8 Ways to Keep Your Pet Happier and Healthier
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If you own and live with a pet, you understand how hard it is to part with them for an extended period. You feel lonely, broken, and fragile when you’re away from your closest companion.
The same can be said of living with an unhappy pet. When you have a dog that often is the life of the house, for example, turn dull, it is usually a sign that they’re not happy, and as a result, it affects the morale of the whole house.
Incorporate these tips to consciously keep your pet happy and thereof healthier for longer life.
Provide the Right Diet
If you’ve ever met with a stray dog going through the litter on the streets, then you realize how valuable food is to pets. Just like in humans, food provides the necessary energy for an animal to undertake its daily activities.
You’ll find a well-fed pet jumping from one corner to another as a sign of satisfaction. Besides, playing is the other thing pets love aside from eating.
Feed your pet the right type and amount of food to ensure they get enough nutritional value for a healthy and happy life. Include water after almost every meal, and always feel free to seek a veterinary opinion on the most suitable diet for your pet.
Groom your Pet
Pets that are left alone and stranded carry all sorts of bacteria accumulated from eating and collecting garbage. Although free, such animals live a boring and undesirable life, and some end up dead on the roadside.
Maintain a conducive environment for your pet to thrive by:
Frequently washing them
Regularly brushing their fur
Often checking for lumps and bumps of concern
Occasionally dress the pet in fancy clothes and accessories like if, for example, you own a dog, dress it up in cute dog clothes, or a new collar as a way of making the canine feel special.
Remember, unlike wild animals, pets usually thrive in cleaner and more conducive environments. With a more apparent space, pets also often get enough room to roam or play.
Show Affection
Pets, just like humans, crave attention and affection. They, too, have desires and needs that require to be met. One such act involves showing emotional support when needed.
Establish a bond with your favorite pet by cuddling, belly rubbing, and even fur scrubbing them, more often than not. If you have extra time on the weekends, for example, you could go out for walks or engage in other fun activities with your pet.
However, if all else fails, make sure you set aside time to play around the house with your pet as a way of establishing a communication bond and pattern while keeping them happy.
Organize Frequent Checkups
Any pet with access to the outside world is susceptible to infections and diseases, just like the rest of us. In fact, outdoor pets are often touted to have lesser lifespans than their indoor counterparts.
While exposure to predators is the leading cause of most deaths, injuries and diseases follow in at a close second.
Scheduling annual visits to the vet will help catch any early signs of a problem before it graduates to a severe complication. While at the vet, ensure your pet is given the right vaccines and, if necessary, administered with the correct medication or supplements.
Exercise
A good workout offers a host of benefits to both the body and mind for any living thing. Pets that remain caged up for too long often exhibit signs of mischief when let free.
So instead of locking up your pet all week, schedule a day when you get out and engage in fun and sporty activities to boost their overall morale and promote a healthier lifestyle.
Joint exercises that you can indulge with your pet include:
Walking
Playing fetch
Hiking
Swimming
Present mentally challenging games to your pet by including toys, playing hide and seek games, and building obstacles as a way of building up their brain muscle.
Offer Protection
Although rare, there are reports of pets that die from unsuitable living environments. When presented with a live electric wire, for example, a cat may think it’s a play string and get shocked.
Instead, store dangerous appliances or materials in or around your house to prevent unnecessary accidents that lead to loss of life.
Before introducing your pet to any environment, make sure it is safe from predators that may look to cause harm. For example, if you have a mouse for a pet, you should always keep an eye on cats that may try to nub it.
Place microchips, collar, or identification tags on your pet for easier tracking when in public places.
Make your pet feel safe and happy by covering all the basics of security.
Spay/ Neuter
Pets that are often left unsupervised tend to develop unwanted behaviors like prevalent mating. This burst of urge leads to unwanted pet pregnancies resulting in more stray animals on the streets.
Removing certain parts of the pet’s reproductive system helps to tame their wild sexual nature as well as provide other numerous benefits that include:
Reduced risk of developing cancer
Better animal behavior
Less chance of contracting diseases
Always take your pet to a reputable veterinary officer licensed and capable of performing crucial surgical functions such as spaying for a happier and healthier life.
Get a Partner
If you lead a busy life and are often away from home, your pet may become lonely and, as a result, have an unhappy life. You may find it hard to notice because you’re hardly ever home, but your pet might require a new buddy.
A cat, for example, survives better when it’s around mates than while alone.
Look for an ideal partner that will likely provide sweet companionship during your busy days and nights.
Final Thoughts
Although pets are naturally designed to bring joy and happiness into our lives, they too require care and love. By feeding your pet, grooming it, showing it affection, exercising with it, protecting it, spaying, and finding it a suitable partner, you have played a part in ensuring a happier and hence, healthier life.