Posts in Category: Pet Health & Wellness
Pet Travel Tips: Ready, Set, Go!
Many of us wouldn’t dream of leaving our pets behind when we travel, especially during the holidays. Travel with pets can be fun and enjoyable if we take the time to plan ahead; but what needs to be done? Your team at Hallsville Veterinary Hospital has road-tested the following pet travel tips, taking into consideration your pet’s comfort and needs – as well as your own sanity – while traveling.
The Keys to Creating a Multi-Pet Home
The impulse to adopt every pet is universally understood by other animal lovers. However, while a perfect match is possible, a harmonious household is sometimes only achieved after weeks of doubt, fear, anxiety, and stress. This is often the case in a multi-pet home.
The ways to navigate sticky situations between pets are not always clear, but when you know where to start, you and all your pets can begin the journey toward household bliss.
A Penny Saved: Why You Should Consider a Pet Wellness Plan
Gone are the days when the average family pet had to earn his or her keep by herding sheep or killing rodents. A few generations ago, the lives of pets were a far cry from the comfort our four-legged family members enjoy today, a comfort that also extends to their medical care.
U.S. pet owners spend an estimated $15 billion on veterinary care each year. While it is truly wonderful that veterinary medicine has advanced so much in recent years, and that we value pets more than ever as a society, the combination of these things often winds up being a recipe for a potential financial struggle when a pet falls ill or is in an accident.
Why it’s Important to Spay or Neuter Your Pet
If we told you there was an insurance policy against dangerous cancers, would you take us up on the offer? When you spay or neuter your pet, not only are you reducing animal overpopulation, but you are also offering your pet benefits that stretch far into his or her future health.
A Decades-Long Discussion
In spite of the real and obvious advantages, spaying or neutering isn’t always the go-to choice for pet owners. While research from the last few decades proves how beneficial the procedure can be, perceived risks still run rampant among pet owners.
More than Good Looks: The Importance of Regular Pet Grooming
Pet grooming is about so much more than having a clean pet. Although our pets surely enjoy the extra snuggles they receive when they look and smell their best, regular brushing, bathing, and nail trims can also have a positive impact on their health and wellness.
Skin and Fur
Dogs and cats require regular brushing to remove debris and loose hairs, stimulate blood flow to the skin, and distribute oils evenly throughout the coat. Regular brushing keeps your pet’s fur free of tangles and mats, which could pull, tear, or restrict airflow to the skin. Brushing also cuts down on hairballs in cats.
Brushing and bathing give you or your groomer the chance to observe any issues with the skin related to allergies, disease or injury, or parasites, such as fleas or ticks.
A Heart Full of Fluff: Caring for a New Kitten
The only thing better than a fluffy, bright-eyed kitten is an adult cat who’s well cared for. To get between the important life stages, however, a healthy foundation must be established and maintained. Of course, it’s easy to get wrapped up in a kitten’s cuteness, but without a general working knowledge of feline development, proper wellness may be overlooked. From kitten-proofing your home to important veterinary care, we’re here to review the best in caring for a new kitten.
It’s Puppy Love! Caring for Your New Puppy
Without a doubt, there are few things more precious than a new puppy. From those awkward attempts at running to the adorable Buddha bellies, getting a new puppy is fun and exciting.
However, along with the cuteness comes a lot of work. To start your pet off on the right paw, it’s important to tackle socialization, behavioral training, and proper veterinary care early on.
The First Few Weeks
When it comes to new puppy care, one of the best places to begin is at our hospital. Make an appointment for a thorough physical exam. We will review proper vaccinations, parasite screening and prevention, and spaying/neutering. Continue…
Why Pet Wellness Care Should be a Priority
How do you know if your pet is healthy? Ask most owners, and they will say it’s because their pet “seems fine.” Instead of prevention-based care, this assumption means a disease or condition has progressed before a pet has even been examined.
The problem with this approach is evident – without consistent wellness exams, many illnesses or conditions cannot be diagnosed or prevented. Since we want to extend the life of every pet, let’s explore why pet wellness care should be the focal point of health and wellbeing. Continue…
The Tooth Of The Matter: Why Pet Dental Care Is Important
With pets living longer than ever these days, it makes sense that certain health issues are on the rise – and pet dental problems are no exception. Unfortunately, most pet owners aren’t as fastidious about their pet’s oral hygiene as they are about their own, leading most pets to develop some form of dental disease by the time they are 3 years of age.
If left untreated, dental disease can cause significant pain and possible tooth loss for your pet, not to mention a host of potential health problems ranging from heart, lung, liver, or kidney disease, to diabetes or even cancer. Fortunately, we can turn this grim prognosis around with a combination of home care and regular professional dental examinations and cleanings. Continue…