PetHealth

Making thecall… to the vet

A well-balanced diet and good levels of exercise are critical to help your pet remain healthy. Fitness and health can help their muscles, joints, organs and mental health, and result in fewer destructive, and boredom- and anxiety-driven behaviours. And that’s a message getting through to pet owners. Eat and run

Knowing when to pick up the phone and ring the vet has proven a difficult call for Australian pet owners to make. The Ivory Coat research found that 65% of dog and cat owners are often unsure of whether a change in their pet’s health is “vet-worthy”. And more than half of Australians had taken their pets to the vet for unnecessary reasons – and expense. Older pet owners were less likely to take their pets to the vet for an unnecessary reason – 41% compared with 60% of millennials. The main reasons for owners taking their pets to the vet was if they noticed a loss of appetite, vomiting or a dry nose, diarrhoea or difficulty breathing. While vet visits do come at a cost, literally, having a good regular relationship with your vet can be useful to identify and change what you do before it becomes a major problem. Many pet health problems can start as minor changes and escalate over time. If you can identify problems early, you can adapt your pet’s diet or activity levels with a view to stopping or slowing down the onset of these issues.

“73% of dog and cat owners are paying more attention to their pet’s mental and physical health than ever before.”

Over 60% of dog owners feel more guilty if they skip their dog’s walk than if they skip their own exercise. The research found that dog and cat owners know health for their pets comes from what their pets do and eat. Over 80% of owners would like to know more about healthy nutrition for their pet.

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