3 Questions You’re Not Asking Your Vet, But Should Be
What should I be feeding my pet?
Every pet is different, in regards to their eating habits, behavior, exercise patterns, etc., hence there is no one answer for what you should feed them. Your vet may make a nutritional recommendation based on your pet’s breed & their health conditions, factors which contribute to type and amount of intake proper for your pet. Further, pet parents have different preferences as to what type of things they’d like to feed their pet (organic food/a raw diet/kibble/pre-made human grade diets/etc.). Your pet may react differently to each of these diets – you should chat with your vet and let them know your preferences, they can give you the pros and cons of each diet and find you the correct things to feed your pet based on your preference.
How often should my pet exercise?
Just like with diet and eating patterns, a pet’s breed, health conditions as well as their personality can play a huge role in the amount a pet should exercise. For instance, certain breeds have more energy than others (such as a Jack Russell vs. a Chihuahua). Other breeds may not require as much exercise because it can be harmful to their health, or not be able to partake in certain forms of exercise – such as brachiocephalic pets (flat nose dogs like a bulldog should not go for a swim). That said, all pet’s should be mentally stimulated as much as possible – chat with your vet to see what types of exercises your dog can partake in and how often they should be going out on that hike!
Is my pet at a healthy weight?
This can be a sensitive subject for a lot of pet parents, but it’s something which is important to your pet’s wellbeing. Overweight pets are at risk for a slew of health problems, including but not limited to heart disease, orthopedic issues, certain forms of cancer as well as have an increased surgical/anesthetic risk. Weight loss can improve your pet’s quality of life and improve & enhance their joints, blood flow and cardiovascular function and may even be able to eliminate some of the medications your pet may be on. To determine if your pet is overview, your vet will examine your pet as well as look at their body condition score (BCS). Once they review and assess your pets condition, they can let you know if there are any improvements that can be made for your pet’s body and shape! A rule of thumb – if you can clearly see your pet’s rib bones, they are likely underweight. If you can feel your pet’s ribs with a slight layer of padding between the rib and the skin, they are likely to be a healthy weight. If you can’t feel the ribs of your pets at all and there is copious amounts of padding between the ribs and skin – they are likely to be overweight.
