If you’re trying your best to keep your pet healthy, there are things that you can do beyond vet visits to protect them from illness and more. Daily practices may seem unimportant, but they can all add up to important factors in your dog’s health, so make sure you pay attention to tips like the ones below:
Have a feeding schedule
To help your dog eat well and also avoid digestive issues, have them on a feeding schedule. Some parents will feed their dogs more than two times a day, while other pet parents may feed them smaller amounts a few times a day. This is something you may talk to your vet about, or it could be habits you build up when they’re young. Either way, start a feeding schedule and do your best to stick to it. Treats in between are always fine and a good idea.
Seek treatment when necessary
Sometimes it’s important to get treatments for itchy dogs quickly to prevent your pet from needing more serious intervention down the road. From allergies that start to show up in the ear and could lead to hematomas requiring surgery to something ingested that shouldn’t be (that could be removed through vomiting if caught in time), it’s important to seek treatment quickly when in doubt. However, before rushing to the vet and paying good money for something that you didn’t need to go in for, make sure to call them first.
You may get some advice on what to watch for at home and recommendations on when it could be a good time to go in.
Exercise them
A healthy dog gets outside. While dogs who are getting older may not be able to exercise as much as they could when they were young, any kind of movement could be important for your animal. A healthy pet can typically keep up with their humans doing things that range from running to mountain biking laps.
While you want to be careful about weather conditions when taking your pooch out, exercise is a needed part of helping your pet stay healthy and stay in shape. Just like too many extra pounds aren’t good for us as humans, so does your dog need to stay at an appropriate weight. Because many pet parents may live in apartments, multiple walks a day can be beneficial for your animal and could be a healthy habit for you as well.
Keep them hydrated
Just like we need hydration, so too does your pet. Some dogs may not always drink as much water as they should, although most pets are good about drinking when thirsty. However, if you want to be sure your dog is staying hydrated, consider adding a little bit of water to their food, especially if you feed them wet food, so that they get a little added hydration in their diet. If needed, consider adding electrolytes for pets to their water so that they can get as much hydration as possible.
Consider anxiety medications.
Something that not a lot of dog parents know is that anxiety can make things more difficult for your pet and for you as well. Your dog could act out in different ways, ranging from chewing up your belongings to acting out amongst strangers. Talk to your vet about anxiety medication for your pooch. Although you may not want to put them on medications, it can make a difference in their quality of life and yours.
In Conclusion
If you’re a pet parent, consider these tips above to make sure you’re providing your pet with the best care possible. From visiting the vet when you want to take care of an issue to making sure that they get plenty of exercise, preventative care can go hand in hand with your vet’s care and any necessary treatments.