Follow these pet care tips to ensure that your dog or cat is kept
happy and healthy. These basic tips are intended as a resource for
those of you who are new to pet ownership or are thinking of
getting your first cat or dog. Experienced pet owners will know
most of these details already!Food and drink
* Make sure that your pet has access
to clean, fresh water. Change this every day.
* Feed cats twice a day with a
premium quality cat food. Give them one meal of dry food and one
meal of tinned food. Do not feed them dog food or milk.
* Feed dogs once or twice daily, but
use premium quality dog food. Make sure they have a mix of dry
biscuits and moist tinned food. *
Feed puppies and kittens on small amounts of soft food 3 to 5 times
a day until their teeth are strong enough for dried food.Treatments
* Give your pet a daily natural
supplement to help boost his/her immune system. This can help to
stave off many common minor illnesses.
* Give your pet an anti-parasite
supplement periodically. The dangers of worms are not to be
underestimated. * Use a natural
health solution to keep fleas, ticks and mosquitoes off your
dog.Training * It is critical to
train your dog. Obedient dogs won't soil your house, bite, jump up
on guests, chew your shoes and ruin the couch. They are more
hygienic and less likely to be involved in fights and accidents.
Once trained, you can give your dog much greater freedom as you
know that he/she can be trusted. *
Cats should be toilet trained as soon as possible and taught that a
scratching post is the only allowed place for them to sharpen their
claws.Exercise and play * Dogs need
to be exercised every day without fail. Ideally twice a day.
Letting him run round the back yard on his own doesn't count. Enjoy
the time that you spend walking with your pet and it's good
exercise for you too! * Cats kept
indoors at any time need a litter tray and this needs to be changed
daily. Cats will exercise themselves sufficiently if you let them
outside each day. Better still, fit a cat flap and allow them to
choose when they go out. But keep them inside from dusk till dawn.
This makes them less likely to be run over and they pose less
danger to other small animals. * Keep
an eye on your pet's weight and attitude to food. If he's getting
overweight, then you need to cut down on the food a little and get
him some more exercise. If he's off his food entirely, then there
may be an underlying health problem that needs attention.
* Make sure that your pet has a few
toys to play with. Dogs love rubber bones or balls to chew and
squeaky toys too. Cats love scratching towers, toy mice and string.
* Take time to get to know your pet.
When you really get to know your pet's character and physical
appearance, you will find that you can quickly spot any injuries
and illnesses that are developing.Grooming
* Grooming is important for all dogs
and cats. Long haired cats need to be groomed more often than short
haired breeds, but you should groom shorter haired ones too. Dogs
and cats both like to be stroked. It is a good bonding exercise
that also lets you examine your pet's hair and skin for any
problems. * Dogs need to be bathed
periodically and use a special dog shampoo for this purpose as many
human shampoos or shower gels will irritate. Once every two months
is about right. Their skin can become irritated with bathing too
often. Cats clean themselves so don't try to bathe your
cat!Reproductive * Spay/neuter your
animal. Neutered animals are better behaved and don't contribute to
the countless thousands of homeless cats and dogs. Dogs and cats
that have not been neutered will be at the beck and call of their
hormones. They will roam far and wide looking for a mate and are
more likely to get into road accidents and fights.Want to see some
great products for your pet's general health and get some pet
health advice?Click here for more information. Pet Care Tips (c)
Herbapet 2009
Date Published: