We all love our pets, but sometimes it’s hard to know if they’re sick, and even harder to know if they need a trip to the vet. Often times, these vet visits can often cost a small fortune and end up putting a lot of stress on our animal buddy.
One of the best ways to prevent that is to help maintain your pet’s health through simple wellness routines.
Proper Nutrition – 1 hour of research at first, 5-10 minutes a day after
Pet nutrition is becoming a hot button topic these days. All meat diets, home cooked diets, wet food, dry food, and the list goes on. At the end of the day, the best thing to do is to talk to a licensed vet/pet dietician to learn what’s best for your pet specifically—to give you a leg-up we interviewed a few to get some general guidelines.
The biggest tip we heard from vets is to avoid feeding dogs too much “people food.” All vets also warned against homemade or unconventional diets without first consulting with a board-certified nutritionist. One vet we talked to discussed the prevalence of dog food recipes on TikTok and YouTube that failed to meet what she described as a dog’s basic nutritional requirements, “the ‘all meat diet,’ some vegan diets, and even the so-called high protein diets cause a lot of digestion and kidney problems in dogs,” she went on to say “there are also major bacterial and contamination risks, not to mention the dangers of allergies and processed ingredients.” Other vets said that if you’re looking to cook your own dog food, the best thing you should do is come up with a plan alongside a vet/dietician during a standard vet checkup. All of the vets stated that diet plans really vary from pet to pet, and that you’re usually much better off using an American Association of Feed Control Official (AAFCO) approved store-bought pet food.
The AAFCO’s website is designed to help both vendors and pet owners determine the right pet food to buy or use, and all vets pointed to them as the gold standard for guides to purchasing pet food, check out their article on selecting the right pet food by clicking here.
Another tip is to make sure you introduce food changes slowly and to pay close attention to your pet’s reaction. One vet we interviewed stated that a lot of people don’t realize their pet is having an allergic reaction at all, red stomachs, dry noses, coughing, lack of energy, or itchy
skin are all the most common allergic reactions shown in cats and dogs.
Exercise – 15-30 minutes Twice a day
It goes without saying that dogs need to go on walks—not just to get their energy out, but also to stay healthy and prevent common disease/illnesses such as arthritis, diabetes, and back issues. The same is true for cats, and while you might not want to be stared at as you walk them down the street, if they’re not on the move they’re more prone to all sorts of health issues.
Exercise is also great to reduce pet stress. Cats and dogs both can have problems with anxiety, and that stress can lead to all sorts of health trouble, meaning it’s really important to get them moving! A lot of pets will do most of the heavy lifting on their own, but for some, exercise doesn’t come as naturally…
Cats are obviously harder to motivate since they’re not as easily trained as dogs, but luckily, they’re instinctually prone to be curious. It’s in a cat’s nature to “investigate,” so use that to your advantage! Use cat trees, toys, and small amounts of healthy treats to get cats to move around. This doesn’t have to be an all-day endeavor either, most cats have attention spans that last no longer than 15 minutes (and let’s be honest, they tend to get bored a lot faster), so bring out a feather wand or the laser pointer and give them some much needed movement a couple of times a day!
Most dogs have no trouble exercising. They’re excited when you’re excited. But, as someone who grew up with bulldogs, I definitely know how hard it can be to motivate a lazy dog. The important thing is to start small and never force the dog to do anything. If you can get the dog to go on a walk, do so, and slowly go farther and longer. If the dog doesn’t want to walk, try games like tug of war, chase, or hide and seek.
For friendlier dogs, try a playdate or take them to a dog park. Changing the scenery in general is a great way to encourage a dog to explore and get moving.
Grooming 30 minutes-1 hour a week
Keeping your pet clean is a great way to have a constant eye on your pet’s condition. By regularly brushing your dog/cat you’ll be able to keep an eye on rashes, bald spots, or lumps that might be cause for concern. Trimming your pet’s nails is also important to make sure they’re able to move around. It’s also a great way to avoid ear and eye infections, which are two very common illnesses in pets that can lead to some pretty severe health issues that will require frequent trips to the vet.
