How To Keep Your Pet Healthy, Happy & Fit — 5 Fast Facts Every Pet Parent Should Know
Every family that is lucky enough to have a pet in it wants the same things for them.
They want their pet to be healthy, happy, and excited to be in their home, for as long as they possibly can.
Taking care of a pet isn’t something we instinctively know how to do, though, and sometimes the right thing to do is far from obvious.
Many pet keepers have been misled by ideas they thought were in the best interest of their furry friends, that ended up being bad for their health in the long run.
If you’re ever in doubt about an idea, it’s probably best to ask for advice from a veterinarian, or a respected group of pet experts.
But that’s enough of an intro, let’s get to the important part — let’s talk about our furry friends, and how we can make their lives better!
- Selective Socialization
While some animals are “solitary,” and others are “social,” almost no animal likes to live in complete isolation — or surrounded by too many others.
Finding the right amount of socialization and the right social partners can be a bit tricky — but it’s worth the effort.
You can work this out with a little trial and error — a little more social time, a little less, until you get the right fit.
Doing a bit of research first about the general social needs of your pet will give you a good idea of where to start.
2. Healthy Diets, Healthy Snacks
Humans have evolved to eat all kinds of crazy things over the years, but our pets — not so much.
There’s also a fine line between natural nutrition and going too far down the natural path.
While natural food is great, it’s likely your dog no longer has the same evolved gut bacteria and digestive system as his wolf ancestors to be eating a diet of all wild, freshly killed game.
Nutrition is a tricky subject and one that you should definitely consult some experts about, if you need a bit of help and don’t want to trust whatever a Google search pulls up.
3. Mental Stimulation Matters
It’s a terribly sad thing when a pet is left to do nothing at all, day in and day out, except for the occasional walk or game of fetch.
Your fuzzy friend has a mind of their own, and it needs to stimulated, just like yours does.
This could mean hiding their food so they have to hunt for it, trying out new toys, going to new places, or just changing up the scenery in their cage or enclosure.
4. Build A Budget
Keeping a pet is not cheap — you need to budget for more than just food and waste.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to get pet insurance to cover unexpected costs, or you may have to sock the money away somewhere in case of an emergency.
However you do it, you need to be prepared to take your companion to the veterinarian if they need it, because they count on you and can’t take care of it themselves.
5. Professional Sitters
You may be surprised by the professional animal watching services in your area — and you should definitely find out what’s available.
Sometimes you may need to travel, and you may not have a lot of notice before you need to leave.
In that kind of emergency situation, the last thing you need is to be rushing around at the last minute trying to find a temporary keeper for your pet.
Be prepared with a plan, whether that’s a friend, family, professional doggy daycare, or other animal sitting service.
Keeping an animal companion around the house certainly isn’t as simple as many people would like it to be, but it is definitely worth it.
You’re the entire world to your animal friends, you live forever and provide them with food, shelter, fun, and basically everything that’s good in the world.
Take a bit of time to do some research, read some reputable pet blogs, and find ways that you can improve their lives — because they’re definitely going to improve yours.
You’re in this together, and it’s gonna be great!
