October is full of festive celebrations, but the observance of Pet Wellness Month is top of mind for our four-legged friends! Of course, parents want to ensure their pet is as healthy as possible — but it can be overwhelming to decide the best place to begin when managing your pet’s health care. Let’s dive paws-first into what complete wellness means for pets and find out how we can attend to their needs — not just during Pet Wellness Month, but year-round!

What is Pet Wellness?

“Wellness” in a pet doesn’t just mean they aren’t sick or without a condition — rather, a “well” pet is one whose approach to care is broad and takes into consideration all aspects of their health. Physical health, such as fitness levels, weight, coat, and diet are just as impactful to your dog’s overall well-being as their mental and emotional welfare.

For example, if a dog isn’t receiving the proper nutrients in their diet to maintain their energy levels, they may fall short in being able to participate in enough regular physical activity needed for their particular lifestyle and breed. When our four-legged friends aren’t consistently active, they may display anxious or restless behaviors — which is a sign that their mental health is also being impacted.

Each aspect of your pet’s wellness is interconnected. When one area is neglected, their overall health feels the effects. That’s why Pet Wellness promotes maintaining a comprehensive approach to your pet’s care — so they can thrive from top to tail. 

Ways to Help Your Pet Be Their Happiest and Healthiest

Maintaining a balance of care, resources, and attention to all aspects of your pet’s health requires a proactive approach. There are several ways pet parents can implement consistent, full-body care, such as:

• Socialization: Encouraging your pet to regularly interact with other pet and human friends can help build their social skills. This helps to reduce stress, improve their confidence, and provide mental stimulation.
• Mental Engagement: Bored pets often turn into destructive pets. By providing your four-legged friend with mentally stimulating activities such as games and interactive toys, you can prevent unwanted behaviors.
• Veterinary Care: Catching potential physical health issues early-on helps to ensure that any needed treatment is as effective as possible. Semi-annual visits to the veterinarian are recommended because pets age so much faster than humans (a lot can change or develop in a pet in 6 months). However, senior animals or those with diagnosed conditions may require more frequent visits.
• Regular Exercise: Just like humans, pets need physical activity to maintain a healthy weight and keep their bones and muscles strong. Exercise also prevents boredom, helping to reduce anxiety.
• Dental Care: Poor oral hygiene is dangerous for our four-legged friends and can lead to serious issues. Regular cleanings and dental exams can help keep their smiles both healthy and happy.

Each pet may require more attention to a particular area of their health based on their breed, lifestyle, and age, so it’s important to speak with a veterinarian to ensure you’re taking any individualized needs into account.

Preventative Care

Before serious issues arise, you can proactively address any future or potential concerns with your pet’s health. When discussing Pet Wellness, preventative care is an important part of ensuring a comprehensive care plan. 

Veterinary checkups are a great way to stay ahead of the curve in terms of identifying any health-related issues. Clinic teams can perform a variety of preventative care measures such as vaccinations, screenings for conditions, and parasite testing and prevention. Catching things that may impact your pet’s health early-on can help prevent complicated treatments, operations, and more down the line — which saves them from more discomfort and pain than necessary.

Be Prepared With Pet Insurance and Wellness Plans

Wellness plans and pet insurance are two ways to make preventative care more convenient for parents. Necessary treatments and testing can be costly, so plans and insurance help ensure that financial burdens won’t stand in the way of a pet getting the care they need.

Pet insurance is usually paid monthly or annually, and covers things like unexpected illnesses, emergency care, surgeries, and more. However, it may cover smaller parts of care such as dental cleanings and routine checkups.

Wellness plans, however, are more focused on routine care to help prevent conditions from developing long-term. These plans cover everything you expect to need for your pet, such as exams, vaccinations, screenings, and even some diagnostics. Wellness plans are designed to make preventative care easy and affordable for pet parents.

Pet Wellness is about taking a balanced, comprehensive approach to your pet’s routine care. Since all aspects of their health are interconnected, ensuring that all areas receive resources and attention is the best way to help your pet live their happiest, healthiest life possible.