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As a loving pet parent, you shower your pet with affection, indulge him with new toys, and treat him to his favorite foods. All of those things are important for his overall wellbeing, but the key to a lifetime of optimal health is to maintain routine pet wellness care appointments. 

At Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital, we’re here to help you keep your pets happy and healthy throughout every life stage. Read on for information you need to know about wellness care for pets.

As a general rule, pets adopted from animal shelters are already microchipped. Because the practice occurs prior to adoption, and the chip is hidden beneath the skin, it’s possible to forget that it exists. Until, that is, a pet’s chip is called upon to identify their owner. A practice with an enormous impact on both pets and people, microchipping your pet sets the standard for responsible pet ownership.

If there’s one thing that Texans know, it’s how to survive the heat. Learn how to prepare your pet for hot days, too, with Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital’s favorite tips for summer pet safety. 

Summer Pet Safety Considerations

When enjoying time with your pet this summer, it is a good idea to be aware of potential pitfalls that can ruin your good time. Take notice of:

• Table scraps at outing and barbeques
• Motor vehicles
• Unattended swimming spots that can be drowning hazards or harbor algae
• Dirty water that can irritate the skin or cause gastrointestinal problems
• Parasites like fleas and heartworms
• Sunburn
• Damage to paws from hot pavement, sand, etc.
• Overheating

How to Prepare Your Pet for Hot Days

Pets can become acclimated to the heat. Allowing them to have short, supervised stints outdoors can help them to gradually tolerate longer outings.

If you are wondering how long your pet can stay out in the sun, the answer can vary quite a bite among individuals. Pets that are overweight, very old, very young, have a short nose, or have health problems are at greatest risk of heat exhaustion. Choosing to center your activities around the cooler parts of the day is helpful. 

Avoid shaving your double-coated pet. Fur provides protection from the sun, and, believe it or not, actually insulates against the heat.

Any time you head outdoors with your pet, be sure that they have access to shade or shelter and a supply of cool, fresh water. Never leave your pet outdoors unattended for any length of time and remember that even a minute alone in a vehicle is too long.

Heat exhaustion, or heat stroke, is a very real danger for pets in the summer months. It can have devastating consequences.

It is important to recognize early signs that your pet may be overheating. As body temperature rises, animals often:

• Become restless 
• Pant
• Have increased heart and respiratory rates 
• Drool
• Experience vomiting or diarrhea

If you notice these things, it is definitely time to get your pet out of the heat. Unchecked, these symptoms can progress to weakness, incoordination, gasping for air, seizures, coma, and even death.

It is important to contact us immediately if you are concerned that your pet may be overheated. Cool towels may be placed under the belly and on the paws to help bring the body’s temperature down, but the animal must be treated by a professional as soon as possible.

Keep yourself and your pets cool this summer and avoid an emergency situation. A little planning can help to avert a major crisis.

Although none of us want to consider a sudden illness or injury to befalling our pets, ignoring the possibility that they will get sick or hurt reduces your ability to handle a pet emergency. We can help you recognize the signs that your pet needs immediate help, and give you some pointers on what you can do for them until you can get to a veterinary hospital. 

Even folks that don’t consider themselves “outdoorsy” find themselves under the great big blue sky every once in a while. One drawback to the natural world is our vulnerability to bugs. While we can swat at flies or run away from wasps, ticks lie in wait for us to simply walk by their perch. Unlike leaping fleas or hovering mosquitoes, ticks hide themselves well and are extremely patient for their next blood meal to arrive. 

If you’re planning a vacation and don’t get to bring your cats or dogs along, you’ll need someone to care for them while you’re gone. Leaving your precious pet with people you don’t know can be nerve wracking. Should you start interviewing pet sitters or consider pet boarding? Let’s explore the benefits of both. 

March 20-26 is National Animal Poison Prevention Week. As an opportunity to raise awareness of all the possibilities out there (in nearly every household, neighborhood, or situation), this is a crucial moment in time. Pets are exposed to all sorts of toxins and highly vulnerable to their far-reaching and widespread effects. Pet owners and veterinary professionals share the obligation to prevent terrible outcomes, and pet poison prevention week is the perfect time to focus on animal welfare and pet safety. 

We all know that caring for our pets properly is what keeps them healthy and happy. Having a pet spayed or neutered is no different. While there are many reasons to spay or neuter a pet, we’ll discuss three of the most important reasons in this article.

There are so many things we maintain in modern life. From our bicycles to our gutters, healthy hobbies to pruning, there’s no shortage to basic upkeep. In fact, it’s likely that a solid portion of your week is dedicated to simple maintenance of your home, checkbook, waistline, and sanity. The good news is that it pays off to stay in front of negative developments. 

No matter how great we are at something, there’s always room for improvement. The New Year brings with it a sense of promise and possibility, and for pet owners, it’s the perfect time to reassess. If you don’t already have some pet care goals for the New Year, we are happy to help you get started. After all, it’s all for the greater good!

The Broad Strokes

One of the best ways to orient yourself toward establishing and meeting pet goals is to schedule a wellness exam. If it’s been a little while since we’ve seen your pet, we would be so happy to welcome them back. We can check and compare their weight, appearance, growth, and development to track where they’ve been and where they’re headed.