least twice a month). Ear infections are common in dogs.

Dog Health Tip #10: Pet proof your home and keep all potential poisons out of reach.

Dog Health Tip #11: Obedience train your dog. Obedient dogs stay out of trouble.

Dog Health Tip #12: Give your dog an omega-3 fatty acid supplement daily. The health benefits are immense.

Dog Health Tip #13: Join an online pet forum, preferably one moderated by a veterinarian, to learn more about dog health and the recognition of clinical signs.

Dog Health Tip #14: Pet your dog for at least 15 minutes every day. You'll benefit from this as well!

Dog Health Tip #15: Insist on an annual veterinary check-up, including a thorough physical examination.

Cat Health

Everyone wants good health, including your cat. After all, good health is synonymous with a high quality of life, which is what every cat owner should want for his/her cat. Here are fifteen cat health tips to help you achieve that goal.

Cat Health Tip #1: Keep your cat current on vaccinations and avoid all unecessary ones (including the feline leukenia vaccine in cats over 2 years of age). Failure to vaccinate, as well as overvaccinating, are equally bad.

Cat Health Tip #2: If allowed outdoors, have your cat routinely dewormed every three to four months (see #10 below). This is to protect not only your cat, but you as well from zoonotic diseases.

Cat Health Tip #3: Always keep a fresh source of water available at all times. Cats that don't drink enough can suffer from urinary disorders.

Cat Health Tip #4: Keep those teeth clean and free from tartar build-up. Periodontal disease can lead to heart and kidney disease.

Cat Health Tip #5: Administer hairball laxative three times weekly. All cats get hairballs.

Cat Health Tip #6: Don't let your cat get fat. Among other things, fat cats are prone to diabetes.

Cat Health Tip #7: Have any firm, non-painful lump detected on or beneath the skin removed as soon as possible. benign tumors are rare in cats.

Cat Health Tip #8: Insist on daily exercise. Special toys, such as light lasers, can be used to get your cat active.

Cat Health Tip #9: Join an online pet forum, preferably one that is veterinary-moderated, to learn more about cat health and symptom recognition.

Cat Health Tip #10: Keep your cat indoors and away from potential hazards such as stray dogs, stray cats, poisons, and car tires.

Cat Health Tip #11: Clean the litter box daily. This will encourage your cat to use it more and lessen the chances for behavioral and urinary problems from appearing.

Cat Health Tip #12 : Feed a well-balanced diet with minimal fiber (unless the latter is prescribed). Avoid high fiber hairball and indoor cat formulas, as these can lead to urinary challenges.

Cat Health Tip #13: Pet your cat for at least fifteen minutes every day. Both you and your cat will benefit!

Cat Health Tip #14: Cat proofs your home. Keep potential poisons out of reach and keep strings or anything else that can be ingested well out of reach.

Cat Health Tip #15: Have a veterinary check-up performed on your cat at least once a year. This check-up should include a thorough physical examination, including blood pressure monitoring and bloodwork (if you can afford it).