How to Keep Your Pet Hydrated in the Extreme Heat

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How to Keep Your Pet Hydrated in the Extreme Heat

The summer is here, and it is hotter and drier than ever which means your pets are at an increased risk of suffering from dehydration and heatstroke. So, it’s essential that you help them stay hydrated.

6 Tips to Keep Your Pet Hydrated in the Heat

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1. Provide Plenty of Fresh Water

To stay adequately hydrated in the summer heat, your pets need access to plenty of fresh water at all times during the day and night. Be sure they have enough available that they don’t drink it all while you are away.

2. Purchase a Fountain Bowl

If your pet is reluctant to drink enough water, a fountain dish with a built-in water pump can help keep their water from going stale and encourage them to continue drinking all day long.

3. Clean Your Water Bowls Frequently

In warm water, your pet’s dishes will grow bacteria and get dirty more frequently than in cooler weather. Be sure to keep your pet’s water bowl clean so that their water is fresh and safe for drinking.

4. Put Ice Cubes in Water

Pets love playing with floating ice cubes in their water dishes. They also help keep the water cool and more refreshing to drink.

5. Add Water to Dry Pet Food

You can also help your pet stay hydrated by adding water to your pet’s dry food before feeding them. Simply fill the dish with kibble, cover the kibble with water, and let it soak in. Your pet will then be getting extra moisture in their diet, too.

6. Keep Your Pets Cool

Simply allowing your pets to stay indoors out of the sunlight and in the air conditioning will help prevent them from dehydrating. Keep pets indoors during the hottest times of the day.
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Mobile Emergency Veterinary Care for Tucson Pets

If you notice any signs of heatstroke in your pet or suspect they could be dehydrated, you should seek emergency veterinary care right away as these issues can cause permanent organ damage and even be fatal. In the event of an emergency, our veterinarian with Desert Paws Mobile Veterinary Care will come straight to your doorstep with life-saving treatments to help rehydrate and stabilize your pet’s condition.
To learn more or schedule an appointment to establish your pet’s care with our mobile veterinary clinic, we welcome you to contact us today.

At-Home Pain Management for Your Pet

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At-Home Pain Management for Your Pet

Your pet’s quality of life is essential to their overall happiness, and adequate pain management is necessary for a pet to have a high quality of life. At Desert Paws Mobile Veterinary Care in Tucson, we offer a variety of treatments and therapies that can be beneficial for pets who suffer from

At-Home Pain Management Strategies for Pets

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1. Recognizing Pain in Pets

In order to treat your pet’s pain, you first need to be able to recognize it. Pets don’t always show their symptoms with outward signs, so you have to pay close attention to notice changes in your pet’s behavior, attitude, energy level, and appearance. Changes to posture or gait can indicate pain in addition to shivering, not wanting to stand up or lay down, less active, vocalizing excessively, whimpering, yowling, yelping, panting excessively, not wanting to be touched, and acting more aggressively.

2. Pet-Safe Medications

Most pain relievers that are formulated for humans are not safe for pets. They are either toxic or compounded in inappropriate doses for pets. We offer a variety of pet-safe prescription medications that can be used to manage both acute and chronic pain in pets.

3. Laser Therapy

Cold laser therapy helps manage pain in pets that occurs as a result of arthritis, an injury, surgery, or other musculoskeletal conditions. Laser therapy helps reduce inflammation and increase blood flow for less pain and faster healing.

4. Nutritional Supplements and Prescription Diets

Pets suffering chronic pain often benefit from prescription diets to manage their weight and also from nutritional supplements to reduce inflammation in their joints. Our veterinarian might recommend supplements like Omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine, and chondroitin. Always talk with your veterinarian before giving your pet a new supplement.

5. Lifestyle Adjustments

Pets suffering from pain – especially musculoskeletal pain – benefit greatly from adjustments to their activities and their environments. Low-impact exercise like swimming is great for pets with arthritis. Additionally, pets with arthritis benefit from having raised food and water bowls, orthopedic pet beds, and stairs or ramps into the car or onto the sofa.
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Chronic Pain and Disease Management for Pets in Tucson

Pets with chronic pain and diseases that cause chronic pain or other symptoms most often experience the best results with a multifaceted approach to managing their health. This means providing them with more than one treatment or therapy. To learn more about managing your pet’s pain at home, we welcome you to contact Desert Paws Mobile Veterinary Care today.

Common Parasites That Can Harm Your Pet

A parasite is an organism that lives off a host – either on or inside the host’s body – and is harmful to the host’s health. Unfortunately, there are several types of parasites that threaten the health of pets, and it’s up to pet owners to protect their dogs and cats from these harmful organisms.

The 3 Most Common Types of Pet Parasites

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1. Intestinal Parasites

Intestinal parasites are a type of internal parasite that lives inside a pet’s intestines, affecting the pet’s gastrointestinal tract. They can be contracted when a pet unknowingly ingests something like water or food that has been contaminated with a parasite’s eggs or spores. The most common types are hookworms and roundworms, but pets can also be infected with whipworms, tapeworms, coccidia, and giardia.

