Money on Pet Care
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

As guardians of our furry family members, we commit to providing for our pets and keeping them healthy. The following are some tips to help you save while focusing on preventative health care!

1. Don’t skip your pet’s annual physical exam
Getting physical exams annually helps us detect problems early. It can be more expensive (not to mention much riskier) to the health of your pet to treat illnesses that have advanced than to diagnose ailments early or protect against them.

2. Dental care – start brushing early!
Dental disease causes significant pain to our pets that often goes unnoticed- affecting their quality, their personality, and activity levels. It can lead to serious health conditions, including heart and kidney problems. Start a daily dental routine early to keep your pet’s teeth and gums healthy!

3. Parasite protection
Fleas, ticks heartworm and intestinal parasite infections can cause a number of infectious diseases and costly medical problems from mild skin infections to life-threatening blood disorders, chronic diarrhea, and even heart failure. *Make sure you use prevention that is appropriate for your pets species, age, and weight to keep those nasty pests away. We can advise you on what products your pet may require to stay healthy depending on your location and risk!

4. Tailor your vaccines to your fit pet’s lifestyle
Many vaccines are critical to protecting against fatal diseases – but some vaccines are optional depending on your pet’s environment and lifestyle. We will help you tailor your vaccines to fit your pet’s needs.

5. Be sure to spay and neuter
Life threatening health problems can be easily prevented by spaying and neutering your pet early. You can save a lot of money spaying your dog while it’s younger and healthy and avoid an emergency spay to correct uterine infection (pyometra.) Spaying and neutering also eliminates the risk for severe infections, enlarged prostate, and ovarian, uterine, and testicular cancer while also reducing pet overpopulation.

6. Feed a nutritious diet
Buying a high quality pet food can make a significant difference in your pet’s health. It is usually cheaper than preparing a homemade diet and ensures pets get all the vitamins, calcium, protein and nutrition they need. It is recommended to feed a diet approved by veterinary nutrition specialists – look for an AAFCO food label – (American Association of Feed Control Officials.) Lesser quality foods can increase risks for disease, including certain urinary, pancreatic and gastrointestinal disorders and diabetes. It is so important to avoid overfeeding your pet. Feeding oversized proportions and excessive treats will lead to obesity, worsen arthritis, and cause other health problems. Avoid table scraps, as certain foods like grapes, raisins, chocolate, high fat and greasy foods, are toxic to pets. We will help you with diet and portion size. Ask us if you have any dietary questions!

7. Keep your pet fit and trim
Along with feeding the best diet, exercise is essential for pet health. It is important to regularly exercise your pet. Keeping pets active helps mental and physical health and strengthens your relationship with your animal. Obesity causes a multitude of health problems including diabetes, worsening arthritis, breathing disorders, and inactivity will increase cognitive dysfunction (dementia) as pets age. Grab the leash and take your pet out – it’s good for us, too.

8. Secondhand smoke affects animals, too!
Secondhand smoke is a serious concern for dogs or cats, too. Like in people, it can cause asthma, bronchitis, and cancers affecting the mouth, nose and lungs. Protect yourself and your furry friends – don’t smoke around your pet.

9. Health Insurance for your pet
Many people benefit from pet health insurance. If an unexpected illness or emergency would cause financial stress – it may be helpful to have pet health insurance. Sign up while your pet is healthy. Most plans will also help with wellness and preventative care. Make sure you educate yourself on your plan, read the small print. Not all plans are equal. Ask us about veterinary health insurance.