Preventative pet care tips

1. Vaccinations – these start when your pet is a puppy or kitten and should be followed up with a yearly booster.  The vaccine covers a wide range of infectious diseases that could be fatal for your pet.  A yearly visit to the vet also ensures a full health check which could help spot problems early on.
2. Flea and tick prevention – as with all these things “prevention is better than cure” so ensure you use a veterinary recommended flea and tick treatment for your pet.  Fleas can cause a sore and itchy skin condition and can cause an infestation in your house – flea bites can be quite nasty for people too. Ticks in the UK are known to spread Lyme Disease,  Ehrlichiosis and Babesiosis so ensuring your pets parasites protection is up to date is vital. If you are unsure which anti-parasitic treatment is best for your pet then call us on the Scratch and Patch Careline 0333 332 1926
3. Worming – worm infestations can begin from birth so it is important to carry on an effective treatment throughout your pets life. At least once a month for puppies and kittens and three months for adults.  The exact protocol will depend on the product used, so speak to your vet or call the Scratch and Patch Careline 0333 332 1926 for more information.

There are different types of worms, some of which can spread to humans and are potentially quite dangerous for children, so ensuring your pet is given an effective wormer regularly is important for all member of the family.

• Neutering – a castration for a male and a spay for a female pet is the most effective way of preventing unwanted litters and many health problems such as testicular and prostate cancer or mammary and uterine cancers.  There are also many benefits of neutering to the behaviour and training of your pet. Speak to your vet, vet nurse or contact us on the Scratch and Patch Careline for more information on this.
• Weight checks – pet obesity is one of the most common reasons you need to take your beloved pet to the vet.  An overweight pet is usually not a healthy pet and this can lead to many complications such as diabetes, arthritis, pancreatitis and various other medical conditions. If you think your pet is overweight, make an appointment to have them weighed and discuss this with your vet or vet nurse.  For more general information on nutrition you could contact us on the Scratch and Patch Careline 0333 332 1926
• Microchipping – ensure that you and your pets details are all up to date on the registration database

For more general information on any pet related query, please call us on the Scratch & Patch Careline 0333 332 1926