January is slowly progressing, and many men and women are still working hard to keep up their New Year’s resolutions. While we are a little ways into the new year, you may want to make a new resolution to care for your pet’s health. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the amount of veterinary visits is down throughout the Unites States. This isn’t because pets are healthier and don’t need medical attention. Instead, it is because people want to save money so they will prevent themselves from taking their pets to the vet for checkups.

Studies show that most veterinary visits last year were for pets that needed emergency medical attention or had already developed a medical illness. In most situations, owners did not take their pets to the vet for preventative care. This includes things like shots for potential illnesses, spaying and neutering animals, or taken them in for dental work. Many people decided to take these preventative visits out of their budget, and pets were not cared for adequately. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA) pet owners in American need to make a resolution to care for their pets.

Pet owners should take the time to take their pets to the vet when they need preventative treatment for potentially harmful issues like heartworm disease and flea infestations. These were two of the main pet problems that owners could have prevented if they had arrived for scheduled appointments. For example, if a cat is not given preventative medication for heartworm disease, and eventually contracts the illness, the treatment is grueling. Heartworm can be fatal, and for cats there is no proven cure.

The 2012 American Veterinary Medical Association U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook announced last year that 25% of all pet owners do not understand the importance of preventative care for their animals. As well, veterinarians were shocked to see the statistics on the amount of households that never took their pets to the vet within the course of the year. While all animals should receive at least one yearly check-up, just like humans, the amount of animals that did not go to the vet at all increased. 8% more dog owners never took their canine to the pet doctor for a check-up, and an astounding 24% more cat owners took up this dangerous and potentially destructive trend.

Veterinarians say that they believe more pet owners would take their animals to the doctor if they understood the value of preventative care. Many owners don’t realize that checking a pet’s heart can be an important step towards determining if that animal has a heart disease. As well, veterinarians can detect the early signs of arthritis and note any neurological problems with an animal that may not be obvious to the owner. Pet owners have constantly been replacing check-ups with Google, figuring that they can learn anything they need to aid in a pet’s diagnosis without actually having to take the money and time to go to a professional. This can be dangerous.

Many times animals will mask their illness and only a skilled veterinarian with the right eye and the right tools can determine an illness. For example, cats are masters at masking their pain, and many owners would never be able to determine an illness without a stethoscope, thermometer, and other tools. Therefore, it is best that you make it your New Year’s resolution to make sure that your animals are getting the important veterinary care that they need. Whether they just need a yearly check-up or need shots to prevent certain illnesses, take the time to adhere to your pets need and avoid potentially painful and devastating consequences.