Many of us have experienced the joy of owning a pet before. Whether you’re a cat or a dog person (or maybe even a gerbil or a ferret person), owning an animal is likely to be a wonderful experience. Animals provide tremendous companionship – a listening ear that never judges, soft fur to cry into after a bad day, and unending loyalty and love. Owning an animals is something that’s sought out by people of all ages, from young children (begging for a puppy during the period of the winter holidays) to an elderly person looking for a companion for their golden years. But no matter what your reason for adopting a pet, it is important that you take good care of them.
Visiting a veterinarian on a regular basis is a regular part of good pet care, just as visiting a doctor for our yearly check up is part of staying in good health as a human person. If you adopt an animal in their infancy, it is likely that they will not yet have received the necessary vaccines. For both kittens and puppies, regular vet appointments should be made for every month or so (though some vets will recommend a vaccination schedule nearer to every three weeks) until they are around four months old, at which time vet visits will become considerably more spaced out. During these first few months, it is important to get all of the vaccines that are necessary, including the distemper-parvo vaccine and the rabbies vaccine at the first yearly check up.
The distemper-parvo vaccine prevents both cats and dogs alike from heartworm, a condition that is otherwise all too commonly scene. Heartworm manifests as just that – worms in the heart – though it will effect each animal differently. While dogs are likely to have more heartworms at a time – as many as sixteen – cats will become much sicker from only one or two distinguishable heart worms. Getting regular vaccinations against this disease can help to prevent the illness it causes from ever becoming relevant in the life of your cat or your dog.
Spaying or neutering your animal – cats and dogs alike – is also highly recommended by the majority of veterinarians. Many communities deal with the overpopulation of wild cats and dogs, and spaying or neutering them (depending on their sex) can help to reduce this problem. If you cat is an outdoor cat, it is important to have him or her spayed or neutered as soon as possible, as it is possible for cats to get pregnant as young as five months old, and spaying and neutering is the only way to one hundred percent prevent a cat or a dog from reproducing.
When your dog or cat comes, ultimately, to the end of their life, it will be a sad occasion even if they have had the chance to live a very full one. Many people choose to seek out vets that make house calls for euthanasia in these circumstances. Vet home euthanasia is becoming more popular of an option, as vet home euthanasia can reduce some of the trauma of needing to say goodbye to a much loved animal. Vet home euthanasia can also help send off your animal in peace, in an environment that they feel not only comfortable but safe in. Finally, vet home euthanasia is often the easiest option, as vet home euthanasia does not require the transport of the animal. As many dogs lose function of their legs near the ends of their lives, vet home euthanasia eliminates the often difficult task of getting a dog who can’t walk to the vet’s office.
No matter what kind of pet you have and love, it is important to take diligent and thorough care of them. From regular vet check ups to saying goodbye to them as gently as possible when they reach the ends of their lives, treating your pet well is hugely important.