How to Care for Your Pet: Best Tips for Homeowners

Description: If you are an animal lover and you have a pet you are certainly trying to do everything in your power to take proper care of your furry friend! But sometimes it can be challenging to follow what are all necessary elements of pet care especially if you are a new pet parent!

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As you know animals have been in one way or another bond up with humans throughout history, although our relationship with and towards them changed over time. In the past humans didn't have much consideration for animals – they were seen only as a source of food and clothing and used for transportation or religious ceremonies. Modern times brought a shift in the way how we perceive animals. Since this period we started to understand better how sharing life with furry companions affects us and the popularity of pet ownership began to increase.

Now, whether you are living with a dog or cat or some other animal, by now you know that living with a nonhuman family member comes with a lot of joy and excitement. But the same as with any other member of the family, it also brings a lot of different responsibilities. To enjoy the companionship of a happy and healthy animal friend you have to not just provide food and regular walks but many other things as well. When you have experience in pet parenting you are likely to know everything you need about proper pet care. However, when you became or are about to become a pet parent for the first time you might feel overwhelmed and confused by all information.

Whether you are experienced in taking care of pets but wonder whether there is some case you are skipping, or you are just entering the exciting and challenging journey of living with a pet, you are not alone. We decided to share the best pet care tips every home maker should know.

 

Benefits of Owning a Pet

People who are thinking about having a pet often ask a lot of questions regarding pet care - one of the most common being what are the easiest pets to take care of? Before talking about how to take care of pets and answering all the questions you might have we are going to mention some reasons why you should get a pet if you still haven’t done it. There are a lot of studies that show that having a pet can significantly increase your fitness levels, reduce stress, and bring happiness. Besides that some of the known health benefits are :

• Lower blood pressure
• Lower cholesterol
• Reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Increased physical activity
• More chances for socialization

What Proper Pet Care Is

Of course when you are thinking about having a pet or already have one the main wish is that they live a long, happy, and healthy life. In this part of the text, we are going to share some of the tips that will enable you to take care of pets in the best possible way.

Regular Visits to the Vet are Necessary

Some people think that it is not necessary to bring the animal for regular veterinary checkups as long as they are vaccinated on schedule and healthy. They think that they know their pets well enough to recognize if something is not right with their pet. However, things are not always that simple. Having a pet is like having a baby - they can't tell you if they are feeling unwell and the signs aren't always apparent. You should take your four-legged friend at least once a year to be checked by a veterinary as part of adequate health care for pets. When you do it even if there is an ongoing health process, the vet can catch it in time and do everything to properly fight against it.

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Make Sure that Your Pet Has All Vaccines

It is advisable to find a good vet before you bring a puppy or a kitten home. This way you can make arrangements for the first immunization in time. While they are still breastfed, like babies puppies and kittens are protected from infection through their mother's immune system. But after that baby-friendly period which is for dogs 6 to 8 weeks and cats around 12/13 weeks after birth when you bring them home, they need to be vaccinated as part of pets’ health care plan. When puppies and kittens aren't vaccinated they are at risk of getting various diseases out of which some can be life-threatening. Keep in mind that vaccines need to be renewed every year. Also even if you adopt older dogs or cats you need to vaccinate them.

Protect Your Pet from Parasites

As you know the most common parasites are fleas. Owners are sometimes uninformed unfortunately about the serious skin problems fleas can cause and they tend to neglect the issue. Besides, that presence of this parasite can lead to other problems as well. If a dog or a cat swallows a flea they can get infected with a tapeworm which is the most common intestinal parasite in pets. Tapeworms normally don't cause serious health issues but can be quite annoying. To prevent all this from happening you have to ensure that your pet is protected all year. Various medications provide good protection.

Keep Your Pet’s Weight at Healthy Range

This is often difficult because our furry friends love food. And when they look at you with their beautiful, sad eyes like they are saying “Hey, you there! Give just one bite; I m starving, just one please!" it is really difficult to resist. But you have to because unlike them, you know that as with people obesity can cause serious health issues in cats and dogs as well. Additionally, always make sure that they are eating as healthy food as possible.

Make Sure That Your Pet Has Adequate Identification

Nobody who has a pet thinks about the possibility of them getting lost! But it nevertheless happens, especially when they are young. And since your four-legged friend cannot tell the address they must have a tag with all of your contact information. Besides that, it is recommended that you microchip a pet. A tag or entire collar can get lost so this is a more certain way to find your pet again.

Spay or Neuter Your Pets

You will come across some people who are against it. One of the arguments is that they have small pets that are easy to take care of so it doesn’t matter if they get pregnant everyone will want the babies. Don’t listen to those people – spay or neuter your furry friend as early as possible. This way you will not only prevent some unwanted pregnancy and birth of a lot of homeless puppies and kittens but many health problems as well.

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Make Sure That Your Pet is Properly Socialized

To enjoy a good quality life with your cat or dog they must be trained and socialized properly. The best period to start with training is when they are still young because this is when they learn most. The first thing they have to learn is how to use the litter box for cats and how to ask to go out for dogs. Additionally, they need to learn not to sharpen their teeth or nails on your furniture. After that, they need to learn how to socialize with other pets. The rest of the tricks and commands you can also leave for later.

Play With Your Pet

As you know both dogs and cats love to play. During playtime, they create an unbreakable bond with you so that's why you must spend quality time with them. Make sure that you buy or make toys that are safe and appropriate for your pet.

Final Word

We went through some of the most important pet care tips you need to know when you have or you are planning to have a pet! Keep in mind that a pet is not a toy! It certainly does bring a lot of happiness but requires a certain degree of responsibility and dedication from your side. This is all from us for now but we would like to invite you to revisit us because we have a lot of other interesting texts such as the one about what is easy to care for exotic pets? Do you already have a pet? Do you have some care suggestions that we forgot to mention?

Author’s Bio

Alex Green is a copywriter with 3 years of experience. He is fond of healthy living and knows everything about home improvement. In his spare time, Alex likes walking with his golden retriever, meeting with friends, and attending the gym.