The weather is cooler, and that means it’s time to prepare for all the end of year holidays. For pet and horse lovers, that might mean, a costume for your animal for Halloween (and training them to accept it), making sure there are no accidental ingestions at Thanksgiving, that Christmas guest hosting goes off without a hitch (will you need a pet sitter or to find boarding), then before you know it, it’s the new year and we are marching off to Valentine’s day. Not only might you ask, where has the time gone, but also, how will I afford to get through all of this?
What if I told you I have the secret to making the costs of taking great care of animals as reasonable as possible? Would that be great? I have a little saying I like to say in my videos, which is that “We can't have great health, without great behavior”. I see this play out every day in the animal hospital. For example, for the allergic dog or cats, being able to simply flush clean the ears once a week or so, would minimize, and possibly eliminate the need for vet visits to treat those irritated, allergic, chronic ear infections.
And for an example that hits even closer to home for even more of you, what about your pet’s bad breath? Have you noticed the cost of a dental cleaning can easily range from $1000-over $2000? Wow! And that is because of the bloodwork and anesthesia or sedation needed to be able to do a great job. If only we could explain to them to sit still like we do for our dentist! Until then, the key to avoiding this serious condition, is not avoiding that odor, but choosing to tackle doing some at home scrubbing on those little teeth at home, yourself. How can we possibly expect a 15 year old animal, to stay healthy and in good condition, for another 3-5 years, with rotten teeth? We can’t. So age is no excuse for neglecting dental care. In fact, it is even more important then, that at any time throughout the animals life. We often successfully do dental cleanings on elderly dogs and cats with diabetes, heart, and kidney disease, to name a few. Clients are often so surprised by how much more energy their elderly pets have afterwards! They had no idea how much those bad teeth were causing pain and adding to the misperception the animal was ;slowing down’, when really it wasn’t the arthritis, but the dental disease that was slowly daily sapping the life and vitality out of our beloved animals, and leading to a serious strain on the heart. So now if you are rethinking about your pet being ‘too old’ for a dental cleaning, we at Aspen Park Vet Hospital, with our modified anesthesia cleanings, can help.
However, the answer is not to rush to get a dental cleaning! The answer is rush to begin great at home dental care! Of course that is assuming your pet doesn’t already have advanced dental disease. In that case, get a professional cleaning for them, first, and then start an awesome at home dental care regime. That is the secret! If only I could share this message with so many of the pet lovers in the world, I would feel like I have lived such a life worth living if I could help more family keep that infinite source of joy, love, happiness, and strength, our pets, in their daily life, and help them worry less about the costs of care.
So if you know anyone who is struggling with the cost of the care of their pet, encourage them to clean those ears, brush those teeth, brush out that coat (looking for lumps and bumps to be treated sooner before things get out of hand and more expensive), and manage that animals energy levels and anxiety, so they stay calm, relaxed, happy, and accepting of everything we need of them so they can easily blend into uor daily lives the easiest and least expensive way possible. It is true for all animals no matter if it’s dogs, cats, horses, or a pet quail!
It really is just that easy. The number one secret key to maximizing the life of your animal, maximizing the bond and enjoyment you feel with them, and minimizing your costs for their care, is training. So train them to accept all the things that are needed to keep them extremely healthy, and if you don’t know how, search for positive reinforcement trainers in the community, and on YouTube, like myself, who can give you all the tools you need (for free on YouTube) to achieve your ultimate goals. And if you still need help, myself and my team are here for you, too.
Wishing you all a magical, holiday season full of joy, happiness, and low stress, knowing you have all the tools you need, to minimize the costs of caring for your pet, so you can use those funds to shower your friends and family (maybe your pets too), with gifts and wonderful experiences this holiday season.
Wishing the best for you all!
- DrQ and the Crew of Aspen Park Vet Hospital and the ResqRanch
