New Years Resolutions For Pets

Happy New Year! Are you refreshed and ready for 2016? Resolutions are a great way to start off a new year, and we often make them for ourselves. Have you ever considered including your pets? Here are some top resolutions for your furry family members.

Make exercise part of your daily routine: Pets also suffer from over eating and lack of exercise. Keeping pets at the proper body weight reduces risks of heart and joint problems, diabetes, and a host of other poor health conditions.

Schedule a check-up: Exams every 6 months are the most accurate way to diagnose early hidden illnesses. Routine physicals are less expensive than waiting for potential problems to arise. Having "baseline" information, such as annual labwork, gives the veterinarian comparable results year to year. This helps identify early stages of diseases, providing your pet with better a prognosis.

Professional Dental Prophy: Does your pet have bad breath? Has your veterinarian been recommending a much needed professional cleaning? Make a point to schedule a dental prophy this year, your pet and other family members will thank you!

Have a good nutrition diet: Like humans, pets who eat poor quality food do not have the health reserves of those on a well balance diet. Poor skin, hair coat, muscle tone, and obesity are the result of a poor diet. Also, pets are not humans, a diet rich in table scraps is not healthy and can lead to problems such as obesity and pancreatitis.

Groom regularly: Baths, nail trims, hair and teeth brushing, not only make your pet more pleasing to be around, it is much healthier too!

Remember safety is key: Keeping our pets safe is a year-round job; with emphasis on holidays and special occasions. Sometimes we unknowingly expose them to unseen dangers. Pet proofing your house is important for example, keep cleaners, pesticides and other toxic chemicals out of reach. Loose wires such as DVD, TV, and electronic cords should be well secured to prevent tangling and chewing.

Always share love and attention: Life is hectic, take time to focus on your pet. Daily walks, playing fetch, and even snuggles on the couch promote good behavior and strengthen your bond.

Keep it clean: The unpleasant aspect of pet ownership is cleaning up! Poor sanitation can lead to behavior and health problems such as urinary marking, skin infections, and the spread of contagious diseases. Whether scooping out the litter box, picking up the yard, or maintaining the fish tank, a clean environment is a healthy one!

River Mill Animal Hospital wishes you the best accomplishing your New Year's Resolutions. We are looking forward to an extraordinary 2016!