Pet owners are always looking for ways to keep their pets healthy and happy. What is an appropriate diet? How much exercise should they get? How often should I take them to the veterinarian? What safety measures should I take? There are various answers to these questions. This article speaks to these and other topics to help you care for your pets. Whether you have dogs, cats, birds, horses or other pets, most of this advice applies.
Basic Pet Care Needs
There are certain basic pet care needs that you should address for your puppies and kittens. These include:
- A sturdy pet carrier: a pet carrier will keep a stressed out pet from creating a hazardous condition in a moving vehicle
- Feeding/watering bowls, collars and bedding: get quality accessories for your pets and regularly clean them to keep germs away from your pets
- Safe and appropriate toys: When it comes to toys, be sure that toys are appropriately sized for your pet and don’t contain small parts that can be swallowed
Regular Check-ups, Proper Diet, and Exercise
Putting your puppy or kitten on a regular medical check-up schedule will get your pet off to a great start in life. It is very important to keep your young pet on a program of exams so that you and your veterinarian can stay out in front of potential health issues.
Pet obesity is extremely problematic for pets and can directly lead to things like heart disease, diabetes, and kidney failure. For this reason, a proper diet (including calorie restriction) and regular exercise are very important and will help prevent your pets from becoming overweight. Ask your veterinarian about what an appropriate diet should look like and how much exercise your pet should be getting.
Proactive pet check-ups are also critical in keeping your pets healthy. Most people take their pets to the veterinarian when they get sick. Proactive check-ups and vaccinations should be the norm for early detection of issues including chronic diseases. Common procedures your veterinarian will perform include blood tests, heart checkup, and dental evaluation.
Puppies and kittens require a regular cycle of vaccines every 3-4 weeks early in their lives. It is less important how many vaccinations they obtain and more important that they get them at the right time up until they are 14 to 16 weeks old.
A large percentage of puppies and kittens have intestinal fleas. Most cannot be seen without a microscope. Fecal inspection and Giardia screening are very important since some of these vermin can be transferred to humans.
Both cats and dogs are vulnerable to heartworms. Heartworms are transmitted by means mosquito bites. Even pets that are kept completely inside are in danger (because mosquitoes get in the house). Generally, at their regular vet visits, both dogs and cats should be checked and treated for heartworm.
A Safe Home Environment
A pet owner must keep the environment safe and secure for pets. Pesticides must be secured and kept out of reach from all pets. In many homes, there are numerous toxic plants which can have an effect on the wellbeing of your pets, be sure to keep these plants out of the home. Also, electrical wires can be a hazard as dogs and cats will sometimes chew on them. Keep electrical cords hidden and out of the way. A minimum amount of care can have a maximum benefit and prevent accidents from occurring in the home.
Spay and Neuter
The single most significant thing that you can do to prevent overpopulation of cats and dogs (and thereby decrease the number of euthanasia performed) is spay and neuter. Spaying and neutering are normal, reasonably priced surgeries that can avert thousands of animals from being abused and killed each year. Spaying reduces the stress and anxiety that females bear when they go into heat and reduces the danger of uterine and mammary cancers. Neutering makes males far less likely to wander away from home, prevents testicular cancer, and eliminates the threat of prostate cancer.
It takes a little work to keep your pets happy and healthy but the effort is well worth it and is likely to result in having a pet companion for a long time.
Mike Mark is a owner of a small pet house and a professional dog trainer as well who enjoys writing blog posts in his spare time and currently works at Pet Vet Animal Hospitals. Mike has been blogging here since the summer of 2015. For more information, you may get in touch on Twitter.