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36 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MAY 2019 Tails & Trails - All Pets KEEPING OUR PETS WELL At our last general meeting, we reviewed some practices that pet owners can use to help keep their pets in peak condition and also to improve the odds of their pet living a longer and healthier life. Some of these include proper nutrition, thoughtful consideration of preventatives for fleas, ticks, and heartworm, proper vaccination or titer schedule, dental care, keeping a clean and hazard-free environment, and annual vet checks. Our presenter and Four Seasons resident, Teri DiMarino-Davidson and her dog, Jagger, stepped the group through a 12-point wellness assessment that we can all perform at home. Teri has decades of experience handling pets and knows how important the 12-point assessment can be. Good groomers, as well as those in the veterinary profession, make this type of assessment part of their routine and can often be the first to detect changes that may require professional evaluation. Information on the 12-step nose-to-tail assessment can be downloaded from the files section of the Tails and Trails Facebook group. For those not in the group, a quick Google search should yield some outstanding written material, as well as YouTube videos. Another pet wellness tip that we discussed was the benefit of maintaining a folder of your pet(s) records in a place ready to go in an emergency or when you take your pet on the road. Having comprehensive information readily available is not just about medical history; it's a great practice in the event that YOU have an emergency and must temporarily or permanently transfer custody of your pet to a caregiver. For example, we left our dog's entire folder with the boarding facility where she had a prolonged stay – just on the outside chance she might need medical attention while we were out of state. Consider including instructions for care, history with you, birth or adoption date, major issues, current foods, medical conditions, likes/dislikes, temperament, physical features, and a good photo. Also include copies of documents pertaining to any transfer of ownership (from shelter, rescue agency, breeder, or individual) from when the pet became part of your home, vaccination, spay/neuter, licensing, chip registration data, training and certifications, and (if you have it) insurance claim forms. Four Seasons Tails and Trails: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ FourSeasonsTnT/ or call (951) 295-7209. ~ Martha Baumgarten Teri DiMarino-Davidson demonstrates a 12-point wellness assessment on her dog Jagger

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