A Veterinarian’s Ultimate Pet Holiday Gift Guide

Hi everyone!  We are full swing into the holidays at our home and at our animal hospital. We see a lot of pet emergencies during this time of year and if you have not read my post on keeping your pets safe during the holidays, it is a great summary on avoiding holiday pet emergencies. This is a busy time of year for everyone and it is easy to forget about our fur babies.  It’s the holidays and they deserve some fun gifts too.  I don’t know about your fur babies but our “Dory” tolerates her hair and tail being pulled constantly, being stepped on and crawled all over by her younger human siblings, and taking a back seat to attention in our home.  So today I would like to recommend my favorite pet gifts so that they too can have a very merry holiday season.  Lets get started:

Natural Supplements:

The best gift you can give your pets is health and wellness. I absolutely LOVE recommending natural supplements for my patients.  I love the ones that come in a  treat form for our pets.  This is a great way to provide them with the best health and spoil them at the same time with a treat.

ANM Zoom (glucosamine chondroitin sulfate supplement)-

• This is a great all natural joint supplement that helps promote joint health and prevent degeneration.  I recommend starting all large breed dogs on this supplement as early as puppyhood. As my patients age and they start to slow down and even limp, I start them on a glucosamine supplement first and foremost.  These supplements come in many forms such as pills, tabs, oils, sprays, and treats.  I love these Zoom tablets and sell them in my hospital.  They are in a chewable treat form and my pets love the flavor.

ANM Catalyst Chews

• Omega 3 and 6 fatty acid supplements are well known to help pets suffering with skin disease and allergies.  The oil supplement improves the epidermal barrier thereby improving the overall health of your pets skin and preventing infection.  I recommend this supplement for any of my patients what have a history of allergies and skin disease. In addition to it’s wonderful effects on improving the overall skin health, Shed-X is effective in reducing shedding. This product is pure omega 3 and 6 in an oil form that you place on top of your pet’s food daily. It also contains vitamin E, A and D which promotes overall good health and has countless benefits for your pets skin..

Grinders Dental Chews–

• One Dental chew or treat a day keeps the veterinarian away! The latest studies show that giving your dog one dental chew a day can significantly improve their overall oral health and prevent periodontal disease.  I love these chews and sell them in my hospital.  The pets love the flavor.

High Quality Nutrition:

Feeding your pet a high quality diet and treats are imperative for keeping your pet healthy and living long.  Now a days the quality of food for our pets are improving drastically and we are moving away from processed foods and bi-products which is amazing.  I feed my dog Side by Side Pet Food, and she loves it.  During the holidays, have extra treats around to spoil them.  As a small animal veterinarian one tip I always tell my clients are to avoid hard bones as a treat for them.  These type of treats frequently can lead to fractured teeth and injuries.  This is the time of year for indulging in delicious foods.  There is no need for our pets not to indulge and put on a little holiday weight too!

Side By Side Pet Food

• Feed your pets a high quality, balanced diet with the best ingredients.   What you feed your pet is the fuel and energy they need for not only survival but their overall health and well-being. Many foods will meet the basic requirements to sustain life, however higher quality foods will result in optimal health for your pet. My pet parents ask me all the time what diet I recommend for their pets. I absolutely love and trust Side by Side Pet Food and it is what feed my own dog.

Toys:

We just cannot get through the holidays without giving our pets some adorable cute toy! Right?!  As a small animal veterinarian, One tip with toys that I always recommend is to avoid ones that have stuffing in them.  These type of toys are easily destroyed and chewed apart and the stuffing becomes a hazard for obstructions.  I recommend toys that are non destructible.  My favorite brands are Nylabone toys.

Beds:

With all the torture and rough play my pup endures all day from my little ones, she deserves a comfy soft bed to sleep in at night.  I found the Big Barker Bed for her and it is amazing.  This bed is an orthopedic style bed for dogs.  It is made up of 3 layers (2 outer that are soft and inner that is firmer) so that the bed actually does not ever touch the ground when she lays down on it.  With our dog Dory, who weighs 140 pounds, this was not an easy feature to find.  Since she started sleeping on this bed, I have noticed her moving around better, improving her range of motion in her joints, and feeling better overall.

Happy Holidays everyone and I hope these pet gifts help to spoil your fur babies during the this time of year. I love recommending and helping pet parents provide the best health for their pets.  They give back so much love, dedication and devotion to us and the holidays are a great time to show them how much we love them.

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