2. Heartworms

Heartworms are another internal parasite that affects a pet’s heart, lungs, and circulatory system. They are contracted when a pet is bitten by an infected mosquito. The mosquito deposits heartworm larvae into the pet’s bloodstream during the bite. The heartworms then grow, mature, and reproduce inside the pet’s circulatory system. Heartworms can be life-threatening for pets and treatments aren’t always 100% reliable (plus, no treatment exists for cats). So, heartworm prevention is essential.

3. External Parasites

The most common external parasites that affect pets are fleas and ticks both can carry dangerous diseases and cause allergic reactions that result in dermatological problems for pets.

How Are Parasites Treated?

If we suspect a pet might have a parasite, we first perform an examination and testing to verify the presence of parasites and determine the type of parasite in order to recommend an appropriate treatment. Treatment for parasites in pets varies greatly depending on the type of parasite. For example, a pet with fleas will likely be treated with a medicated bath while a pet with intestinal parasites will be given a deworming medication.
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Parasite Prevention With Desert Paws Mobile Veterinary Care

When it comes to parasites and pets, we always recommend prevention as the best medicine because parasites can easily be prevented, saving your pet from discomfort and safeguarding their health. Our veterinarians with Desert Paws Mobile Veterinary Care can recommend a parasite preventive regimen for your pet based on their individual lifestyle, medical history, other pets in the household, and their exposure risk.
To learn more about protecting your pets from all kinds of harmful parasites or schedule a preventative care appointment, we welcome you to contact us today.

Does My Pet Need Dental Care?

Dental care is just as important for cats and dogs as it is for humans. Without proper care, pets can develop periodontal disease (gum disease), which not only causes painful problems inside the mouth that can negatively affect your pet’s nutrition and comfort but it can also lead to systemic health problems that can drastically shorten your pet’s lifespan. Unfortunately, most dogs and cats do not get the oral care they truly need and will have developed some form of dental disease by the time they are three years of age.
Additionally, pets can suffer from ailments like tooth decay, cavities, broken teeth, lost teeth, oral abscesses, and more.
The following signs can indicate that your pet has already developed an oral health problem and should have a pet dentistry appointment as soon as possible.

5 Signs Your Pet Needs Dental Care

1. Dropping Food or Toys

Oral health problems can cause tooth pain and painful gums that can make it painful to eat and drink normally or to pick up and carry around objects. You might notice your pet dropping its kibble, dropping its toys, or even wincing or whimpering when eating or playing.

2. Persistent Bad Breath

Oral health problems are often caused by an excess of harmful bacteria living inside the mouth. This increase in bacteria will give your pet noticeably bad breath.

3. Yellowed or Browned Teethed

If your pet’s teeth look yellow, brown, or otherwise stained, this is a sign of the plaque, tartar, and bacterial buildup that causes gum disease and cavities.

4. Bleeding, Red, or Swollen Gums

Gum problems go hand-in-hand with gum disease. If your pet’s gums are bright-red, swollen, or bleeding, they have likely developed periodontal disease (a bacterial infection of the gums) and should have professional dental care as soon as possible.

5. Excessive Drooling

Some dogs drool all the time. However, if you notice your dog or cat suddenly drooling more than usual, this could be an indication of an oral health problem that’s either causing them to produce more saliva or making it difficult for them to swallow their saliva.
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Pet Dentistry With Our Mobile Veterinarian in Tucson

The best way to combat gum disease in pets is to prevent it from developing in the first place with proper dental care combining professional pet dental care with at-home strategies like teeth brushing and providing pets with dental-friendly treats and chew toys.
To learn more about pet dentistry, we welcome you to contact Desert Paws Mobile Veterinary Center to schedule an appointment today.

What Does It Mean to Be a Responsible Pet Owner?

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What Does It Mean to Be a Responsible Pet Owner?

Pets are easy to love, but they need more than just love to survive, thrive, and live long and happy lives; they need proper care from a responsible pet owner.
But what exactly does responsible pet ownership entail?

How to Be a Responsible Pet Owner

Every aspect of responsible pet ownership starts with educating yourself about your pet’s needs and being prepared to meet those needs throughout your pet’s life.
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Establish Care With a Veterinary Clinic

When you get a new pet, one of the first things you should do is schedule an appointment with a veterinarian. Your new pet will get a wellness check and preventative care treatments like vaccinations.
Additionally, the veterinarian will talk with you about the benefits of spaying or neutering your new pet to prevent future medical and behavioral problems in addition to unwanted litters.

Meet All of Your Pet's Needs

In addition to veterinary care, pets need food, shelter, and plenty of water. They also need lots of exercise, socialization, and enrichment activities (toys, games, walks, training, and interaction) to keep their minds active, their bodies healthy, and their behaviors in check.

Set Aside Enough Time for Your Pet

Meeting your pet’s needs means making time to take them out for daily walks, exercise, and play in addition to planning their routine veterinary visits.

Budget for Your Pet

Meeting a pet’s needs can become quite expensive when you factor in wellness and preventative veterinary care, food, toys, supplies, grooming, training, medications, nutritional supplements if necessary, and sometimes even emergency care.
Add a line to your household budget for monthly pet expenses and start saving for unexpected expenses like a visit to the emergency vet – or consider purchasing pet insurance to help offset unexpected costs.

Get Permanent Identification for Your Pet

In addition to current, readable ID tags on your pet’s collar, we recommend getting your pet microchipped. A microchip is a permanent form of identification that greatly increases the chances of reunification should your pet become lost.