Keeping Your Pets Healthy

STORY BY JENNY RAE TAPIA

Here’s a short story about how I care for my pets. Animals need proper health and nutrition like a human does. Sure, pets don’t need to be looked after as closely as an infant, however, it is important to still acknowledge your pet’s well-being by giving them proper food, grooming, and emotional care for them to live for as long as possible.

One of the most important tasks in the care of your pet is making sure your pet has proper nutrition. For example, I have two pets, a dog named Shakira, and a cat named Becky. They both have very different diets, and I must pick out different foods for their specific digestive systems. My dog can eat different types of ham from bologna to turkey meat, while my cat is not able to because she will throw it up. Cats have a different digestive system than dogs and our cat Becky is not able to digest that type of meat well. I discovered that I must give her fish or anything in a can that is softer for her tummy for lunch. Most of the time, our cat will eat cat food from a bag, I usually buy the dry cat food in a bag from Walmart and give her about 2 servings at a time since she is a small cat.

My dog Shakira will eat anything and everything she is given except for dog treats. My grandfather got her use to eating human food that she won’t always want to eat normal dog food all the time unless it s’ a snack. I usually give her about 2-3pieces of bologna a day and give her one serving of dog food from a bag a day that I put on the side as a snack for her throughout the day. Make sure to always check if your pets have enough water as well, especially if you live in an area where it is constantly humid! Water is very essential for pets and it important they always have water as they can be active a lot of the time and need water to stay hydrated. Taking your pets to a veterinarian is also very important to maintain their health! The veterinarian can indicate whether your pet is sick, has fleas/ticks, is injured, and they are able to check for their nutrition intake. They can also decide what kind of diet your pet should go on to stay active and healthy for as long as possible. They also check for any lumps that can indicate a sign of illness or disease that would need to be treated for right away. The last thing you want to check for and be aware of is the physical activity of your pet. Do what you can to take your dog for a walk, play with yarn with your cat, play fetch the toy, and show them some tricks! Pets love attention and deserve the love and affection! Physical activity is a form of showing your pets you love them and that you love spending time with them. I always love cuddling with my dog and cat during the day on my days off work, cuddling shows them that they can trust me. Life is short and it is important to spend as much time as possible with your pets while they are around. Research and story by Jenny Rae Tapia