3 Easy Ways to Keep Your Dog Healthy

It’s fair to say that I’m a cautious pet parent. Ever since adding Ollie to our family almost two years ago, I’ve felt like an unprepared first-time mama. We went through bouts of coughing and I was convinced it was his trachea. Ever time he gets an upset stomach, I run straight to the phone and call the vet. Truthfully, it’s a miracle I haven’t driven my husband crazy with all my concern over keeping Ollie feeling his best. But recently, just like new moms often experience, my confidence has grown. While Ollie is still just a mere five pounds (and always will be) and is a little more fragile that larger dogs, I’ve began to accept that he’s a tough little pooch and I’ve become more confident in my pet mom skills. We’re even (shhhh) thinking about adding a second puppy to our family later this year and I’ll be honest, I’m kinda feeling like I’ve got this when it comes to talking care of my pet in the best ways possible. So how have I reached this point? Well, like any pet parent, experience has made me wise…..but in addition to that, even our vet told me that I don’t need to call every little time something is wrong. Instead, I’m getting more confident and discovering that keeping Ollie healthy is actually quite easy. That’s why I wanted to share with all you other pet parents out there some easy ways to keep your dog healthy this spring.

Help Them Get Enough Exercise

Now that the weather is getting warmer, grab the leash, hook on their collar and get outdoors. Not only is exercise pretty much Ollie’s favorite thing in the world (he would walk all day everyday if he could), it also keeps him young and energetic and feeling great. Since he’s only five pounds, we do try to limit his walks to about a mile but we make sure he walks twice a day and spends as much time outside as he wants.

Not only does his time walking give him a stronger heart and help keep him healthy but I personally think all the time in the sunshine just makes him happy, kinda like it does me! So, just as you want to throw open the doors and get outside now that the winter has passed, remember that your dog deserves the same.

Watch What They Eat

Ollie will eat anything that hits the floor. Now, if I put it in his bowl? That’s a different story. That’s why I’ve learned over time that in addition to paying attention to what I actually put in his bowl, I need to pay attention to not only scraps that are dropped but also small non-food items that are left lying around. And when I take him outside? Well, it’s important for me to keep him on his leash so that he doesn’t eat random stuff that he finds on our walks and end up with an upset stomach.

By simply being more attentive and aware of what he’s trying to snack on behind my back, we’ve drastically reduced those visits to the vet for an upset stomach and even when he does get into something he shouldn’t, I’m learning to be patient and let his little gastric system recover without panic.

Protect Them From Fleas and Ticks with PetArmor Plus

As you can tell from my previous tips, during the Spring Ollie spend s quite a lot of time outdoors. He walks outdoors. He plays outdoors. He even eats outdoors on the porch with us most nights. With all that time outdoors, my biggest concern for Ollie in the spring is fleas and ticks and I have to admit, I have good reason to worry. You see, a few weeks ago, we were outside playing basketball with the kids and I was sitting in the sun rubbing Ollie’s ears. When I felt a lump behind his ear, I freaked out a little bit. After calling the hubby over to investigate, our fears that he had a deer tick on him were confirmed. Thankfully, the internet helped me find the quickest and easiest way to get the tick off and I’m happy to report that Ollie is just fine but it got me to thinking. With the cooler weather I hadn’t really worried too much about flea and tick medication because I thought the weather needed to be warm for that to be a concern. However, I now know that fleas and ticks can be present year round, even in colder climates, and can lay dormant for several months before hatching. After learning this, the importance of using good flea and tick medicine every single month became abundantly clear but what I didn’t want to have to do was head to the vet every month to get Ollie’s medicine (who has time for that, right?).  After a little more research, I was thrilled to discover that I can now get PetArmor Plus that can be used for protection, prevention  and/or treatment of fleas and ticks at PetSmart! So of course I loaded Ollie into the car, headed to PetSmart and stocked up!

As soon as we arrived at the store and I got Ollie settled in the buggy (which he happens to love), I headed in the store that we’re already so familiar with. I’ve been buying his food and, OK, if I’m being honest, his clothes here for quite some time so the fact that I could get PetArmor Plus at the same place that I already shop for all his doggie needs and without a trip to the vet was a total score! When we located the PetArmor Plus at PetSmart, even Ollie couldn’t hide his excitement!

I adore that this vet-quality formula that kills fleas, flea eggs, flea larvae, ticks and chewing lice for up to 30 days is available in four different weight options (4-22 pounds, 23-44 pounds, 45-88 pounds and 89-132 pounds). As a small dog lover, I honesty often struggle to find anything that’s made for Ollie’s small stature but PetArmor Plus for small dogs works perfectly and delivers a fast-acting, waterproof formula that helps break the flea life cycle by killing flea eggs and larvae for up to 12 weeks as well as killing ticks that may transmit Lyme disease. Plus, since I can but PetArmor Plus in either a 3-pack or a 6-pack, I know that I never have to worry about making a trip to the vet to get vet-quality flea and tick protection for Ollie that I can trust!

Be sure to grab your $5 off PetArmor Plus for Dogs or Cats (3 count) Ibotta offer here to try it today!

With our PetArmor Plus purchased, Ollie and I were both ready to head home with the confidence that when used as directed, PetArmor Plus can stop infestations and help prevent reinfestations and as a pet mom, that’s peace of mind that’s priceless.

Once we arrived home, we opened our pack of PetArmor Plus, separated one of the tubes that comes in the packet and used scissors to cut off the end of the tube (be sure to point the tube away from you during this step). Then, giving Ollie flea and tick protection that I can trust was as easy as inverting the tube over the back of his neck and applying the solution to his hair. He didn’t even wiggle when I was applying his PetArmor Plus and just thought he was getting a little extra love time in mama’s arms.

I do want to mention that it’s important to remember to keep your pet away from kids or other pets for 24 hours after giving a PetArmor Plus treatment just so that your other pets (or kids for that matter – you know it happens) don’t lick where the solution was applied and end up ingesting it. After waiting the 24 hours, Ollie was good to go and I was confident that even with living in the woods, I’ve given him the best protection around from fleas and ticks, which means that I’m protecting him as well as my entire family!

As spring sweeps through the country, I challenge all you other pet parents out there to learn from my experience and don’t wait until after you’ve had a flea or tick problem to discover PetArmor Plus from PetSmart! Or even if you’re already struggling with fleas and ticks (like we were) know that it’s OK because there’s an easy solution at hand! Now available in store and online at PetSmart, this fast-acting formula is the easiest, most effective, no-vet-required and pet-parent approved way to ensure that your pet stays flea and tick free, not just during Spring but all year long!

To get started with protecting your pet from fleas and ticks in the easiest way, head to PetSmart today and pick up your PetArmor Plus. To make it even easier to give your pet this vet-quality protection, be sure to grab this Ibotta offer to save $5 on PetArmor Plus for Dogs or Cats (3 count size only, valid March-September 2019). Then follow my lead and learn what this experienced pet mama has finally figured out…..with PetArmor Plus from PetSmart, I don’t have to worry about fleas and ticks and can instead focus on all the outdoor fun my family plans to have with Ollie this spring!

Tell me, have you tried PetArmor Plus for your pet and why is the ability to purchase it at PetSmart appealing to you?