Do you have a new pet? Here are some ways to enhance your pet’s life, and make them as happy as possible!
Vacation Care
If you need to go away for a weekend or short trip, don’t leave your pet in a kennel. Kennels are notorious for disease, and changing the attitude of your pet. Hire a pet sitting company, so your pet can stay in their home environment.
Exercise
Regular exercise has the obvious health benefits, but it also is a great time to bond with our pet. A simple daily walk helps a dog learn proper manners and provides some good quality time together. Keeping pets at the proper body weight reduces the risk of heart and joint problems, diabetes, and a host of other poor health conditions.
Health Check Up
A regular visit to your veterinarian is the best way to stay ahead of potential problems. Annual examinations of teeth, heart, lungs, and overall body condition will be less costly than waiting for a problem to develop and your pet suffering needlessly from complications of preventable problems.
Having a good “baseline” of information about your pet also gives the veterinarian something to compare against and determine exactly what is wrong when something isn’t quite right with your pet.
Good Nutrition
Like humans, pets that eat poor quality food just don’t have the health reserves of those that are on a good balanced diet. Poor skin, fur coat, muscle tone, and obesity problems can be a result of a poor diet. Also, pets are not humans and a diet rich in table scraps is not a healthy one and can lead to problems such as obesity and pancreatitis.
Good Grooming
No one wants to be around a stinky pet. Regular grooming — bathing, clipped nails, fur brushing, parasite control, not only make our pet more pleasing to be around, it is much healthier for your pet. For skin and coat problems that don’t resolve with regular grooming, please see your veterinarian.
Safety
Keeping pets safe is something most pet owners take for granted. However, take a moment to assess the toxic chemicals used in your house and yard. Are they necessary? Are all safety precautions followed? Where are household chemicals stored? Can your pet access these items? Also, think about enclosures for pets. Is the fencing secure? Can your pet get caught or hooked up on a fence, a tree, etc. and choke or get stuck out in the weather when you are away?
Information
Being informed is the best way to keep track of our pet’s health and well being. If possible, keep a medical log of your pet’s vet visits, medications, special needs, etc. Knowing what is normal and not normal for your pet will help your vet figure out what is wrong in the case of illness. The Internet is a wealth of information, but caution is advised when seeking out a diagnosis or medical assistance via the web. Just as in real life, there is good information and bad information out there. The only way to get an answer or diagnosis is through a thorough physical examination, review of medical history, and possible lab work performed by your veterinarian.
Love & Attention
This is probably obvious, but too many pets are left outside in all kinds of weather with very little human contact. Same goes for inside pets that are largely ignored for lack of time and busy human schedules. Take the time to focus on your pets and create/nourish that human-animal bond!
Volunteer
There are thousands upon thousands of animals in need of help each day. This concept can be overwhelming for many people, but every little bit helps! Financial donations, donations of supplies or your time at a local shelter or rescue group is always appreciated, and real live animals are being helped by your generosity.
Maintenance
This refers to the more “unpleasant” aspects of pet care — the litter box scooping, yard clean up, cage cleaning and fish tank maintenance. A clean environment for our pets is a healthy one. Poor sanitation can lead to behavior problems (i.e. litter box snacking) and health problems such as skin infections and the spread of communicable diseases.