Dog & Cat Care
Dog Preventive Health Care
Canine Life Stage Guidelines
There are hundreds of pure breed dogs and even more mixed breed dogs in America. Because there are so many different shapes and sizes of dogs, it makes sense that needs and guidelines also vary from breed to breed. Although needs vary from breed to breed and dog to dog, all dogs need routine wellness care. To help veterinarians determine the needs for dogs at each life stage, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) created Canine Life Stage Guidelines.
Preventive care through wellness exams
Wellness exams are a very important part or your dogs health care. Routine wellness visits with your veterinarian help build a strong bond with you, your dog, and your vet. This bond helps the veterinary team provide you and your pet with the best care possible. Having this strong bond with the pet along with routine wellness visits can help the veterinarian notice any subtle changes in your dogs health. Health can change quickly, so the sooner the illness is caught, the better chance we can help your dog feel healthy again!
Canine life stages
Canine life stages vary from puppy to geriatric. What stage your dog falls into depends on the age and the breed. As your dog ages, your veterinarian will slightly alter your pet's wellness visits to fit the needs of your pet. At all life stages, it is important for your veterinarian to know about your dog's nutrition, behavior, environment, dental care, and general physical health to help them create the perfect wellness plan for your dog.
Canine life stages include:
Man's best friend seems to love car rides! For some dogs however, cars rides can cause anxiety or motion sickness. Getting your dog in the car at young ages and making the experience positive is a great way to try preventing anxiety. Withholding food prior to car rides can help with motion sickness. Your veterinarian may also have some tips to help with both these issues.
Home monitoring
Owners know their dogs better than anyone. Veterinarians need you to tell them about behavior changes to help them treat your pet to their best ability. Quickly identifying and reporting these health issues and behavior changes help us keep your dog healthy!
There are hundreds of pure breed dogs and even more mixed breed dogs in America. Because there are so many different shapes and sizes of dogs, it makes sense that needs and guidelines also vary from breed to breed. Although needs vary from breed to breed and dog to dog, all dogs need routine wellness care. To help veterinarians determine the needs for dogs at each life stage, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) created Canine Life Stage Guidelines.
Preventive care through wellness exams
Wellness exams are a very important part or your dogs health care. Routine wellness visits with your veterinarian help build a strong bond with you, your dog, and your vet. This bond helps the veterinary team provide you and your pet with the best care possible. Having this strong bond with the pet along with routine wellness visits can help the veterinarian notice any subtle changes in your dogs health. Health can change quickly, so the sooner the illness is caught, the better chance we can help your dog feel healthy again!
Canine life stages
Canine life stages vary from puppy to geriatric. What stage your dog falls into depends on the age and the breed. As your dog ages, your veterinarian will slightly alter your pet's wellness visits to fit the needs of your pet. At all life stages, it is important for your veterinarian to know about your dog's nutrition, behavior, environment, dental care, and general physical health to help them create the perfect wellness plan for your dog.
Canine life stages include:
- Puppy- Your dog is in the puppy stage until it reaches reproductive maturity. During this time it is important to introduce your puppy to new things. Ask your veterinarian on training tips and techniques.
- Junior- At this stage your dog has reached reproductive maturity but is not done growing yet! Continue teaching and training your pet.
- Adult- Your dog is now done growing and has matured. Because your dog is no longer a playful puppy it is important to keep your dog's activity level up. Keeping your dog fit leads to a healthier and longer life.
- Mature- AAHA describes this life stage as being from middle age to the last 25% of the dogs life expectancy, which varies from breed to breed. Your dog may start to slow down and want to trade long walks for more time on the couch. Nutritional needs with also be changing with the activity level.
- Senior and Geriatric- This life stage includes ages from the last 25% of the life expectancy and beyond. Some environmental adjustments may need to be made such as more padded placed for your dog to lay and raising food and water dishes to make your pet more comfortable.
Man's best friend seems to love car rides! For some dogs however, cars rides can cause anxiety or motion sickness. Getting your dog in the car at young ages and making the experience positive is a great way to try preventing anxiety. Withholding food prior to car rides can help with motion sickness. Your veterinarian may also have some tips to help with both these issues.
Home monitoring
Owners know their dogs better than anyone. Veterinarians need you to tell them about behavior changes to help them treat your pet to their best ability. Quickly identifying and reporting these health issues and behavior changes help us keep your dog healthy!
