Make Your Pet Healthier: 7 Things You Can Do to Keep Your Pet Healthy

Make Your Pet Healthier: 7 Things You Can Do to Keep Your Pet Healthy

You work so hard on your own health and the health of your family—trying to always find healthy recipes, avoiding fast food, engaging in regular exercise, and practicing good hygiene—but what about your pet?

Your furriest of family members also needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle. And since they would most likely prefer their doggy chew treats rather than that healthy dental stick, it’s your responsibility as the human pet owner to help them maintain healthy habits and a clean lifestyle. Well, these tips can help:

1. Watch their weight. There are so many different ways to help your pet maintain a healthy weight. What does it look like? Well, you can help keep their weight under control with a grain-free diet—which not only helps keep that excess weight under control and avoid a ton of health issues that come with being overweight.

2. Take them in to see the vet. This might not be the most fun trip of the year—but fully necessary. However, a wellness exam done annually can help get a head start on any type of detection of medical issues and have a licensed, professional veterinarian take a closer look at your pet. This exam or visit also should include dental cleaning and updated vaccines.

3. Walk your pup on a regular basis. Regular exercise can make a huge difference in not only your pet’s weight control but also their health. If you notice your pet’s new, grain-free diet isn’t making the biggest impact on your pet’s weight, regular exercise can help control their weight even more.

4. Bathe your pet regularly. Maintaining proper hygiene can make a world of difference in the health of your pet. Depending on what kind of animal you have, how old they are and what type of skin and fur they have, the proper schedule and equipment used can change from pet to pet. You have to be careful of what you use to wash your cat or dog. For example, washing your dog with regular shampoo is not the way to a shiny and healthy coat!A regular, weekly bath can actually dry out a pet’s skin—some animals only need a bath once or just a couple times a month (depending on how stinky they get). However, the bathing ritual is also inclusive of nail clippings, ear cleanings, and proper grooming. You can always take your pet to a professional groomer for these situations, however, you can also do them on your own (properly, of course).A bath can also help with irritated skin, avoiding ear infections, and keeping your home clean.

5. Spaying and Neutering also can have an impact on their health. This procedure can help prevent over-“pup”-ulation and increases their life expectancy with more healthy, fun, and happy years. It can also help protect cancers and illnesses like uterine infections and breast cancer.

6. Consult your vet about vaccinations and flea & tick preventatives. To help keep your pet healthy and happy, heartworm preventatives and flea controls should definitely be on your checklist. Regardless if your pet carries its days inside the home or outside, they can still be susceptible to fleas and ticks. Your vet can give you their advice on the best product not only on the market but take into consideration your budget, your pet’s age, and your living situation.

7. Keep them happy—in a healthy way! There is always such a big discussion when it comes to how often you should give your animal treats. Some more generous owners think they’re doing their pet good but actually could possibly be harming their health (unintentionally, of course). Also, certain toys or rawhide bones could potentially be damaging your pet’s teeth, which is an easy fix—simply by buying a softer chew toy. An easy switch of fattening treats to healthier ones can also be much easier to fix to help keep your animals happy and very healthy!

Although you treat your pet as another member of your family, you might not be realizing how healthy or unhealthy they are (or could be) simply through their everyday lives. A bit of attention to a few simple tips and tasks can make a world of difference in improving the health of your furry loved ones—as well as increasing their happiness and healthy years ahead.

Author:

“Matt is the founder of PetHairPatrol.com, we aim to help pet owners, as well as their pets, live a happy and healthy life. He lives in New York with his two golden retrievers: Ben and Jerry. Once he opened a carton of yogurt, and immediately there was a dog hair inside. That’s when he decided to find the best ways to get rid of pet hair and start a website to share his knowledge. He has researched and reviewed hundreds of products that help you keep your home clean – even when you have furry roomies. He loves running and Italian pizza. He hates pigeons. And obviously, pet hair!”