How To Add Years to Your Pet’s Life

Written by Colleen Sedgwick. Posted in Giveaways, Health and Safety, Pet Nanny news.

I subscribe to Family Circle, a monthly subscription magazine, that provides family-oriented activities, pet, food advice and other information, among many other subjects revolving around the family. As I was reading, they had a very well-written and informative article about how to add years to your dog’s life, and the article was titled, “Longevity Plan: Five Ways To Add Years To Your Pet’s Life,” with a contest involved as well. There will be more about the contest towards the end of this post.

Several of these tips we have read before, and some we don’t hear enough of; at times, we need a healthy reminder of how to take care of our pets and their well-being. After all, they are our family! There are five tips altogether in the article, but I am including three that I feel are the most important for our readers.

According to writer Lynya Floyd, the number one priority in ensuring longevity for your pet’s life is:

1. Do A Weekly Work-Up-Lynya states that any sign of “abnormalities or red flags, such as pale gums, discharge, or lump, need to be addressed right away with your vet.”

2. Exercise Your Pet– Not only is it good for you, it’s good for your beloved pet too! And what better way, than to stay active with your pet. Like us humans, Floyd has found that “diabetes has increased in 16% of cats and 32% of dogs.” The reason? No or less exercise. Simply walking with your pet, or any cardio activity is essential for your pet.

3. Always Spay and Neuter Your Pet-Not only does this help control pet population, as has been stated numerous times for years, spaying and neutering also adds to the length of their life. Floyd found that “the average life span of a neutered male cat is 40% longer than that of a non-sterilized one,” according to Karen Halligan, D.V.M., the director of veterinary services at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

To read the rest of the article, and find out more tips and what not to spend money on for your pets, please visit:

http://www.familycircle.com/family-fun/pets/ways-to-add-years-to-your-pets-life/

In reference to a contest Family Circle is running, five readers will win a $100 gift for veterinary visits, with thanks to VPI Pet Insurance. To enter the contest, visit:

http://www.familycirclepromo.com/healthypet/?ordersrc=rdfc1105010

How do you add years to your pet(s) life? Let us know in the comments below!