Practice News
New years resolutionsSunday 21st January, 2007
Must:
1/ lose weight
Will become fit and gorgeous ready for summer bikini
This can be achieved through:
Diet
• Most diets will have a feeding guide on them, make sure you are sticking to the correct amount of food for your pet's weight per day. You can divide this up into as many meals as needed throughout the day. Some pets prefer to eat three smaller meals per day, especially cats who tend to graze.
• Most brands produce a light version of their food, this can be helpful for animals who are prone to put on weight. There are also special diets available that are on prescription that will help your animal lose weight.
• Cutting out titbits can also help weight reduction or try using healthy titbits such as vegetables and fruit. However, be careful not to give too much fruit, as well as an upset tummy, fruit contains sugar.
Exercise
• This is also important in helping with weight loss. Cats especially at this time of year tend to go outside only to use the toilet. Ways you can encourage your cat to exercise is by playing games with them, get them chasing toys, balls etc and make them move around a bit more. If your cat is particularly lazy you can make them climb stairs by putting their food upstairs.
• Dogs also can be encourage to play more in the garden or house if it is difficult to get outside in the darker evenings.
• If your dog is very overweight you will need to increase the exercise slowly building it up gradually
Fat busters
This is the pet version of weight watchers!! If you think your animal has put on weight and you need some help in getting rid of those excess pounds then book an appointment with one of our nurses who will be happy to advise you on a weight loss scheme.
2/ Will brush teeth regularly to achieve Hollywood smile
• Pet’s teeth, much like ours, if left unbrushed start to build up plaque on them, this plaque then hardens and forms tartar. If left untreated plaque and tartar can lead to gingivitis, a painful condition of inflamed gums and eventually periodontal disease may develop. In severe cases this damage is so bad that tooth loss can occur.
• All of this bacteria in the mouth can lead to problems elsewhere. The bacteria and toxins are allowed to enter the blood stream, research shows that left untreated periodontal disease can be a key factor in the development of heart, liver and kidney problems and is also a source of chronic low grade infection. Owners report a definite improvement in the general demeanour of their pet after dental treatment.
• If your pet already has a build up of tartar on their teeth then this will require a dental scale and polish to get rid of this. To prevent plaque from building up a number of preventative measures can be taken. Brushing your pet’s teeth is the most effective.
Below is a list of preventative measures that you can take
• Toothbrush – make sure it is a soft bristle toothbrush, either a specially designed pet toothbrush or a soft bristled child toothbrush.
• Toothpaste – this needs to be pet toothpaste, which comes in a range of flavours; beef, poultry and fish. It is available from veterinary surgeries and pet shops.
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• Dental diets – Hills T/D is a prescription diet and is only available from veterinary surgeries. It has larger biscuits than normal diets and encourages the animal to chew; which helps to keep the teeth clean. It also reduces the build up of tartar and reduces gingivitis (inflamed gums.) Hills Oral care is also available and works in a similar way to the T/D. Dry food in general is much better for your pet’s teeth because the mechanical action of chewing helps to keep the teeth cleaner. These diets are best used in conjunction with cleaning, but for difficult animals the diet can be used as an alternative.
• Dental chews –These also encourage chewing, but try to be careful as too many of these may lead to weight gain.
• Oral Gels – There are also oral gels available. The gels are antibacterial and work by reducing the amount of bacteria in an animal’s mouth, this slows down the accumulation of plaque on the teeth. These gels don’t work as well as brushing, but they are better than doing nothing at all.
For advice on how to brush ask at reception for an information sheet or book an appointment with a nurse who can give you a demonstration on how to brush.
3/
Must ensure have regular health checks to maintain healthy glow at all times
An annual health check is usually given at the same time as the booster vaccination. The vet will give your pet a thorough top to tail examination. It is a good chance for you to discuss any problems or queries you have about your pet’s health. It is also important that your animal is kept up to date with their booster vaccination, this will keep them protected against the main infectious diseases.
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