How to Prepare Your Pet for Spring

Now that spring has finally arrived, it’s time to start thinkingrnabout how to prepare ourselves and our homes for nicer weather, longer days,rnand plenty of time spent outdoors.

That said, you don’t want to forget that your pet needs a littlernextra TLC to get ready for spring, too! From booking an appointment with yourrnlocal pet groomer torngetting out and cleaning up all of your pet’s toys to starting pestrnprevention treatments, we’ll go over the top steps you can take to prepare yourrnpet for spring.

Visit Your Pet Groomer

Pet grooming is an important part ofrntaking care of your pets year-round, but it’s especially essential in thernspring. Even though cats and dogs have been domesticated for thousands ofrnyears, they still grow an extra layer of fur in the colderrnwinter months. As the weather warms, pets naturally shed their winter coats.rnVisiting your pet groomer once spring hits is a great way tornspeed up the process of shedding, removing excess hair and allowing you to keeprnyour space cleaner by avoiding as much shedding at home.

Grooming has a number of benefits for both dogs and cats. Whilernmost pet owners typically let their cats groom themselves, here’s your reminderrnthat it’s important to take your cat to the pet groomer occasionally,rntoo — especially if you have an outdoor cat. Grooming them helps remove loosernhair and excess dirt, oil, and debris. It also reduces the occurrence ofrnhairballs.

Benefits of pet grooming for both cats and dogsrninclude:

• Healthierrn skin and coat
• Earrn cleaning
• Teethrn cleaning
• Nailrn trimming, shaping, cutting
• Analrn gland expression
• Earlyrn detection of tumors, illnesses, diseases, etc.

Clean Pet Toys and Bedding

Your pet isn’t the only thing that needs a good wash down, andrnspring cleaning isn’t limited to your home. Spring is a perfect time to cleanrnall pet toys and bedding, too. We recommend doing this while they’re at therngroomer so that when they come home nice and clean, all their things are nicernand clean as well. Washing all of their things removes the dirt, bacteria,rndust, dander, and flea and parasite eggs that might have built up over winter,rnall of which keeps them healthier in the long run.

Start Pest Prevention Treatment

Warmer weather means that you’ll most likely start spending morerntime outdoors with your pet — but you’re not the only ones. Fleas, ticks, andrnother pests that begin hatching in spring will soon be out in full force.

Schedule an appointment with your vet to go over the best flea and tick prevention forrnyour pet. While you’re there, it’s also a good time to talk about heartworm medicine, as fleasrnare the main carriers of heartworms. Your vet can test for heartworm and advisernon which preventive medication is the best for your dog or cat.

Get Moving With Pet Games

Spring offers a great opportunity to get more active with yourrnpet. If you and your pets’ fitness regime fell off during the winter, rememberrnto slowly add back in exercise to allow your pet’s endurance to build back up.rnSome great outside spring games for dogs to get them movingrnagain are frisbee, fetch, hiking, and jogging. If your pet can swim, lettingrnthem play in the river and lake is a good option, too.

For cats, you can play fetch or chasing games but you can alsornprovide scratching toys and obedience training toys. It’s always fun for bothrnyou and your pet when you invest in new pet games, and springrnis the time to introduce something new and fun while getting some exercise.

Update Your Pets Microchip/Tags

Being able to get outside more means ensuring that your pet’srnmicrochip or tags are up-to-date. You want to check that your pet’s name andrnyour name, phone number, and address are all accurate. As we start spendingrnmore time outdoors, there’s a greater risk that our fur babies can go missing.rnTaking action to ensure that they make their way home safely if they get awayrnis imperative this time of year.

Get your pet spring-ready this year by following the tipsrnabove. Contact us today andrnfind a time to come in for a spring checkup or a spring groom — or both!