Do you have a pet who is due for a dental? Have you been putting it off? Poor oral health has been associated with a myriad of medical conditions in both humans and animals. Starting early with preventative visits is the best way to safeguard the long term health of your pet.
There are additional benefits to those veterinary visits which can significantly help your pet in times of disaster.
Getting in and out of the crate and having to wait in a kennel simulates the transport and confinement of evacuation and shelter. The more pets learn to load up and feel comfortable crated, the less stress they experience in a disaster shelter situation.
Remaining current on vaccinations, deworming, and flea protection helps safeguard pets from the infectious disease onslaught they might experience in a stressed shelter situation.
A microchip can be inserted in a regular visit which will help you to find your pet in a disaster and increase the hold time of the animal if picked up by animal control after fleeing a disaster area.
Maintaining your pets preventative medicine plan optimizes their overall health. If they have to be sheltered or evacuated, their immune systems benefit from that health basis.
The socialization of veterinary visits helps your pet to tolerate new faces- both human and other. This comes in handy when they are in a shelter situation.
Take a moment today to schedule that overdue appointment.
In the meantime, practice loading up in a crate with a treat reward. Pick a day each month for your animal to load up, eat a treat and spend some time in the crate.
The more accustomed to this they become, the less stress they will experience when they have to load up.
And of course….enjoy the good breath for a moment..at least until the next dental visit is suggested.