Apr
Being a pet parent is a really important job. You’re caring for your friend their entire lives, and while they may be just one facet of your busy life, you are everything to them. The best way to return the love they give is to care for them the very best we can. When you take great care of your pets, you actually work to strengthen your bond even further, building the foundation for a long and happy life together.
Tips To Take To Heart
Taking care of a pet is a big responsibility, and it’s a big job. For those who might be caring for their very first pet, having some tips at hand can make the experience quite a bit easier. We have a plethora of tips for every kind of pet, as well as a general mix of tips that apply to just about any little critter you bring into your home. 10 helpful pet care tips you can use every day are:
1. Get socializing
Whether you’re bringing home a juvenile pet, or you’re adopting an adult pet, it’s important to get socializing and to get socializing right away. Pets will feel a bit vulnerable each time they enter a new situation, and it’s your job to help them to feel comfortable. This socialization will make sure they can fit seamlessly into your life and all the people and pets you have in it.
2. Training is important
It’s a myth that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and this applies to all sorts of pets – not just dogs. Training ensures your pet will exhibit all of the behaviors they need to fit into your life and display proper manners, and it’s something that should be worked on just about every day. If you have trouble training your pet yourself, you can always enlist the help of a professional.
3. Regular vet visits are important
Regular vet visits should become a part of your pet’s normal life, and it’s always best to be proactive about your pet’s health care. Catching potential health problems early will typically ensure a simple and more affordable fix than waiting until the issue has been allowed to progress.
4. Take care of vaccinations
Most pets will require vaccinations throughout their life, and you’ll want to talk to your veterinarian regarding what vaccinations they need and how often they’ll need them. While your vet will likely take care of all of their mandatory vaccinations automatically, there may be others you’ll want to have a discussion about first. Do you plan to take your dog to the dog park often? The Canine Influenza vaccine should be included into their vaccination schedule. Do you live in or near wooded areas? A Lyme Disease vaccination might be recommended for your dog or cat.
5. Do you have an ID?
Keeping identification for your pets is really important. You never know when an incident may occur that causes your pet to dart out of the door and get lost, and it’s their identification that will help them to be brought back to you. Collars with names embroidered or stamped on, ID tags, and microchips are all useful means of providing pet identification.
6. Consider their sterilization
Having your pet spayed or neutered doesn’t just stop unwanted litters, it also helps to prevent a whole host of health problems later down the road. For dogs, in particular, spaying and neutering can have a large positive impact on their behavior and training as adults.
7. Providing the best food
The food you feed your pet is the foundation for their full body nutrition. From the time they’re little, or when you first bring them home, you’re making an impact on how they grow and how they feel. By putting a good amount of effort into researching the foods you choose, you can make sure you’re doing what’s best for their bodies going forward. A nutritious and well-balanced diet will ensure you’re doing what you can to keep them healthy throughout their entire lives.
8. Keeping up with hygiene
Hygiene isn’t a human-exclusive thing, and providing hygienic care for your pet is a very important part of everyday care. Brushing teeth helps to prevent tooth loss, gum disease, and the associated health risks that come along with poor oral health. Regular bathing and brushing keep coats and skin healthy and clean. Making sure cages are tidy helps small pets to avoid developing infections and reactions.
9. Exercise
It’s not just humans that need hygiene, and it’s not just humans that need exercise. While nutrition helps to build a foundation for a healthy life, so does exercise, and you’ll want to give your pet plenty of daily exercise regardless of their species or breed. Not only does exercise help to keep them healthy, it also keeps your bond fun and strong.
10. Don’t stop learning
Pets will go through many stages throughout their lives, and there are always new developments and opinions on the latest and greatest in pet care. Reading blogs, doing research, and keeping up to date using the best pet resources ensures that you’re always doing what is best for your little best friend. As we learn more and more about pets, we learn more about providing them with what they really need, and what is considered top of the line today may be a little different than what’s found to be top of the line in a few years. A senior pet will have different needs than a young pet, and continuing to learn is important for care throughout all of these life stages.
Great Care Leads To A Great Life
A great life for your pet is an enriching and positive experience for you both. Having pointers to use can help to prepare any pet owner, new or experienced, to provide the very best for their pet. With the very best care, you’re building what you need for a happy life, and one that is sure to create some of the very best memories for many years to come.
These are all great reminders for when life gets too busy and we start to slack. Our pets deserve the best!
Great article. I do take my cats to the vet for their yearly visits, especially now that they are getting older.
I can’t believe how many people don’t microchip their pet, or even have a collar with an ID. So many posts in our area for lost pets. So sad. They are family members and we should do everything we can to protect them, and to make sure they can find their way home should they get lost.
Great tips to remember.
As a dog groomer, I agree that socialization is really important. It makes them happier dogs when they’re comfortable with others.
We treat are pets like a part of the family so we do what we have for our kids and our pets.
Great pet tips!
These are great tips for happy, healthy pets!
I like that you encourage learning and adapting.
Great tips, a puppy in some ways is like a new baby. They need a lot of care and attention.
The number one reason a dog is rehomed is because of potty issues. Most times a dog does this simply because they don’t understand where they are supposed to potty. We used a treat based system to fix this issue in an older corgi mix my sister adopted. Within a week, the indoor accidents stopped.
Good article and reminder of how to take care of your pet.
I taught my fist cat to shake a paw. She learned it quite quickly; this cat I have now, not so great a learner. She’d rather do nothing to get a treat.
These are great tips. If people can’t take care of a pet properly they should never have children. It’s a commitment it takes time, patience, and money
These are great tips! I especially like the reminder to readers about keeping up with hygiene as dental health is so important and often overlooked!
Thanks for this helpful blog
I have learned that I need to do better for my dog’s hygiene for sure. As she has aged she does have different needs for sure
Great tips for any new dog owner!
While these are all great tips, really nothing new or unknown to me.
Having a long haired cat like we do (she’s a Maine Coon) requires regular grooming and we have a comb and metal bristle ‘brushes’ to use on our cat Geenie as she tends to get mats in her fur and if they get bad enough and can’t easily be combed out, my spouse has had to shave her. (it looks rather funny like how people do this with dogs) as she’s normally quite floofy. But she enjoys the grooming process- it’s just that you have to give her one of the metal bristle brushes that she LOVES to rub her cheeks on while you brush her!
Thank you for the info. These are all so important.
Thank you for all the tips. We got a new puppy during the pandemic so this was helpful.
I love these tips, so important for our pets and owners alike!
Great tips. It’s important to get animals used to human contact so the vet visit does not scare them.
I have two cats. One is female DSH and of normal size and eight pounds. The other seems to be at least part munchkin with short legs and distinctive eyes. He weights about 20 pounds. I have a sheltered area outside where they can safely play and explore as well as kitty climbing inside so they can both stay active. They just have differing metabolisms.
great article and tips