Once you own a pet, keep it healthy. Know the signs of medical problems. Take your pet to the veterinarian if you notice: -- Loss of appetite -- Drinking a lot of water -- Gaining or losing a lot of weight quickly -- Strange behavior -- Being sluggish and tired -- Trouble getting up or down -- Strange lumps

1. Fitango Education
Health Topics
Pet Health
http://www.fitango.com/categories.php?id=484

2. Overview
Once you own a pet, keep it healthy. Know the
signs of medical problems. Take your pet to the
veterinarian if you notice:
-- Loss of appetite
-- Drinking a lot of water
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3. Overview
-- Gaining or losing a lot of weight quickly
-- Strange behavior
-- Being sluggish and tired
-- Trouble getting up or down
-- Strange lumps
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4. Care
Whether you have a horse, parakeet, or
iguana, providing regular, life-long veterinary care
is important to having a healthy pet and a healthy
family. Keep up with your pet's
vaccines, deworming, and flea and tick control.
Provide your pet with a good diet, fresh
water, clean bedding, and exercise. By keeping
your pet healthy, you keep yourself and your family
healthy. Regular veterinary visits are essential to
good pet health. Contact your veterinarian if you
have any questions about your pet's
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5. Care
Your pet may carry ticks that can spread serious
diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain
spotted fever to people. In areas with plague, fleas
present a risk to both animals and their owners.
Consult your veterinarian about ways to prevent
ticks and fleas on your pet.
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6. Good hygiene
Make sure to wash your hands right after touching
an animal, cleaning up after your pet, and before
eating or preparing foods. Make sure to remove
your dog's feces from your yard or public places by
using a device or bag, and dispose of in proper
areas. Dog feces contain many types of
bacteria, some of which can be harmful to people.
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7. Good hygiene
Keep young children away from areas that may
contain dog or cat feces to prevent the spread of
roundworms and hookworms. Cover sand boxes so
cats don't use them as a litter box. Clean the cat's
litter box daily. Pregnant woman should not
change a cat's litter box, because cats can carry a
parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, which is a
disease that can cause birth defects.
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8. Prevent rabies
Rabies can kill your dog or cat and can even kill
you. Get your pet, especially dogs, cats, and other
mammals, vaccinated for rabies by a licensed
veterinarian. Talk to your veterinarian about
whether or not other pets need a rabies vaccine.
Make sure your pet gets and wears a tag with its
vaccine history, name, and your contact
information. Keep your pet in a fenced yard or on a
leash.
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