The fact that you’re reading this article says a lot about the kind of pet parent you are. You’re probably already trying your best to take care of your dog or cat. However, in the spirit of always striving to do better, here are a few easy things you can do to become an even better pet parent than you already are.
Get Educated
Those of us who are veterinarians go to school for many years to learn how to take care of your pet. No one expects that as a pet parent, you’ll be able to possess a similarly exhaustive library of knowledge about your pet, but you should try to understand as much as you can about what diseases he might be prone to, based on breed, age, location, lifestyle, etc., and how you can best protect him against them.
Preventive care is a team effort between the veterinarian and the pet parent. Vaccinations are only part of the story, since they only prevent a handful of problems. Learn as much as you can from PetCoach, your veterinarian, and other reliable sources of information about nutrition, exercise, behavior, and prevention of disease.
Pay Attention
Our pets want to please us, and because of this, they often don’t give us much in the way of notice when they’re about to become very ill. Cats are the champions of this, but dogs know this trick as well. I’m not asking you to stare intently into your pet’s eyes for hours on end, but pay attention to how much they’re eating, and how much they’re not eating. Notice when you’re filling the water bowl more often. Have a look at what you’re scooping out of the litter box. Are the clumps bigger? Smaller? Fewer?
Take your dog on a walk every day, and monitor his eliminations. Soft stool or more frequent episodes of defecation, straining to defecate, blood, mucous – they’re all clues, and missing them could prolong diagnosis and treatment of serious conditions.
Be Preemptive and Proactive
This one is especially important for dog parents, but it goes for cat parents as well.
Assume nothing. Your pet is just waiting to do something naughty, and it’s your job to prevent it.
Keep unattended food items off the counter and out of reach of curious noses and paws. If you can’t be sure your cat or dog won’t chew on houseplants, don’t have them. Make sure your underwear is off the floor. Buy a bathroom trashcan with a lid or a swinging top. Keep pet food sealed in a heavy plastic or metal container and make sure that the container is inaccessible. Move electric cords up and out of locations where they can be chewed. Carefully count out human medications, then tightly seal and put them away and out of your pet’s reach.
In short: scrutinize the environment you live in with your pet, and do everything you can to prevent access to substances and items that could do them harm.
Realize That Time Is of the Essence
If we’re lucky as dog parents, we’ve got 10 – 15 years with our canine friends. For cats, that time can stretch a bit longer, but it’s never enough. Although it varies by size, the “one human year is like seven dog years” rule is fairly accurate, so remember that skipping a yearly preventive veterinary visit would be roughly akin to us not going to the doctor or dentist for a checkup for about seven years. A lot can go wrong in that time, so make sure you’re taking every opportunity to take the best care of your pet that you can.