5 New Year’s Resolutions for You and Your Pet
Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? If you have, do they include your pet? While you may have already broken your New Year’s resolution, you can safely substitute these five New Year’s resolutions for yourself and your pet to have a healthy and rewarding new year.
Get More Exercise
Like us, pets need to exercise daily. Dogs especially need to exercise so that their muscles are strong and their minds remain active. Exercise also burns off calories as well as helps reduce things such as destructive chewing, digging, and other unwanted behavior.
While your dog certainly gets extra exercise when our dog walkers come and visit, it doesn’t substitute for your interaction with your pet. You should plan on walking with your dog or maybe playing a rousing game of fetch with him so he can burn off all that excess energy. Do consult with your veterinarian before starting any exercise program for your dog.
Eat Right
You probably have heard that it’s important for you to eat right and exercise, so naturally, it should come as no surprise that your pet should eat right as well. It’s pretty common for pet owners to give treats and snacks to their pets as a demonstration of our love, but we can overdo the treats. That’s why you should limit your dogs treats to about 10 percent of your dog’s daily caloric intake.
If you’re looking for more healthy food items, try carrots, bits of apples, green beans, or broccoli. Stay away from onions, grapes, chocolate, nuts, and anything with caffeine in it. When in doubt, ask your veterinarian.
Get a Health Check by your Veterinarian
One New Year’s resolution you should keep is to bring your pet to an annual checkup. Even if your cat or dog doesn’t need his vaccinations, it’s a good idea to have your veterinarian give your pet a thorough physical, including blood tests. Because pets age differently than we do, a yearly physical is the least you should do to make sure that your pet is healthy. These physicals are important because they can catch certain diseases early before they become a real problem. Be sure to ask your veterinarian for any advice and you should listen to his or her recommendations for flea and tick preventative, vaccinations, and recommended diet. This way you can be sure that your pet will live a long and healthy life.
Take a Class and Learn Something New
If you own a dog, you’re probably already aware of why you should train him. A trained dog is a pleasure to be around and you and your dog are more welcome wherever you go. Training deepens the bond between you and your dog, which makes your relationship that much more special.
If your dog already has the basics when it comes to obedience, there’s no reason why you and your dog can’t try something else such as a dog sport or activity. The sky is the limit when it comes to things you can do with your dog. Take a class and learn agility, Rally-O, tracking, skijoring, competitive obedience, dancing with your dog, and other activities. Who knows? Maybe you learned something fun that you both will love to do.
Spend Extra Time with Your Best Friend
The best New Year’s resolution is to spend more time with your pet. Your pet looks to you for his health and well-being, and your greatest gift to him is spending more time with him. Dogs and cats don’t live as long as we do, so each moment with them is very precious. By spending time with our pets, it deepens our human-animal bond that we so cherish.