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Cats, Dogs

5 Tips to Help Your Pet Get Ready for Spring

The Paw Print

Essential Pet Blog

Spring conjures up thoughts of warmer weather, deep house cleaning, green grass, and blossoming plants. It’s a welcome reprieve for those of us who are ready to pack away our snow shovels and trade out our snow boots for flip flops. While it’s true that April showers bring May flowers, spring weather also brings us new things to consider for our pet’s comfort and health. Is your pet ready for spring? Here are a few things to consider:

  1. Flea, tick. and heartworm prevention

If you don’t apply flea and tick preventative to your pet year round, the earliest signs of warmer weather are a good cue to start doing so again. Although these nasty parasites can survive throughout the winter, they become a huge issue as soon as the weather warms up. Tick breeding season is late April, May, and June, so be sure to take precautions before then.

Fleas and ticks aren’t the only bugs to watch out for. Mosquitoes can carry heartworms, which pose a major health risk for any pet who spends time outdoors. As soon as temperatures average 55 degrees or higher, mosquitoes can become an issue. Although heartworms aren’t as prevalent in the colder months, it’s not a bad idea to keep your pet on heartworm preventative year round, as infestations can still happen in the wintertime.

  1. Watch for seasonal allergies

Springtime can bring about some sniffling and sneezing for human allergy sufferers, but pet allergies usually manifest through their skin. Keep an eye out for excessive scratching, biting, and licking. If you notice allergy symptoms, contact your vet to discuss possible treatments.

A great way to manage skin and coat health is to add more Omega-3 fatty acid to your pet’s diet. Omega-3 is beneficial to for overall health, and it can help decrease inflammation, which is the culprit for allergy symptoms.

  1. Update your pet’s identification tags and consider microchipping

Spending more time outdoors is great for you and your pet, but it’s always a good idea to make sure your pet’s identification information is up to date, just in case your pet somehow ends up away from home. Millions of lost pets end up in shelters every year. Microchipping is a good way to ensure that your contact information will stay with your pet, even if their collar does not.

  1. Get coats looking great with regular grooming

As the temperatures increase, you might also notice your pet’s shedding does as well. Many pets begin to shed their heavy winter coats as soon as the weather starts to warm up. Take time to brush your pet daily to cut down on shedding and keep their coat looking healthy.

  1. Enjoy!

Get out there and have fun! After a few months of the winter doldrums, it’ll feel good for your pet to soak up some sun and breathe some fresh air.

Over to you! What are you and your pet most looking forward to this spring? Share it with us here!

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