Everyday Pet Care Tips to Keep Your Furry Friends Happy and Healthy
Your pet is more than just a pet, they are members of the family. If you’re like most pet owners, you hope your cat or dog has a long happy and healthy life. A longer healthy life means more fond memories you and your pet can make together.
Fortunately, there are a lot of great pet care tips to ensure your pet stays healthy for years to come.
Whether you have a naturally healthy young pet or an aging furry friend who might need more help, these tips are sure to keep them happy. Here’s everything you need to know from good nutrition to safety precautions to ensure your pet lives a long healthy life.
Everyday Pet Care Tips
These everyday pet care tips are simple ways to become a responsible pet owner, and help ensure your furry friend can live a long happy life with you and your family.
A Nutritious Diet
One of the most important pet care tips is to look for nutritionally dense pet food that provides your furry friend with plenty of vitamins, minerals, and protein. High-quality pet food will give your cat or dog healthy skin, a shiny coat, plenty of energy, and beaming eyes.
Depending on the specific needs of your animal, you may have to shift through options of dry vs. wet food, food in bags or cans, or even refrigerated options. If you’re not sure which route to test, you can speak to a veterinarian for recommendations and ask a friendly pet store associate at a shop like Pet Food Express for additional support.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of food out there full of unhealthy fillers. These fillers consist of carbohydrates, sugars, and other cheap ingredients that provide no health benefits or nutritional value.
Good nutrition also supports immune, physical, and mental health. If your pet acts tired or their coat looks dull, try a pet food that offers more nutritional value.
Visit the Vet
While your pet isn’t always 100% on board to visit the veterinarian, regular check-ups are necessary to keep your pet in good health. Regular veterinarian check-ups should occur once or twice per year even if you believe your pet is in great health. If getting your pet to the vet is a challenge, try acclimating them to car rides and pet carriers at a young age. For Monterey Peninsula locals, we recommend checking out The Animal Hospital at the Crossroads. They have been part of The Crossroads Carmel since 1969!
As your four-legged friend ages, they may experience health issues you can’t see or notice. A veterinarian can spot this during a routine check-up and prescribe exercises or medication.
Vaccinations
Vaccinations are one of the most important pet care tips for maintaining your pet’s health and the health of others. Vaccinations prevent serious disease and illness that could harm your pet and spread to others. If you’re welcoming a new pet to your home, you should always check to ensure they are up-to-date with all necessary immunizations.
Dog vaccinations will help prevent rabies, Lyme disease, distemper, and worms. For your kitty friends, vaccines ward off illnesses such as feline leukemia, herpes virus, and rabies. As a responsible pet owner, you must ensure your furry friends are up-to-date on all of their immunizations.
Daily Exercise
Daily exercise helps to keep your mind, body, and spirit in good health. The same is true for your furry friends.
Exercise helps your pets maintain healthy body weight and strengthen their bones and joints. Exercising your pet can be as simple as a walk, hike, playing fetch, or playing with toys. Toys and tricks give your pet mental stimulation and keep them engaged. You can hide treats, set up a safe obstacle course, or play with pet-friendly toys.
Regular Grooming & Baths
You want your pet to look and feel good, right? Regular grooming is just as important as exercise for a furry friend’s health. It’s also a great opportunity for you to strengthen the bond between you and your pet.
Grooming includes regular coat brushing, baths, and brushing their teeth. Brushing your furry friend’s coat will prevent coat and skin issues. As you groom and bathe then you can find and treat early signs of health issues such as bumps, dry skin, wood ticks, and more.
Proper Identification
Even if you provide your pet with the best supervision including cameras when you’re away, your pet may still sneak out. A runaway pet is a scary situation made even worse if there’s no way for someone else to identify your pet.
Proper identification starts with a collar and a tag containing your contact information and your pet’s immunizations. Another good idea is to add a microchip to your pet in case they lose their collar.
A microchip is a small electronic device about the size of a grain of rice implanted beneath your pet’s skin. The microchip includes your contact information and GPS. Adding a microchip will ensure you and your furry friend can reunite.
Supervising Your Pet
Cats and dogs can be very mischievous and get into places they shouldn’t. This is particularly true for new kittens and puppies that are new to your home and don’t know any better. To keep them safe and healthy, you must supervise them and pet-proof areas you don’t want your furry friends to get into.
Supervision is a must when you and your furry friend are out for a walk or at the dog park, even if you have a well-trained and experienced pet. By following park rules and using a leash when necessary, you won’t risk your pet getting hurt or lost.
You can also supervise your pet away from home with pet cameras. Many cameras let you supervise your furry friend from your mobile smartphone and allow you to talk to your pet.
Pet Socializing & Training
Another important pet care tip is ensuring your pet is well-trained. It’s best to start obedience, socializing, and toilet training while they’re young. Although, it’s never too late to teach your pet new routines and tricks.
You can train your pets on your own or you can hire a professional trainer. If you’re unsure of where to look, ask your pet-owning friends, vet, or animal shelter for recommendations.
Live A Happy Life with Your Furry Friend
By following these simple pet care tips, you can ensure your furry friend lives a long happy life. Just remember these pet care tips aren’t just for the weekends or holidays. The more time you can spend getting outside or playing with your furry friend, the happier they will be.