Dog Health 101 – How To Tell Safe From Harmful Things

The first thing that distinguishes responsible pet owners is providing proper pet care. Adopting a pet should not be just a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a serious undertaking, which will demand your total commitment. That’s because your little friends totally rely on you for their feeding and good health, so you should treat them like any other member of your family. Speaking of which, here are some essential guidelines to help you in telling apart safe from harmful things that will offer your pet the proper care it deserves, which will be as risk-free as possible.     

 Appropriate Nutrition

Pets, like people, require food that is suited to their individual nutritional requirements. Dogs, cats, or any other pet, have different nutritional demands that you should be aware of before you start giving them leftovers from your birthday cake, or too many unhealthy treats or totally inappropriate ingredients, like onions or garlic, which will be harmful to your pets’ health. You should also be careful to neither overfeed your pets nor neglect their nutritional needs because you have to be at work all day. 

To avoid harming your pet this way, you should consult expert websites from state-endorsed companies, or even better, seek advice from your veterinarian, who is the most suitable professional for this kind of job in the first place.

Proper Healthcare

Another critical aspect of your pet’s development is good medical care. This doesn’t only apply to the healthcare provided by a professional vet, but to your personal involvement, as well. For example, one of the most common misconceptions regarding pets’ healthcare is that we can offer them medicine that is intended for us. In online forums, you’ll find many puppy parents recommending Benadryl for dogs, and the question of how much Benadryl can I give my dog often comes up. The truth is that some human medications can be administered to your pets on a regular basis if prescribed by your veterinarian, but others can be extremely poisonous to them.

Another wrong assumption would be to give your pet the same sort of medicine that your veterinarian prescribed for one ailment to treat symptoms that could be the result of a different sickness entirely. Always seek detailed directions from your vet, specifying the proper amount and dosages of medication your pet should receive.

 Giving a specified amount, as recommended by your vet is the safest advice. On the other hand, administering more medicine than prescribed may result in terrible side effects, while administering insufficient treatment may fail to alleviate your pet’s symptoms. The best method to keep your furry friend healthy is to speak with your veterinarian and always observe their guidelines.

Responsibilities and Daily Routine

Before you even decide to buy or adopt a pet, you should be aware of several prerequisites. This is because owning a pet is a big responsibility that affects your life and the lives of others in your community. First of all, as far as dogs are concerned, and depending on each country’s legislation, of course, your dog has to be chipped and tagged with a registered microchip and your contact details must be accurate, in case it gets lost. 

Additionally, when you take your furry friend out for a walk, it must always be on a leash to avoid the unforeseen consequences of it getting involved in a dogfight, being run over by a car, or causing involuntary harm to another individual. Let’s not forget that animals have their own fears and instincts, and an accident may happen if they are left unattended or free to roam about without some form of restraint.

Last but not least, keep in mind that your pet should be allowed to follow its daily routine, as nature intended. It needs to have its own shelter whether you keep it outside your home or indoors. This is necessary especially for dogs, as they need to have their own dog bed in the house or a doghouse in the yard outside. 

If you live in a block of flats, you should never leave your dog outside on the balcony, as it will be affected by extreme weather conditions and possibly annoy the neighbors with its barking. Finally, you should take your dog for a walk multiple times a day while also ensuring that it gets regular exercise to avoid becoming overweight and developing ailments such as heart disease.

If you love your pet and you want to take care of its needs properly, you should be responsible and follow these rudimentary recommendations. They’re just a starting point for ensuring a rich and happy existence with them. 

These valuable companions are, after all, another member of your family, and it is only natural that they should be treated with the same love and respect as the others. Remember that you acquired them because you wanted them to be your companions, so do everything in your power to guarantee that they have a long and happy life with you.

If you want to see some other pet conditions that you should avoid, checkout our other post.