How to Choose the Right Pet Wellness Plan for Your Furry Friend

Relaxing cat.

Routine pet preventive care is the key to helping pets live long, healthy lives, but it can be difficult for some pet parents to pay for this care in one lump sum at each appointment. This is where pet wellness plans can help. Not to be confused with pet healthcare coverage through insurance, pet wellness plans offered by veterinary practices divide the cost of routine pet preventive care into smaller monthly payments. 

At Bayside Animal Hospital, we offer pet wellness plans for each life stage to help make cost-effective pet care more accessible.

Read on for the benefits of wellness plans and tips for choosing the right plan to meet your pet’s individual needs. 

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Cover Your Pup (or Kitty): The Benefits of Pet Insurance

Cute puppy getting veterinary examination.

Inflation has been pretty intense over the last year or so, and we are all feeling the pinch from multiple angles. Veterinary care is not exempt from the rising costs of, well, everything. Bayside Animal Hospital knows that you want to provide the best care for your beloved pet, but sometimes money comes into play. Learn if pet health insurance might be a benefit to your furry family. 

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Preparing Your Pet for Emergencies: A Guide to Keeping Your Furry Friend Safe

dog at emergency shelter.

It may not be pleasant to think about emergencies like flooding, wildfires or earthquakes, but when minutes count, disaster readiness can help lessen the trauma for your pets and your family in the event of a manmade or natural disaster. 

Our caring team at Bayside Animal Hospital has assembled the following pet safety tips to help you with your emergency planning before disaster strikes. 

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How to Help Your Pet Adjust to a New Home

Cute puppy in moving box.

Moving to a new home is an exciting time, but for our pets, suddenly landing in an unfamiliar space can lead to pet anxiety. So while you’re packing up boxes and making plans for moving day, keep these pet relocation tips from our team in mind.

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Help! My Dog Is Constipated!

Constipated puppy.

When you gotta go, you gotta go… that is, unless you can’t. Constipation is no fun, whether you are a human or a dog. It is only natural to want to help your canine companion when you see they are having trouble, but what is the right way to do so? Bayside Animal Hospital is happy to help get your pup’s digestive health back on track.

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Good News: There Are Pet-Safe Snake Repellents!

Dog and snake.

Until the ups and downs of spring level out, snakes stay close to their dens in case it starts to rain or get cold. They can be found under or near their rocks or inside their hibernaculum until weather stabilizes. Then, all bets are off! In search of food, mates, or just expanding their range, snakes explore their surroundings with gusto. Granite Bay residents are all too familiar with snake sightings near homes and on trails. If your home has rock outcrops, freestanding piles of wood or metal, accessible crawl spaces, and infrequently used outbuildings, you might want to start thinking about pet-safe snake repellents. 

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Letters From the Litter Box—Why Your Cat is Peeing Outside the Box

Cat litter box issues.

Coping with a cat who urinates outside their litter box can be extremely frustrating. You may suspect these mysterious creatures have some kind of vendetta against humanity (or at least against you)—after all we’ve done for them! Before you start sleeping with one eye open, let Bayside Animal Hospital unbox the messages your cat is trying to send, so you can tell your cat, “message received,” and take the appropriate steps to fix the problem.

#1: Your cat has a medical condition

Urinary tract disorders will cause the most fastidious cat to miss their litter box. Increased urgency can prevent cats from reaching their box. Painful urination may become associated with their box, which may cause avoidance. Cats will indicate their pain by vocalizing when urinating. Urinary tract conditions include:

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Should I Get My Dog the Rattlesnake Vaccine?

Hiking in the woods with dog

Your insanely curious dog is constantly poking his nose in off-limits places. He also loves to join you on hiking and camping trips during warm spring and summer weather. Both situations place him at risk of encounters with rattlesnakes.

From April through October, these cold-blooded animals are most active in areas popular with hikers and campers. In warmer weather, rattlers look for places out of the afternoon sun. They frequently hang out in woodpiles and heavy shrubs. They’re also found under logs and good-sized rocks.

The Sacramento region has a higher-than-normal risk of rattlesnake bites, and dogs are often the unlucky recipients of the snake’s venom. Rattlesnake bites can cause bleeding, swelling, super-low blood pressure, and shock. Rattlesnake bites can be fatal for dogs.

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Hiring a Dog Sitter: What to Look For

Dog sitter playing with dogs

When you leave your pet in someone else’s care, you want to ensure your furry friend is safe, comfortable, and well cared for. And if it’s your first time looking for pet care, you might not know where to find a pet sitter, what questions to ask, or how to tell if someone is reputable.

These are the qualities to look for and questions to ask when hiring a pet sitter.

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Top Ten Signs that Your Dog Needs Urgent Care

Dog at urgent care visit

Pet emergencies are never fun. Guessing whether your dog needs a same-day appointment or can wait for a little bit can add even more stress to an already stressful situation. Bayside Animal Hospital has a list of our top ten signs that your pet needs an urgent care appointment.  

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