As pet parents, we know that you want to provide the right care for your furry friends, so the Camlist Vet has compiled some general advice that you can use to ensure that your furry friends remain happy and healthy!
1) Vaccination
Vaccines are the most important thing for your pet's health, as they give them acquired immunity against epidemic diseases.
Vaccinations include viral and bacterial, rabies, deworming drugs, and antiparasitic drugs. Viral and bacterial vaccines protect your pet from the most common fatal diseases.
Rabies is also a viral vaccine but administered separately at the age of 3 months, it provides immunity against rabies disease, which is FATAL for your pet and humans.
Anti-parasite drugs should also be administered monthly for protection. This is important for pets who go outdoors frequently. Fleas, ticks, and mites can transmit worms to the pet. They also act as a risk factor for the pet. So, your pet should take doses of dewormers with the anti-parasite drug.
Deworming drugs should be administered monthly for protection (especially if your pet goes outdoors or has external parasites) from any worms. Worms could cause a dull coat, lack of growth, and loss of condition (mass), especially in young animals.
2) Nutrition
Nutrition is an important part of your upbringing because proper nutrition protects your pet from many common diseases and makes them healthy. Here are some feeding recommendations for your pet:
Good quality dry food could be the best choice for your pet based on their age
Wet food also is a good choice, it consists of chunks of food in gravy, good quality types of wet food can be the main meals for your pet
Balanced homemade food may also be fed to your pet, but make sure to take the following precautions regarding homemade food to ensure that it is suitable for your pet:
Don’t give your pet any of these foods - chocolate (toxic), avocado, any junk food, grapes, tomato, onion, garlic, sweets, tea, coffee, yeast, soy, and nuts
Don’t add any spices to your pet's food
Be careful with milk as most pets are sensitive to it
Add enough amount of protein, especially for young pets, from 25% to 35%
Here are some recommendations for homemade meals:
For protein, you can add boiled eggs 4 times a week, cooked chicken breast (in water only), ground beef, chicken liver, and tuna cans twice a week (without the oil).
For fiber, you can give them potatoes, carrots, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and rice (all boiled in water without any spices).
For treats, watermelon (without seeds), strawberry, banana, raw carrots, and pineapple
The number of meals is related to the pet's age after weaning. Kittens and puppies should have from 3 to 5 meals per day. Adult pets can have 2 meals per day (one at the start of the day and the other at night ).
When you change your pet's diet, you have to change it gradually, even if you change from one dry food brand to another brand.
The way to manage the change is by adding most of the old brand and a little of the new one, and gradually, as days go by, we increase the amount of the new brand, until the whole meal consists of the new brand to avoid any sudden change in your pet diet that may cause stomach irritation.
During changing your pet's diet, you have to notice any change in their stool, skin, or behavior. If you see any abnormal symptoms or behavior, you should stop this new diet and visit your pet veterinary clinic.
Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.
3) Grooming
You should bathe your pet about 1 to 2 times (maximum) per month to keep their coat shiny and healthy
You must use pet shampoo and not human shampoo. In the cold weather, you can use dry shampoo suitable for pets or pet wipes to clean your pet
You should brush your pet with their suitable brushes (according to their breed) at least two to four times a week
You have to clip your pet's nails periodically in order to avoid their nail overgrowth
At the beginning of the summer, your pet has to get a haircut to reduce the possibility of heat stress (especially long hair breeds)
4) Common abnormal symptoms
There are some common abnormal symptoms and behavior. When you notice these symptoms in your pet, you should visit a vet to check on your pet.
Here are some of them:
Diarrhea, vomition, continuous itching, increase in hair fall, off food, inactiveness, coughing, sneezing, and any hair-less spots or red spots on your pet's coat.
All these symptoms can be indicators of many serious diseases but detecting the problem in its early stages is key. This is when it's more likely to be treatable or resolved with less expense, less difficulty, and better chances of success.