If you choose to bring a pet into your home, you will have many different things to consider. Having an animal as part of your family is a big responsibility since you are responsible for every aspect of her care. This includes everything from ensuring she eats a healthy, balanced diet and gets enough exercise to providing her with the toys and activities she needs to prevent her from becoming bored.
If you have never owned a pet before, the list of responsibilities can seem endless. Fortunately, most priorities can be broken down into different areas, making it easier to ensure that your furbaby is getting the care that she needs.
We are committed to helping you be the very best pet parent that you can be. For that reason, we have compiled some of our favorite tips for caring for your pet at home.
Make sure her environment is safe and suitable
It is essential that the space in which your pet spends most of her time fits her needs. For example, while you may like the idea of owning a dog, if you live in an apartment without access to a garden, you may be better suited to a pet that doesn’t need outside space. Dogs need easy access to outside to do their business, while cats can easily use a litter tray located in a quiet area of your home.
Similarly, you should ensure that her living environment is safe for her. This means securing any chemicals or toxic substances, putting away hazardous items like knives or scissors and keeping medications out of reach of her paws and jaws. If you have a dog or indoor kitty, secure your fences and gates, windows and other access points so that she cannot run away.
Ensure she gets the proper nutrition
Every animal has slightly different nutritional needs that must be met if she is to grow properly (if she is still young) and remain healthy. These requirements will be based on her breed, her size, her age and her current health. For example, puppies need a very different diet to an older pet, and those animals with underlying illnesses may need special diets fortified with specific vitamins and ingredients to help them remain healthy.
To best determine which nutrition your pet needs, we strongly recommend that you consult with our veterinarian who will be happy to make a recommendation for you.
In addition to manufactured pet foods, you also need to be careful about which human foods you share with your furbaby. Certain things that you eat could provide very toxic or even fatal to your pet. Again, our veterinarian will be able to advice you which foods are safe and which are not recommended. Stick to the mealtimes and portion sizes recommended by our vet wherever possible as these will help ensure your pet is getting the right amount of food too.
Provide regular exercise
Just like us, animals can benefit from regular exercise, which can help to control their weight, as well as keeping their muscles strong and heart and lungs healthy. Different animals need different types and amounts of exercise, and while younger, active breeds of dog may need long walks on a daily basis, lazy felines may need far less physical activity. Our vet will be happy to discuss your pet’s exercise requirements with you.
Preventative medical care
Our animals are just as capable of becoming unwell as we are, and some of the illnesses and diseases that can affect them can be serious and even deadly. Preventative care is the name given to treatments designed specifically to protect our pets from these serious conditions. The majority of these preventatives come in the form of vaccinations that are administered on a set schedule, but others, such as flea and tick repellents, can be given in a variety of ways including as an oral medication and a topical treatment. Our vet will be happy to advise you which preventatives your pet needs and when they should be given.
Microchipping your pet
Long gone are the days when you only had a collar and tag to identify you are the owner of an animal. Today, you can arrange to get your pet microchipped which is a tamper-proof form of identification. Should your pet become lost and is found, she can be taken to a veterinary surgery and scanned, enabling them to track you as her owner.
Get to grips with grooming
It may seem like a non-essential task but keeping your pet clean and grooming her regularly has been shown to help improve her overall health and wellbeing. Matted, dirty coats can trap heat and debris, putting your pet’s skin at risk of irritation and infection and claws that are too long can damage people and furniture. There are a variety of different aspects of grooming including bathing, brushing, clipping claws, trimming fur, cleaning their ears and brushing their teeth. Our vet will be able to explain to you which are most applicable to your pet. If you don’t feel capable of tackling some areas of her grooming, there are plenty of professional services that will undertake the job on your behalf. Ask our vet to recommend a local pet parlor.
If you would like further advice on the best way to care for your pet at home, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly, knowledgeable team for more information.
