Everyone daydreams about the future every now and then. It’s something that’s fun in a certain sense. And in another sense, it’s a serious process which lets us prioritize the things in our life. By looking at what we want for the future we can work harder to ensure it becomes a reality. But there’s some parts of our future that we tend to take for granted. One of them is the continual health of our loved ones.
Disease, accidents and even aging are just an inevitability of life though. We can’t always count on people being around forever. And attempts to intervene in someone’s health are seldom appreciated. But while we can’t safeguard the health of our special people, we can do that for our furry friends. In fact, one could argue that as pet owners we have a responsibility to help our pets live as long and happy a life as possible.
And it’s worth really considering how long those lives can be. People often think of dogs and cats as fairly short lived. But the maximum lifespan of dogs is usually about 16 years. And the maximum lifespan of cats ranges from between 17 to 30 years. Those numbers might not span the extreme length of a human’s projected maximum lifespan. But it shows that pets can live a very long time under the right circumstances.
This of course leads into the question of how we can help our pets reach their full potential. How do we push the probability of a pet’s average lifespan closer to their potential maximum lifespan? One of the biggest considerations is simply diet and exercise. Much like humans, pets depend on eating properly and getting exercise to stay healthy. It’s vitally important that pet owners try to limit empty calories for their pets. And likewise, it’s important to ensure they’re getting plenty of exercise every day.
If a pet goes outside, then it’s also important to protect him against fleas and other parasites. We tend to think of insects as little more than an annoyance. And to be sure, they are quite annoying for an animal who has them crawling around on its fur. But the greater danger comes from the fact that parasites can transmit a number of diseases to a cat or dog. The best way to guard against the threat will usually be found at the veterinarian’s office. Parasites and other pests are continually developing immunities to various treatments. But vets tend to know what the local wildlife is immune to. And keeping in touch with a veterinarian also means having access to a local animal hospital You can search online for any animal hospital phoenix az in your area.
All of these steps are an important part of keeping animals happy and healthy. And likewise, none of them should be seen as optional. They play off each other to offer a full range of protection for our pets. Exercise and nutrition help pets stay healthy. The visits to the vet act like a checkup would for humans. And when something does slip through these defenses an animal hospital can take more extreme measures to save our pet’s lives.