Hey, fellow pet lovers!

Apparently, October is National Pet Wellness Month so I thought I would write a post talking about what National Pet Wellness Month is all about and how we can best care for our canine and feline friends.

epoch.pet is literally a blog all about pet wellness and nutrition so this post fits in with quite well the overall theme of the blog.

Let’s jump straight in and talk all about National Pet Wellness Month, 2018! 

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National Pet Wellness Month, 2018

Caring for your pet can sometimes be quite difficult and we should all strive to be the best pet parent possible all year round, not just during October. However, having a month dedicated to pet wellness is a very good idea as it helps pet owners to reevaluate how they have cared for and provided for their furry friends over the course of the year.

National Pet Wellness Month first started in October 2004 and is co-sponsored by AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) and Fort Dodge Animal Health. The main purpose of National Pet Wellness Month is to educate pet owners about the ageing process of our pets and also the many health benefits of attending twice a year veterinary health check-ups.

What are the aims of National Pet Wellness Month?

• To get pet owners to think about the connection between their pets ageing and their pets overall health.

• Creating greater knowledge and awareness of the benefits of twice-a-year pet wellness examinations.

These are the two main aims of National Pet Wellness Month and both are very important. Our pet’s age so much quicker than we do and they really are only with us for such a short amount of time. By helping pet owners to see the correlation between their pets ageing and their overall health declining, this will help pet parents to keep a closer eye on their ageing pets and also see the importance of attending yearly veterinary check-ups.

We all know how important yearly checkups are for our pets and even if you think your pet is in great condition and has nothing wrong with them, a twice a year or even just a yearly checkup can help find any hidden health problems that otherwise would have been unknown.

By taking your pet to a yearly checkup with your vet, you are helping to diagnose serious health conditions before it is too late.

A twice a year or even just a yearly vet checkup could help diagnose

• Various Cancers.

A yearly checkup could help spot various cancers and if spotted early enough could save your pets life.

• Worms or parasites.

Worms and parasites are very common in our pets, the most common intestinal worms for our pooches are hookworms, tapeworms and roundworms. All can easily be treated once your vet is aware that your pet has worms.

• Fleas infestations.

At one point in time, your pet is very likely to catch fleas and you will normally be aware that they have without needing to take your pet to the vets. However, sometimes you aren’t and a quick checkup could help you to realise that your pet has fleas and easily get on top of the issue before they spread like wildfire.

• Diabetes.

A lot of our pets today are suffering from diabetes since a larger proportion of our furry friends are seriously overweight and the earlier you become aware that your pet does have diabetes the better it is for their overall health and future health.

If you haven’t checked out my previous post on Obesity and our pets, the shocking truth! Then head over there after reading this as it is very interesting to learn about the serious issues our innocent pets are currently facing with obesity.

• Lastly. numerous other conditions that a quick checkup with your vet could easily diagnose.

A healthy pet is a happy pet 🙂 

I cannot stress enough how important it is to take your pet to yearly vet check-ups and the piece of mind you will gain is worth every penny. For the sake of your pet and also your family book your pooch or pooss in for a yearly check-up today to know all is well.

Now we know what National Pet Wellness Month is all about, it’s time to move on and learn how you can improve the health of your pet this month?

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How can you improve the health of your pet this month?

My gorgeous girls Nia and Lily 🙂 

There are so many things you can do to improve the health of your furry friend and now is a great time to start doing so. We try to do as much as we can for the girls with the disposable income we have, we feed them a raw diet, take them out on daily walks regardless of the weather and buy them plenty of great pet products to keep them both mentally and physically stimulated.

Here are a few things you can do this October to improve your canine or felines health.

• Start your pet on a raw diet.

If your new to the blog and don’t know much about raw feeding then head over to our raw feeding pages after reading this post, BARF, Biologically Appropriate Raw Feeding or Bones and Raw Food, Prey Model Raw (PMR) and Raw Feeding.

For those of you that have been following the blog for the last few months now, you will know that epoch.pet is a huge advocate of natural feeding methods and I strongly believe that it is the best approach for ensuring our beloved pets live the happiest and healthiest lives possible. I will quickly do a brief recap of what raw feeding is for those of you who don’t know.

Raw feeding is when you feed a domesticated carnivore a diet that consists of

• Raw muscle meat.

• Raw edible meaty bones.

• And Raw organ meat.

It is all natural feeding method that will provide your pet with all their nutritional requirements and keep them strong and fit so they can live a happy and healthy life.

There are two main models of raw feeding and both are great options but they do have some small differences.

The two main raw feeding models are

• Prey Model Raw (PMR) or Whole Prey model.

• BARF Model (Biologically Appropriate Raw Feeding or Bones and Raw food).

Starting my girls on a raw diet was one of the best things we have ever done for them, their health is great and we have never had to take them to the vets apart from their yearly checkups and once when Lily hurt her nail when she was a pup.

Considering Nia will be four next month and Lily three, I think this proves how beneficial feeding your pets a raw diet really is. To learn more about raw feeding check out some of my previous posts such as

• Can dogs eat raw meat?
• Benefits of Feeding a BARF or PMR diet.
• Raw Feeding for dogs: the basics!
• Raw Feeding for cats: the basics!

