October is National Pet Wellness Month

October is National Pet Wellness Month-a month devoted to raise awareness about disease prevention and the importance of twice-yearly wellness exams for household pets.

As you probably know, dog years move a lot faster than human ones! Pets age about seven times faster than people do, on average. By age two, most dogs and cats have already reached adulthood. By the time they're four, most are “middle aged”. And when they're seven, most dogs are senior citizens in the canine world.

Because pets age so quickly, they need regular health evaluations to make sure they're doing okay. The same way you schedule yourself an annual physical, you should do the same for your pets. Major health changes in animals can occur over a relatively short period of time, so regular check-ups are a key part of keeping pets healthy.

The point of National Pet Wellness Month is to encourage pet lovers to schedule wellness exams “twice a year for life!” This allows your pets' vets to detect, treat, or prevent problems before they become life-threatening.

If pet safety and health is important to you, make sure you have twice-a-year exams scheduled for your four-legged friends.

National Pet Wellness Month is sponsored by the AVMA and Pfizer Animal Health