Wellness Care: Nurturing Your Pet’s Health at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital
Every pet enjoys several distinct life stages. From puppy or kittenhood all the way to their golden senior years, there are numerous goals within each life stage that are instrumental toward achieving optimal health and wellness. It isn’t always easy, clear, or straightforward, but responsible pet ownership is a challenging endeavor with limitless rewards. And the best part? We’re here for your pet at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital every step of the way!
Stage 1: Kitten and Puppies
Kittens and puppies vary when it comes to approaching their adult life stage. Kittens may be classified as fully-grown adult cats around 6 months, but puppies (depending on their breed) may reach adulthood anywhere between 1 and 2 years.
Pet wellness care for kittens and puppies focuses largely on prevention:
- Vaccinations
- Spaying or neutering
- Microchipping
- Parasite prevention
- Behavioral training
- Socialization
- Potty training
- Nutrition (puppies and kittens need a specific diet to help them reach their full potential)
While pets are young, it’s a good idea to get them used to having their teeth brushed, nails trimmed, and their coat brushed. This is not only very good for them, but will prevent future headaches if they are exposed to these long after they are out of their impressionable period.
Stage 2: Adult Cats and Dogs
To help sustain your pet’s health and wellness established in their early months, we recommend yearly wellness checks. Problems can begin to creep in related to a pet’s lifestyle. We take a long look at their diet, teeth, and exercise routine as a way to prevent further health complications. A majority of adult cats and dogs are overweight and/or suffer from periodontal disease, two problems that are largely preventable through lifestyle changes.
Stage 3: Senior Pets
Again, depending on a pet’s breed they may reach their senior years anywhere between 6-8 years of age. Common health problems that affect older pets include cancer, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, and kidney disease. At this stage we like to see seniors every 6 months to stay in front of age-related illnesses. We may address their diet, food style, enrichment, weight, and behavior.
Pet Preventive Care
Your pet’s health and wellness is our number one priority. To help theme age as gracefully as possible, and transition from one stage to another with ease, we recommend taking the following into consideration every day:
- Excellent nutrition
- Weight management and portion control
- Dental care
- Skin and coat care
- Indoor enrichment activities
- Safe environment
- Closeness (did somebody say “snuggle time?”)
Veterinary health exams at regular intervals allow us to gain meaningful insight into a pet’s general health. Taking a look at their teeth, measuring their weight, assessing pain levels, and discussing age-appropriate nutrition, disease prevention, and more are all critical to their longevity and quality of life.
If you have questions about the many ways you can support and maintain their vitality and wellness throughout their entire lives, our team is always here to help. Please call us at (210) 681‑1391.