• Make your pet their very own homemade treats.

I really love making my girls homemade treats and wouldn’t have it any other way!

There are so many treats on the market today that aren’t healthy or good for our pets in any way and most mass-produced pet treats are filled with numerous fillers, preservatives and all kinds of nasties that our pets shouldn’t be having.

I would much rather make my girls their own homemade treats and know 100% what’s inside them than purchase unhealthy mass-produced treats. Here on the blog, I have plenty of homemade treat recipes so you can give making your pet their very own treats ago.

Here are a few of my girl’s favourites.

• Homemade Dehydrated Chicken Hearts, treat recipe.
• Homemade Dehydrated Turkey Jerky, treat recipe.
• Homemade Dehydrated Lamb Treats.

Making your pet their own treats is so rewarding and really doesn’t take a lot of effort. I make my girls a new batch of treats every week or two and love coming up with new and creative treat recipes to share with you all on the blog.

• Take your pet out on daily walks.

One of the easiest, cheapest and most enjoyable things you can do for both yourself and your pet is to take them out on daily walks. Last Tuesday’s post was all about National Walk Your Dog Week so if you don’t know anything about it then check my post out after reading this.

However, if you have read it then you will know the many benefits of taking your pooch out on daily walks and not only for your pet but also for yourself.

I love going out on walks with my girls and honestly wouldn’t make it through the day without a much-needed break. A lot of people see walking their pet as a chore instead of a chance to have a break from every day stresses such as family and work responsibilities.

By taking your pet out on daily walks you are benefiting their overall health as well as yours.

• Take your pet to yearly vet checkups.

One of the main aims of National Pet Wellness Month is to promote you to take your pet to yearly vet checkups, to help catch problems early before it is too late.

Our pets cannot tell us when something is wrong or when they’re feeling a bit under the weather, so by taking them for a once or twice yearly checkup with your vet, you are able to gain some peace of mind that your pet is well and healthy.

Our vet is wonderful and we have been with the same one for years now, thankfully it is just down the road from where we live which is super handy in case of any emergencies.

Always get your pet checked each year as it is so simple and worth every penny for the piece of mind you will gain when your vet tells you everything is fine.

• Get your pet great pet products.

This year has been a good year for my girlies as they have all got a lot of great pet products that have benefited their little lives massively.

My girl Pooss is an indoor cat as most of you will already know which means we have to try extra hard to keep her both mentally and physically stimulated. However, we have been able to do this using a variety of great pet products that have helped so much, such as

• Catit Senses Grass Planter, product review.
• Catit water fountain, product review.
• PMS Kitticat Sunshine Window Cat Bed, product review.

To learn more about the Catit products we have for Pooss and how to care for an indoor cat then check out my previous posts above or my post on, Caring for an Indoor Cat.

As for Nia and Lily, the best thing we have got them this year is their Xdog Weight and Fitness Vests. We got them their vests earlier this year in May and have been using them ever since. Personally, I love these vests so much and couldn’t imagine life without them now.

Breakaway from mundane daily walks around the block, combat obesity and join the canine revolution with the Xdog Weight and Fitness Vest. To learn more about the Xdog Weight and Fitness vest then read my previous post, Xdog Weight and Fitness Vest, product review, with 10% off code!

• Give your pet plenty of love!!

The most important thing you can do as a pet parent is to give your fur baby unconditional love. No matter what you’re going through, how you feel or where you are in life your pet deserves to always receive love.

My girls are such softies and they all love cuddles, even the cat will come on the bed for morning cuddles sometimes. Lately, a lot of posts have been coming up on my Facebook news feed about people leaving their pets behind when they move house or rehoming them after having a new baby because things get too difficult.

It doesn’t matter how difficult a situation gets your pet is a part of the family just as much as we all are and therefore should receive the best possible care and unconditional love. I understand that in some circumstances, say you have a new baby and your pet just won’t settle into the new arrangement or can’t handle having to share your love, but only once all options have been exhausted should you find a new loving home for your best friend.

Give your canine or feline friend daily love and always be there for them when they need you.

• Take time out of your day to bond with your pet.

The last thing to talk about it that you should take time out of your day to bond with your pet. This could be things that we have talked about above, such as taking your pet out on daily walks or it could be taking time out of your day to do some training with your pet using your homemade treats.

Either way, spending valuable time with your pet is essential for creating and maintaining a healthy relationship, which is critical for having a happy and healthy pet. I don’t do enough training with my girls and really need to start making more of an effort and taking time out of the day to do so.

Whatever you choose to do make sure you spend some much-needed time with your pet to strengthen your bond and make them feel loved.

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I hope you all liked learning about National Pet Wellness Month 2018 and how to improve your pets life for the better. Next week I plan on attempting to make some Halloween treats so stick around for that post if all goes well.

Also, next Tuesday is National Feral Cat day so I will be writing a post all about that and if you enjoyed today’s post then let me know by hitting that like button and giving it a share so other pet owners can learn about National Pet Wellness Month. If you haven’t checked out my last post then head over there now, My Itchy Dog, EasyDNA Dog Allergy Test Results.

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Weekly posts every Tuesday and Saturday!