The Importance of Preventive Care for Pets

Pets’ long-term health depends on preventative medical care such as vaccinations, dental exams, spaying and neutering, and control of parasites. A vet consultation is a fantastic opportunity to resolve any health or behavioral concerns and have your pet’s twice-yearly health checks performed to look for any potential health issues or age-related ailments.

The best treatment is prevention, and we firmly believe that providing your pet with preventive care will extend the length and quality of their lives. The following procedures should be part of your pet’s regular veterinary preventative care:

Routine Examinations

Regular checkups enable veterinarians to monitor the course of your pet’s life and detect any underlying issues that may later affect your pet.

Your veterinarian can typically identify any substantial problems your dog or cat has and treat them immediately or at least slow the condition down if you are unaware of them.

Vaccinations

Routine vaccinations are a critical component of pet care, according to veterinarians. Your pet needs vaccinations to reinforce immunity and prevent illnesses. Getting your pet vaccinated demonstrates your commitment to their health. Ask your vets what specific shots your dog or cat needs. Check out these dog vaccinations near Rancho Palos Verdes for your pet’s vaccination needs.

Parasite Prevention

Every year, veterinarians recommend checking a pet’s feces for intestinal parasites. This is mainly because intestinal parasites can impair your pets’ capacity to absorb nutrition, inducing vomiting or diarrhea or even causing digestive tract damage.

Many of these illnesses are zoonotic or contagious to humans, making them an additional reason to examine your pets for parasites. Due to their sometimes poor hygiene, young children are frequently at risk of contracting parasitic ailments.

Dental Care

Your pet’s oral health is vital to their general health because dental issues can cause or aggravate other medical conditions. Your pet’s teeth must be examined at least once a year to detect any early issues and help maintain oral health. Visit reputable facilities and review their dental services that would fit your pets’ dental needs.

Spay/Neuter

Neutering males decreases their risk of hernias, testicular cancer, prostatic illness, inappropriate urination, territorial and sexual aggressiveness, and other bothersome male behaviors. Animals who have been spayed also remain at home often, decreasing their risk of being struck by a vehicle and having a lower likelihood of catching contagious illnesses.

Spaying could considerably reduce the risk of breast cancer in females when performed by a reproductive veterinary surgeon before the first heat cycle. It avoids the possibility of uterine infection, which many mature unspayed animals are prone to and can be fatal. 

Key Takeaways

Everything you and your veterinarian undertake to keep your pet healthy is referred to as “preventive care.” Many believe preventive care entails adopting parasite prevention methods and seeing the veterinarian at least once yearly for vaccinations. They are crucial parts of preventative care but are just the start.

Moreover, veterinary preventive medicine includes:

• Comprehensive physical exams
• Checking for age-related illnesses and parasites
• Keeping a healthy weight
• Supporting dental health
• Neutering and spaying

However, even if they don’t require annual vaccinations, your dog or cat should visit the veterinarian twice or once yearly, depending on their condition or age.