Brushing your Pet’s Teeth
Yes. We’re going to talk about brushing your pet’s teeth again (we put an article out about this last year too, it was pretty funny, check it out by clicking here). A shocking seven-out-of-ten of pets have some form of dental disease by the time they’re three years old. That’s 70 percent. These issues range from gum disease to cavities to bacterial infections. But your cat/dog doesn’t need to have bad breath—and the earlier you start caring for your pet’s oral health, the better.
It is expensive to send your puppy to the dentist. Losing teeth is a huge deal for dogs and cats as their mouths are really one of the key ways they interact with the world. It leaves them open to all sorts of health issues too. So, please. Brush your cat’s teeth. They have gross meat flavored toothpaste to make it easy, and if you’re patient enough, your pet will probably enjoy it too.
Socialization 2-3 hours a week
These past two years have made it very clear that mental health is just as important as physical health. Keeping your pet stimulated and happy is a surprisingly effective way to keep them healthy (plus it’s good for your health too).
If your pet isn’t good at socializing, it most likely will react to new people or animals with fear or aggression, which isn’t good! If your pet internalizes this behavior, they might be frustrated by just hearing someone nearby and it probably stresses you out just to invite someone over. Additionally, it might lead to some difficult vet visits which might increase your bill. These problems compound because an anxious cat/dog is more likely to cause problems in your house, e.g., chew up furniture, mark territory, or bite/scratch. This is not an easy behavior to train, but there are options.
Socializing Difficult Dogs
Bringing a dog to the park or just around new people/animals is really important to help ease anxiety and to help them destress. It’s also a win-win as dog’s tend to socialize by chasing each other in huge circles, which is a killer form of cardio. You can also take your dog to a trainer or a group training class. You’d be surprised how much a dog’s behavior changes in a new environment, and how quick they can learn to take their new better behavior home. Socializing cats, well, that’s kind of a different story.
Curbing Cattitude
Besides just… adopting a second cat (which, is often recommended when you’re getting a new cat). It can be pretty hard to make sure a cat is socialized. They’re solitary creatures who take a long time to open up to anyone, especially another animal. But luckily, a cat’s social needs can be easily met by their owner and other humans. The first step to socializing a cat is to make sure they trust you first. You and your cat should be very comfortable around each other, they should know that you’re safe and that they can rely on you to keep them from harm. Once you’ve established that, then it’ll be much easier to start introducing them to strangers
Teaching a cat to trust people other than yourself is immensely important to lower stress and anxiety. If your cat hides when someone else is around, you should do whatever you can to teach it to be social. Ask a trusted (and patient) friend to sit on the floor with its favorite toy/a treat, coax the cat out and let it meet the stranger on their own terms with several escape routes. Give it enough time and you’ll both be better for it.
Obviously be smart and be safe. If you have a rescue who gets aggressive, maybe don’t take it to the park or have your friend feeding it out of their hand right away, take your time and be smart. Use gates or fences to allow distant socialization, reinforce the good behavior, never yell, and be consistent.
Preventative Care – 1-3 hours a year for a checkup, all the activity listed above
And of course. Just like it’s true for you, the same is true for your pets, get ahead of expensive medical issues by getting regular checkups, inoculations, and by doing everything you can to avoid issues.
Give your dog/cat vet-approved dental chews, vitamins (if they need them), and check your pet for parasites (ticks, heartworm, etc). All of the other items listed above also count as preventative care.
We all want our pets to be healthy, but we’re also all pretty busy. Luckily, it doesn’t take too long to make sure your furry friend is set up and ready to live their best life.
If you are still worried about expensive vet bills…
We offer pet insurance through Nationwide. Nationwide’s pet program is a great way to save on checkups, vaccinations, and any emergency vet bills that might crop up. Interested in learning more? Click here and read our article all about this amazing plan.