Care to Your Dog!

Every year 1 in 3 pets become ill or injured. Given that a trip to the vet can cost you hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars, it is not surprising that tens of thousands of cats and dogs in this country alone must be put down because owners cannot afford the cost of treatment. Further still, many of these vet visits are unexpected and hard to plan for presenting a unpleasant surprise for the effected pet owners.

In 2007, the top five reasons for an unexpected visit to the vet were:

1) Cuts or lacerations

2) Lameness

3) Road traffic accident

4) Tumor or growth

5) Abscess

The medical technology available to treat injured or ill pets have increased dramatically in reasons years, in many cases being just as good as what is available for humans. While this is great news, it has also meant to that vet fees and costs have steadily increased.

Pet health insurance can protect you from these high and unexpected vet costs, and ensure that you can afford your cat or dogs treatment in its time of need. Not only that, it doesn’t have to be expensive to take out pet health insurance for your cat or dog.

Affordable

Pet health insurance was once considered a luxury reserved for expensive pedigreed or show animals. Nowadays, this is no longer the case. The pet health insurance industry is growing, expecting to double by 2012. This means that there are more and more companies beginning to offer pet health insurance, and therefore policies have become very affordable. From just a few dollars per month, you can help minimize expensive vet bills.

Instant Protection

Typically, the coverage for accidents is immediate under most pet health insurance policies. This ensures that you are instantly protected from unexpected events. You should however, check your policy’s details to see what the waiting period is to have protection from illnesses and if pre-existing conditions are covered.

Peace Of Mind

With pet health insurance for your cat or dog, you will have the peace of mind knowing that you can afford the treatment that will possibly save your furry friend’s life. Furthermore, if your pet develops a long term, chronic illness such as diabetes or arthritis your pet health insurance company will assist you with the ongoing and expensive costs.

Even More Protection – the Added Bells and Whistles

Not only does pet health insurance covers vet bills, many companies offer other benefits too. Your policy may cover the unfortunate situation of your pet being lost or stolen, and may even pay for a reward and advertising for your pet’s return. Furthermore, just like health insurance humans, you can purchase pet health insurance that will cover your pet for any injuries sustained while on vacation overseas.

As you can see, there are having many benefits to having pet health insurance. One word of caution however, you should research any policy you are wanting to buy to ensure that you know what you are getting for your dollar. There are websites available to assist you in this.

Vacations are extremely difficult for those who have pets. –We are always trying to figure out where we can leave them in safe, capable hands. For those who have friends they can trust, they often leave the pet at home or with their friend. If you don’t have someone the dog or cat knows to take care of them, you may want to look into boarding your pet.

Boarding your pet can be a difficult decision because choosing the wrong place will allow for bad behavior or neuroses to develop. What to look for when you are boarding your pet is rather simple, if you read these below tips:

• Check more than one boarding house.

• Compare the cost of the boarding houses you have looked into. You are looking for a moderately priced boarding house for your pet. If the price seems outrageously cheap, there could be a chance that the proper equipment and care are lacking. Boarding houses on the more expensive end might offer extra luxuries, however it’s up to you to decide if those luxuries are within your affordability. Before deciding, you should compare the offers of each boarding house to make sure you are not overpaying for the same services you could find at a less costly boarding house.

• Get a bit of background information about the staff that will be handling your pet. Are they loving pet owners? Is this just another summer job for an inexperienced individual? Do they want to be a vet? There are all types of questions to ask regarding their personal tastes. Someone who isn’t into pets, but has the job because that was all that was available is probably not going to be the best handler. On the other hand, someone who wants the knowledge for further education may be the best person you ever find.

• When choosing to board your pet you should choose a facility that has no more than ten pets at a time. The facility should also be able to comfortably house those ten pets. This type of place offers a better likelihood of giving your pet individual attention and care, as opposed to an over-crowded and under-staffed place.

• You also have the option of boarding your pet with a private person. A private pet sitter usually allows the pet to stay in their home, and they treat the pet as if it was theirs while you are gone. It is a more intimate surrounding and can help the pet feel less anxious in your absence.

• No matter where you choose to board your pet you should always personally check out the facility beforehand. Make sure the cages are spotless, that there is no overwhelming pet odor, and see the activities they offer for the pets—sit in on a few if they allow it. In fact, a surprise inspection never hurts. You can find out a lot by showing up and asking to see the facilities without calling ahead.

Once you have found the place to board your pet, you will need to introduce your pet to the staff, as well as the other “tenants”. This can be done with a couple of visits a week before you are actually going to leave. Pets can become very stressed in surroundings and situations they are unaccustomed to, therefore the more you familiarize your pet with the boarding kennel, the less likely they are to feel anxiety when you leave.

If you are a pet lover then starting a pet services company can be a rewarding new adventure!  You can provide all types of services for people and their pets depending on your specific interests.

Depending on the skills you have will guide you to the types of services you will provide.

The choices around the pet services industry are endless, especially if you are an animal lover.  The services you provide can be everything from walking dogs to making pet toys.

Before you think about the types of services you would like to offer consider all your options.  If you like to take walks, then start a dog walking service.  You could even offer a pet sitting service.

If you enjoy photography as a hobby you could provide a service that provides framed pictures of pets and their owners.  You could even create a pet photography studio and offer natural settings for the photo shoot.

If you are good at painting then perhaps you could take pictures of people’s pets then paint their favorite pet on a wall of their home or create an oil painting to hang in their home.

You could also setup a website where you sell all types of pet toys, cloths, bedding and other items.  Or develop a relationship with a company specializing in pet items and become a drop ship website.

You will want to promote your business through pamphlets, word of mouth and through the internet.  Send out post cards, attend networking events and advertise your services. Make sure you have professional business cards.

Your business will flourish if you advertise properly and provide excellent services.  Ask your friends and family to help refer you.  Sit back and watch you business grow!

We welcome your feedback on all our ideas so leave your comments on the form below.

Brief meetings with your Veterinarian for checkups or vaccines, etc. normally do not provide enough time for you to learn everything required for your pet to maintain optimal health – namely with regards to pet diet. At all ages and stages, cats and dogs have specific dietary needs. Unfortunately ‘regular’ pet diets, with day-in-and-day-out the same exact food being provided, lack all nutrition required by your cat or dog. Supplements are popular to customize and personalize your pet’s diet by rounding out the nutrients needed for pets of all ages and health conditions.

For instance, a kitten requires colostrum in their diet for the first few days of their life to ensure proper immune and growth health and nursing for eleven weeks from birth is better for their long-term health than sustaining them purely on milk supplements. Another important health tidbit is that if your pet is experiencing pain when walking as related to joint health, glucosamine is a pet supplement that you want to consider discussing with your veterinarian. Supplements are also given as a preventative measure, to stave off pet health issues linked to nutrients often lacking from the ‘regular’, day-to-day pet food diet. With regular, daily pet diets often times the nutrients necessary to maintain pet vitality are absent. Even providing the highest-quality pet food however still may not provide a nutrient density required by your specific pet’s situation. There is a lot to learn when rearing puppies, kittens or caring for these furry friends into old age. Preventative pet care knowledge can save the pet owner from future financial and emotional strain.

Why Pet Supplements? (www.whypetsupplements.com) is a site that we’ve just launched as a starting point for pet owners seeking to learn more about what to look for in their pet’s diet to provide the most rounded nutrition needed for optimal pet health. We invite you to come an explore our articles.