When it comes to your dog's health and wellness, you probably already know the importance of bringing your dog into your veterinarian's office at least once or twice a year for routine physical exams and to make sure your dog is up-to-date on vaccinations. However, there are a few lesser known dog care tips that your vet may want to remind you of, and that could help your pet lead a happier and healthier life.

1. Have Your Dog Spayed or Neutered

Is your dog spayed or neutered? If not, then you could be putting your pet's health and well being at risk. For starters, when your pet isn't spayed or neutered, you could be contributing to problems associated with unwanted litters (like overcrowded shelters and high euthanasia rates in city shelters). Furthermore, when your pet isn't spayed or neutered, he or she may be more prone to developing certain medical issues, including reproductive cancers.

2. Make Sure Your Dog is Microchipped

If you adopted your dog from a shelter or other reputable adoption agency, there's a good chance he or she is already microchipped. However, if your dog isn't, now is a good time to have this done so that you can increase your chances of being reunited with your pet should he or she go missing. In addition to having your pet chipped, make sure that your dog's chip is up-to-date anytime you change your address or other contact information. You can update this information by simply contacting the microchip company directly.

3. Put Your Dog on a Flea/Parasite Preventative

If your dog isn't on a year-round flea, tick, and parasite preventative, now is the time to make this a priority. Even during colder months of the year, your dog can still pick up parasites outside that can seriously affect his or her health. And of course, fleas and ticks often carry diseases that can be risky to your dog.

4. Request Nutritional Counseling as Your Dog Ages

As your dog ages, his or her nutritional needs can change as well, so it's important to make sure you're feeding your pet the right formula to suit those changing needs. Consider scheduling a nutritional counseling appointment with your vet if you haven't done so in the past few years. This can be a great way to get a better feel for how you should be feeding your pet to optimize his or her health.

For more information, contact a company like http://www.murrellsinletvethospital.com.