Tips To Support Your Pet’s Health for Life–Starting Now

If you’re a pet parent, chances are your phone holds hundreds of photos of your dog or cat and you know exactly what their favorite toys and treats are. Pets truly are treasured companions and valued family members, so it’s natural to want them to live a happy and healthy life.

There’s a lot you can do to support your pet’s health, whether you’re a new pet parent or your dog or cat has been in your family for years. Pets’ needs change as they age and it’s important to be aware of how those needs evolve at every stage of life. Fortunately, there are ways to help—and the IAMS™ brand has a number of free tools and resources for pet parents to help keep pets healthy for life. Below are five ways to help give your pet the gift of a healthy life.

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5 Tips for Supporting Your Pet’s Health for Life

1. Familiarize yourself with your pet’s needs.

If you’ve recently welcomed a new furry friend to your family, it’s important to know exactly what your puppy or kitten’s needs are in terms of nutrition, activity and wellness. How you care for your pet now lays the foundation for the rest of their life.

To help new pet parents know exactly what their four-legged friend needs, the IAMS brand has created two dedicated online hubs with detailed advice to help pet parents be proactive about their pet’s health. Their puppy hub has important information about what immunizations are needed, how to create a safe home environment, how to socialize your puppy so it plays well with others and even how to teach your puppy tricks. The IAMS kitten hub features need-to-know intel for litter training, milestones to be aware of to ensure that your kitten’s development is on track and what to know about kitten dental hygiene.

2. Get personalized nutrition advice.

Just like babies, teens, and adults have different nutritional needs, the same goes for pets. No matter how old your dog or cat is, it’s important to make sure their pet food is tailored to meet all their nutritional needs. IAMS pet food is made with high-quality ingredients and unique recipes that provide pets with 100 percent complete and balanced nutrition for their life stage.

The IAMS Food Finder helps pet owners identify the exact food that meets their pet’s needs, based on their breed, age, how active they are, whether wet or dry food is preferred and any targeted nutrional support to consider (such as weight management, bone and joint health or immune support). With this tool, you can be confident you’re giving your pet the right food to meet their nutritional needs.

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3. Ask your pet questions directly to a qualified expert.

Considering all the unique needs a pet has, you may wish there was a pet expert on hand to answer all questions in real-time. Guess what? There is—and it’s completely free. With PETconnect by IAMS, you can chat with a Licensed Veterinary Technician or a Nutritional Advisor who will help answer your wellness questions live online.

Any general questions you have related to your pet’s nutrition and wellness, they can answer immediately providing expert advice and recommendations at your fingertips. For example, if you’re having trouble stopping an unwanted behavior, you can get support in real-time with tailored advice and guidance.

4. Get to know your pet on a deeper level.

You’d be amazed to find out what you can learn about your dog or cat through a DNA test—especially if your pet is a rescue and you aren’t entirely sure what breed they are. With the Wisdom Panel’s DNA test (which is available for both cats and dogs), you’ll get extensive insight into who your pet is and what their individual wellness needs are.

For example, your dog or cat may be more at risk for certain health conditions you aren’t even aware of—crucial information when it comes to supporting their health. You can even find your pets' parents and siblings through the test results too!

5. Stay on top of regular checkups.

One of the most important ways to support your pet’s health is to stay on top of their veterinary appointments. Medical problems that are detected early can be more easily treated before they are severely impacting an animal’s life. It’s recommended for pets to see a veterinarian once a year. During these visits, a vet will do a complete physical exam and make sure your pet’s immunizations are up to date. It is also your chance to raise any concerns you have about your pet’s health.

With these tips in place, you can help keep your dog or cat healthy throughout every stage of life and look forward to many more snuggles for years to come.

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