Dog care and Cat care Tips
The new year is approaching. You're going to go to the gym, eat right, apply for a new job. But what are you going to do for your best friends? Here are some resolutions you should make on behalf of your pets:
ID YOUR PET
Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald of Animal Planet's Emergency Vets and E-Vet Interns says making sure your pet has ID is one of the most important ways to keep it safe.
"We get five to seven strays per week at our clinic," says Dr. Fitzgerald, who practices at the Alameda East veterinary hospital in Denver. "Ask yourself, 'Is my dog or cat microchipped? Does he have a tag with a current address and phone number?' "
Dr. Fitzgerald says that only 30 percent of the strays he sees have a chip or a collar tag so they can be easily returned home. "The rest go to the pound," he says, and have to trust to luck to be reunited with their owners.
He emphasizes the need to keep tags up-to-date. "I get numbers and call, and they say, 'That's three houses ago.' "
PREPARE FOR PROBLEMS
Put together a pet first-aid kit. Dr. Fitzgerald suggests that, at a minimum, you need gauze, sponges, cotton balls, triple antibiotic ointment, a penlight and a thermometer. You can buy prepared kits at some pet-supply stores. If all else fails, he says, "have the number of the emergency vet by the phone."
EXERCISE THE BODY AND THE MIND
You're not the only one who needs to get more exercise.
"A cat's or dog's brain is a terrible thing to waste. They need a job and a purpose in life, or they typically end up couch potato pets with waists the size of pickle barrels," says Amy Shojai, author of 22 books about pets. "So a great resolution for both dogs and cats is to exercise their minds and their bodies."
Exercising your dog's body is good for both his mind and yours. It will improve your dog's behavior and the peacefulness of your household.
"A tired dog is a good dog," says Victoria Schade, dog trainer and creator of the puppy training DVD, New Puppy! Now What? "Dogs have a tremendous reserve of energy, and if it isn't spent in a constructive manner, that energy will spill into other nonconstructive behaviors like household destruction, boredom barking, unchecked attention-seeking behaviors, you name it."
But don't fool yourself about the effort needed to get results. "A 15-minute walk around the block doesn't cut it," says Ms. Schade. "People need to provide off-leash, pant-inducing play at least once a day."
DON'T FORGET CATS
Get your cat moving and thinking, too. Playing with cats is an obvious way to get them to exercise. But you also can multitask by making feeding time more of a challenge.
"For reluctant cats, move the food bowl to the top of a cat tree or up the stairs. That way they must move to get fed," Ms. Shojai says. You also can feed them in interactive treat balls that drop pieces of food when they're pushed around, which encourages cats to "work a bit and think how to get their food."
SEND DOGS TO SCHOOL
Training is one of the best kinds of mental exercise, and it has multiple benefits. We'd all rather live with well-behaved dogs, but it doesn't happen by accident.
"If you see a well-mannered dog, someone's worked with him," Dr. Fitzgerald says.
Ms. Schade suggests you resolve "to teach dogs the minimum of good household manners, including 'sit,' 'down' and 'stay.' "
In particular, she suggests, "Require some sort of 'say please' behavior from the dog before doing anything for the dog. A polite dog sits before the door opens, or before his leash goes on, or before the ball is tossed."
KEEP CATS CLEAN
Many cat behavior problems can be avoided if humans keep up with routine maintenance. Clip your cat's nails regularly and you may have fewer problems with furniture scratching.
And Ms. Shojai says, "Resolve to clean the litter box routinely. Most litter box "oops" accidents develop because of a nasty box. Scoop daily, dump out and wash weekly."