Cat Preventive Health Care
Feline Life Stage Guidelines
Though dogs are known as “man’s best friend,” cats are the most popular pet in America. But because cats can seem self-sufficient and tend to mask their pain, they don’t get as much veterinary care as dogs – about half as much in fact – even though cats also need regular preventative care at all ages. To help veterinarians and pet owners address this issue and develop lifelong health care plans for cats, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) joined forces to create the AAFP/AAHA Feline Life Stage Guidelines.
Preventative care through wellness exams
Preventive veterinary care can improve your cat’s quality of life, detect illness earlier and, as a result, reduce the long-term expenses involved in keeping Tabby healthy. For this reason, semi-annual wellness exams throughout your cat’s life are recommended by veterinarians, with more frequent exams for elderly cats or those with medical or behavioral conditions. These wellness exams are crucial because sick cats often show no sign of disease and their health can change quickly – the sooner a health problem is caught, the better chance there is that your cat will be feeling healthy and frisky again.
Feline life stages
Discussions and treatment at your cat’s wellness exams will vary somewhat over the years, so age designations help focus attention on the physical and behavioral changes that occur at different stages. For example, environmental needs change with life stage; play is a priority for kittens and young cats, while easy access to a comfortable resting spot is more important to elderly cats. At all ages, your veterinarian will want to know about your cat’s nutrition, dental care, whether it ever goes outdoors, daily enrichment activities, and behavior to best tailor a wellness plan for your cat. There’s a lot more that goes into these visits than just vaccinations!
Feline life stages include:
It’s important to do all you can to make the drive to the veterinary clinic as stress-free as possible. To reduce the anxiety of the car ride, you can start early with kittens to get them used to their carrier by keeping it out and accessible at home. Create a positive association with the carrier by making it a comfortable resting, feeding or play location, and place familiar clothing from a favorite person in it regularly and just before transport. It’s also wise to get cats used to the car – pair car trips with positive experiences. It can be helpful to withhold food before travel to prevent motion sickness and increase their interest in treats at the clinic. Finally, draping a blanket over the carrier during the car ride can help cats feel safe.
Though dogs are known as “man’s best friend,” cats are the most popular pet in America. But because cats can seem self-sufficient and tend to mask their pain, they don’t get as much veterinary care as dogs – about half as much in fact – even though cats also need regular preventative care at all ages. To help veterinarians and pet owners address this issue and develop lifelong health care plans for cats, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) joined forces to create the AAFP/AAHA Feline Life Stage Guidelines.
Preventative care through wellness exams
Preventive veterinary care can improve your cat’s quality of life, detect illness earlier and, as a result, reduce the long-term expenses involved in keeping Tabby healthy. For this reason, semi-annual wellness exams throughout your cat’s life are recommended by veterinarians, with more frequent exams for elderly cats or those with medical or behavioral conditions. These wellness exams are crucial because sick cats often show no sign of disease and their health can change quickly – the sooner a health problem is caught, the better chance there is that your cat will be feeling healthy and frisky again.
Feline life stages
Discussions and treatment at your cat’s wellness exams will vary somewhat over the years, so age designations help focus attention on the physical and behavioral changes that occur at different stages. For example, environmental needs change with life stage; play is a priority for kittens and young cats, while easy access to a comfortable resting spot is more important to elderly cats. At all ages, your veterinarian will want to know about your cat’s nutrition, dental care, whether it ever goes outdoors, daily enrichment activities, and behavior to best tailor a wellness plan for your cat. There’s a lot more that goes into these visits than just vaccinations!
Feline life stages include:
- Kitten (birth to 6 months). Kittens have a high play drive, so toys can help prevent biting during play. Ask your veterinarian about socialization techniques to get them accustomed to handling, car transport, and encounters with children or other animals.
- Junior (7 months to 2 years). Inter-cat aggression, eliminating outside the litter box, urine or marking may develop at this stage.
- Prime (3 to 6 years) and Mature (7 to 10 years). Your cat may begin to play less, so it’s important to make sure they still get enough exercise to avoid weight gain.
- Senior (11 to 14 years) and Geriatric (15 years and older). Older cats showing signs of behavioral changes like vocalization or changes in litter box usage should always be evaluated for an underlying medical condition.
It’s important to do all you can to make the drive to the veterinary clinic as stress-free as possible. To reduce the anxiety of the car ride, you can start early with kittens to get them used to their carrier by keeping it out and accessible at home. Create a positive association with the carrier by making it a comfortable resting, feeding or play location, and place familiar clothing from a favorite person in it regularly and just before transport. It’s also wise to get cats used to the car – pair car trips with positive experiences. It can be helpful to withhold food before travel to prevent motion sickness and increase their interest in treats at the clinic. Finally, draping a blanket over the carrier during the car ride can help cats feel safe.