The importance of regular dental care cannot be emphasized enough. As with people, healthy teeth and gums are extremely important to a long, healthy life for your pet. An issue often overlooked is the connection between your pet’s dental maintenance and the rest of their body. Neglected teeth not only effect your pet’s mouth, but can also lead to distressed functioning and even diseases of the body’s vital organs, such as the heart, liver and kidneys. Our recommended time frame for pets to have dental cleanings is once every one to two years, depending on the pet’s age and condition of the teeth.
Spaying and neutering you pets not only helps reduce the number of unwanted or accidental pets, it provides long-term health benefits to your dog or cat. With either procedure, your pet’s metabolism may be reduced. Consult your veterinarian about possible diet changes.
During the spaying procedure, ovaries, fallopian tubes and the uterus are surgically removed. Spaying your pet eliminates all heat cycles and the accompanying bleeding, nervousness and desire to mate. Females are often mature enough to reproduce around 6-9 months of age. At this age, dogs begin having reproductive or “heat” cycles every six months. The entire cycle may be as short as a few days or as long as 3-4 weeks. Often, a female will experience personality changes during these cycles, such as short-temper or anxiety.
Female cats enter their reproductive cycles continuously every 3-4 weeks during certain times of the year, primarily in the spring and fall. They rarely bleed, but do become nervous and exhibit unusual behavior, such as rolling on the floor, begging for constant attention, or becoming quite vocal.
Studies show that by having your pet spayed before their first heat cycle greatly decreases their chances of developing mammary cancer later in life. Spaying will also protect her from uterine infections and difficult or dangerous pregnancies.
NEUTER
During the neutering procedure, the testicles are surgically removed. If done at an early age, neutering eliminates reproductive behavior. After reaching sexual maturity at 6-9 months of age, male dogs and cats are able to breed any time they are exposed to a receptive female. Unneutered males are prone to wander in search of a female in heat. This can cause many problems, such as exposure to disease, injuries from fights or traffic accidents. Males have a tendency to mark their territories with urine and/or have aggressive behavior. Neutering can greatly reduce these behaviors. Not only are undesirable behaviors reduced, but also your pet’s risk of testicular cancer is eliminated and the chance of developing prostate disease is reduced as well.