Ten Ways to Love Your Pet

Pets are playing an ever more important role in the lives of people. It may be a service dog, farm dogs, or our family companions. Here are ten ways you can enrich the lives of your pets:
1) Exercise. Exercise is one of the most important things that we can give our pets. Exercise has the same health and mental benefits for animals as it does for humans. Where the mind leads, the body will follow or in the reverse order in this case.  It helps to reduce the risk of arthritis, joint disease, and diabetes while also giving your pet an outlet for his excess energy. You must also understand this is a form of getting in shape. That 10 minute "tire em" out becomes a 20 minute time line.
2) Discipline - positive reinforcement. Disciplined dogs are better behaved and are allowed greater freedoms. Well-behaved dogs are easily brought out of the house, left out of crates, and generally cause less stress to their owners. There is a need for obedience classes. There is education conducted on both ends of a leash. It really helps to establish what in dogs is considered the "alpha" relationship. Dogs are really looking for "the limits of a control box". Obedience class instructors help prevent bad habits that may result in injury. Instructors are able to illustrate the correct point of praise or the correct time to correct misbehavior.
3) Regular visits to your pet's veterinarian. Health is the core of everything we and our pets do. If we don't feel well, it is difficult to be our best. Regular visits to your veterinarian will provide your pet with needed vaccinations. Vaccinations make it safe for your pet to be out and about with other pets. They help prevent diseases that have the potential to be very serious to your pet's health. Regular physical exams can also help to catch any health problems, when they are less serious and do not need major intervention. You understand the saying an "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".4) Nutrition. It surprises some humans, pizza bones and table scraps are not healthy for a pet's adequate nutrition. There are commercial pet foods well-balanced, moderate-cost, high-quality diets for our pets. Your veterinarian can provide guidance in this area.5) Enrichment. Many animals suffer from pure boredom. This may not seem like the biggest problem, it many times will manifest itself in problematic behaviors: chewing, house destruction, and self-mutilation. Animals that lack a mental challenge seek out their own "play time activities", destroying the garbage, chewing through dry wall, molding remodeling to name a few. There are companies that address oral fixation or separation anxiety disorders with toys that provide mental challenge. Kong and Buster cubes are two examples of items that allow owners to hide treats inside a toy and the dog or cat will spend hours figuring out how to get the treat out.6) Grooming, regular grooming makes for a more pleasant smelling dog or cat. Grooming can help to prevent health problems. Matting of the hair can cause discomfort and provide a breeding ground for skin infections or places for fleas to hide, or when wet an odor that attracts flies. The extra hair makes for a very hot pet in the summer time. Regular grooming helps owners inspect for problems, like ticks or fleas. Regular ear cleanings and clipping can help prevent ear infections in most animals. Teaching puppies to have their teeth brushed will improve their oral health and extend their life by almost a third. That is in some breeds 4 to 5 years (human time frame). The quality of life is much better during those years and you have "kissing fresh breath" instead of sewer mouth.
 7) Reassurance and positive reinforcement. The power of persuasion works on pets as well as people. It is a matter of knowing when to apply the reinforcement. We are the masters of our own animal's fate. If we do not "train our buds" we end up with a pet that needs excuses. "He does not like X". I agree that not all pets are acceptable or human compatible.  Any animal that shows human aggression is not a good candidate for retraining. I have had need of trying to locate trainers or re-trainers if you will. They routinely refuse to take on a human biter, due to low rate of cure. There are certified animal behavioralists available but the expenditure in time and fees is extremely high.

8) Socialization. Allowing your pet to be exposed to many different things at the right window of opportunity, you create a well-rounded pet which is able to function, relax and behave in most situations. Simple things to do at home, touching his paws, opening his mouth, and touching his ears, will make routine events, such as nail clipping or medicine administration, easier on your pet. You also will benefit from these skills when called on at moment of need. Exposure to other animals allows your pet to learn appropriate social skills. The animal world has its own species specific acceptable greeting rituals. The transition to the human world with good manners around people is one example. It teaches them to have good manners with other dogs as well. Humans greet each other in a certain way such as a hug or a hand shake. Dogs do the butt sniffing thing and other dog acceptable rituals. Socialization allows you to take your pet more places and a more enjoyable time in parks and other public places. 9) Time. Time is always tight. Ten minutes of brushing your pet can provide an excellent bonding routine. There is hard data that interacting with your pet also has a magical effect on lowering human stress, blood pressure and allows a confidant that will not blab your private venting.  It takes care of grooming needs, helps socialize your pet, and allows you to spend one-on-one time with your animal. A 5-10 minute game of catch, playing or walking your dog or cat is a great relief for both pet and human. Spending time with your pet and taking care of their need for exercise goes a long way to let the pet take care of its people.10) Love. The greatest of these is Love. The most important thing you continue to give your pet is love. Providing love does not always mean providing treats. It does mean appropriate volume of food and clean fresh water. Some times we love our pets too much. We tend to equate food with love. Boy does that sound familiar. The rate of obese animals is increasing.  An obese animal is neither good for the animal or the owner. Lean lives longer, Ralston Purina did a study that established that leaner dogs live on average two years longer. I understand "puppy love" but what rocks my world is my old dog continuing to return love. 

In general, there is no one specific way or thing to make a happy pet. Some pets are needier than others but if you stick to the general concepts discussed above your pet will know how much you love them. At our practice we focus on what it takes to have your best bud live a long and healthy life.I hope this listing of ten things helps you to understand some aspects of the human animal bond you had not thought of. If you wish more information about keeping your pet healthy and happy, consult your veterinarian.

Mike Sweet, D.V.M.
6/16/08