9 Ways to Take Better Care of Your Pets

Responsible pet care is not only important for the well-being of pets; it's a necessary condition to keeping your furry friends, both big and small, happy and healthy year round. Follow our 9 recommended practices that will have lasting benefits for your dogs, cats and horses.

1. Schedule Annual Wellness Checks for You Pets

In general, we recommend an annual wellness check for all animals with additional examination as needed for problems.

2. Keep Your Pets Safe in the Heat

An individual animal’s heat tolerance can vary widely depending on breed, coat quality, physical fitness, and acclimation to a specific environment.  Caution should be taken anytime the temperature is over 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity index of 40 or greater.

3. Vaccinate Your Pets

Below are the necessary vaccinations for dogs, cats and horses:

Dogs

• • Rabies
  • Distemper Virus
  • Hepatitis
  • Parainfluenza
  • Parvovirus

These are recommended for dogs in all areas.  In Carroll County, we also recommend vaccinating against Leptospirosis and Lyme disease

Cats

• • Rabies
  • Rhinotracheitis
  • Calicivirus
  • Panleukopenia
  • Chlamydia Psittaci

These are recommended for all cats indoors and outdoors.  If your cat also goes outside, it is recommended to include a Leukemia vaccine.

Horses

• • Rabies
  • Equine HerpesVirus 1 and 4
  • Equine Influenza 1 and 2
  • Eastern Equine Encephalitis
  • Western Equine Encephalitis
  • West Nile Virus
  • Tetanus

These are recommended for all horses.  Depending on show status/area, your veterinarian may also recommend vaccines for strangles and Potomac horse fever.

4. Sharing is Caring: Human Foods You Can Safely Give Your Pet

Dogs, cats, and horses can safely eat a wide variety of human foods.  The most common ones used for treats that they all seem to enjoy include apples, carrots, pears, watermelon, and sweet potatoes.

5. Proceed with Caution: Overfeeding Your Pets

It is very easy to overfeed dogs, cats, and horses.  Obesity is a common problem in all species.

6. Exercise Your Pet 

Exercise requirement greatly varies depending on age and breed of each respective species.  As a general rule, the more exercise you can provide your animal with on a regular basis, the better.

7. Keep Your Pets Well-Hydrated 

All species should have unlimited access to fresh, clean water.  This often requires changing/filling water sources a minimum of twice daily.  

8. Microchip Your Pet

Microchipping your dogs and cats is a vital practice so that they can be returned to you safe and sound in the case that you get separated. Moreover, it is important to mention that horses are commonly microchipped, too.  It is required for overseas travel and is also replacing freeze branding in racing standardbreds for identification purposes.

9. Keep Your Pet Groomed

Grooming is important for all species for general skin and haircoat health.  Cats will often successfully groom themselves making it unnecessary for you to purposefully groom them.  Dogs typically benefit from a bath once or twice yearly, but may require grooming every 4-6 weeks depending on breed.  Horses generally benefit from a twice yearly bath to assist with shedding and clean debris from the skin.

We know how important your pets are to you and that they deserve only the best care.  If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, you can contact us by phone at (330) 627-4898 or send us an email at hospital@carrolltonanimal.com.