The saying goes, ‘what’s good for the goose is good for the gander’. In this instance, what is good for you is most often good for your fur-baby. There are, however, a few things humans love that must be avoided by your pets. These include chocolate, gum, candy, xylitol, garlic, leeks, onions, grapes, raisins, and macadamia nuts. Please investigate further if you are unsure. Just like us, animals need food, water, and shelter to survive. To live their best lives, just like us, they need physical care, mental stimulation, and extra special nurturing.
Feed Your Animals Well
Aim to feed your pets the best quality food you can afford. Preferably choose one enriched with vitamins and minerals. While animals are not humans, they have very similar nutritional needs to us. Remember to read the food labels and avoid products with too many ingredients and chemical-based additives. Food is the best medicine for people and pets alike. A few dog-approved people-food options are raw unsalted peanut butter, baby carrots, pumpkin, green beans, sliced apples, and oatmeal. Some cats even love raw vegetables like avocado and cucumber. Many vets advise on adding fresh fruit and vegetables to your animal’s diet to increase their intake of essential vitamins and minerals. If your pet is eating a healthy and balanced diet, it is unlikely that they will need any supplements.
However, if you choose to feed them homemade food, they may require some additional nutritional supplements to complement their diet. Also, should your pet have any existing medical conditions or deficiencies, your vet will likely recommend supplements. This will all depend on the specific age, breed, lifestyle, and overall health of the animal in question. Avoid giving them human supplements, as some could be dangerous for animals, and daily requirements differ. Supplements are beneficial for addressing the root of a problem rather than just treating the symptoms. The most common are those used for joint support, skin and coat enrichment, digestive support, immune support, antioxidants, and those for stress and anxiety.
Organic pet supplements that use human-grade ingredients are recommended for your fur children. They should be free of fillers and non-GMO certified. These and more are readily available from Native Pet who follow the narrative that, ‘if it’s not good enough for you, it’s not good enough for your pets’. Remember that your pet’s dietary needs change throughout his life, so his diet and supplements may need to adjust accordingly. As in humans, probiotics are a good choice for pets to promote a healthy gut, as good health comes from inside. Fish oil is often recommended to alleviate skin allergies. Omega 3s also assist with allergies, skin disease, heart and kidney disease, and lymphoma. Aging animals are often prescribed vitamins C and E to reduce inflammation related to arthritis.
CBD products are also becoming popular for use in animal well-being, especially when it comes to helping decreases pain and inflammation.
Your pets need to keep hydrated, so always make sure they have a clean, fresh water supply. Check this more than once a day.
We all love a treat occasionally but, as stated earlier, some human treats like chocolate are not suited for animals. So, why not make them some homemade treats from quality natural ingredients like pumpkin puree, eggs, natural peanut butter and spices? Always check that the spices you use are safe for animal consumption as some, like nutmeg and garlic, can be toxic to dogs.
Physical Care
It is recommended that we have regular check-ups with our chosen health care practitioners to ensure optimum health. In the same way, this principle applies to our pets as well. Schedule regular visits to your pet’s veterinarian to stay ahead of disease, pain, and other problems which could possibly be avoided. Dental appointments are also essential to remove plaque and tartar build-up on teeth.
It is also a smart idea to have pet insurance, it’s important that they are well taken care of. Because they are very playful and love to run, it’s essential to have the best pet insurance to make sure that if anything happens to them, they are covered.
Preventative medications are also important for our animal friends. They help to keep them free of heartworm and intestinal worms, flea-related diseases, and tick-borne illnesses. Treating your pets to prevent these, in turn, protects you from getting ill from these parasites.
It is also advisable to spay/neuter your pets. This has several benefits including extending life expectancy. It can also prevent some forms of cancer and disease.
Exercise is an important aspect of a human’s health and well-being, and it is equally important to ensure your pet stays active. Make time to include them in your exercise regime. Whether that is taking your dog for a walk or a run, or interacting physically with your cat or hamster or bearded dragon, it is imperative to their health and happiness.
Your pet also needs the best shelter and sleeping arrangements with clean bedding to optimize their well-being. Like us, our pets need to get enough sleep to ensure bodily functions can work at their best.
Grooming is also very important for most pets. It helps create a strong bond between human and animal and also is a good way to keep an eye on skin or fur irregularities or strange lumps that may need attention.
Treat Your Animals Like Royalty
As with humans, who require emotional support to ensure their holistic frame of mind is intact, animals require nurturing to ensure that they can lead a happy, healthy, and long life as your companion and friend. They crave your one-on-one attention and it is important to provide your pet with emotional and intellectual stimulation. Teach them new tricks, buy them toys, and talk to them. Reverse the route of your daily walk, or change the position in the house where they will find their food and water. Hide their treats or build obstacle courses or mazes. Regular petting and playing, and quality time together ensure that you are providing for their emotional needs as well as physical. A stress-free life is what we all aspire to, for both our families and our pets.
Safety and Security
We, as humans, have identity cards and permits, and again, these are also important for our pets. For them, these come in the shape of collars with ID tags and microchips. We as the primary caregiver have the responsibility to ensure that our pets have a safe area in which to spend time, being safe from potential predators and hazards. In a similar way that we make our houses child-safe, we must ensure our homes are also pet-safe. Toxic substances must be placed out of reach of both children and pets.
Mutually Beneficial Connection
Keeping a pet is a huge responsibility that should never be taken lightly. The mutual benefits of taking on a pet are extensive. To have a positive effect on the life of another has a therapeutic effect that cannot be rivalled. Keeping a pet promotes self-love and increases self-esteem. It can help you to be more social, as talking about your pets is a great conversation piece. It also makes us more empathetic as we tend to the needs of our pets, providing more than just the essentials, but giving and receiving unconditional love and support.
It is evident and obvious that all those things that we know are good for our mental, physical, and emotional well-being as humans, are just as important for our furry, scaly or feathery friends.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.