How to Become the Ultimate Pet Parent

How to Become the Ultimate Pet Parent

Everyone wants to be the best pet parent there is, but not everyone knows how.

How to Become the Ultimate Pet Parent

Pick the best veterinarian for your furry friend.

Picking the best veterinarian for your fur baby is going to be highly important considering this is who you need to bring him or her to so that they can get to feeling better. It will be counterproductive to bring them to a vet that you can not trust, so why not bring them to someone you can?

Speaking of … Be sure to get your pet on insurance, too!

Humans have insurance for when they go to the doctor. Now your pet can, too! Simply register them for pet insurance and you won’t have to worry about a huge bill if (heaven forbid) something happens to your baby. Emergency and unexpected accidents and sicknesses in your pet often cost anywhere between $800 and $1500. About a third of pets need emergency care per year, which can cause a financial burden on owners. However, insurance (just like it does for humans) can help to cover these expenses in temporary and long-term health conditions, which makes this quite an important investment for your fur babies.

Pick up toys and gifts for your furry friends

Having toys for your pets is vital. From Kong to Petco brand, it depends on your pet's preference. A really good way to make your pet feel at home is by having a space dedicated to just them, anything as simple as a corner of a room could work. In my bedroom, I have a corner by my TV that is my dog's space. He has his bed, a toy box, and a pet canvas portrait from Mr. and Mrs. Paw hanging above his bed. He goes here when he's happy, mad, tired, anytime he wants, but he knows it's his spot.

Pick up supplements and vitamins

Shop around places like WINPRO Pet for supplements and vitamins for your furry friend! Even pets should stay healthy. This is one of the ways to keep them healthy.

Spend quality time together 

Most pet parents will regularly snuggle with their fur baby at home on the couch or in bed. Many of them will watch TV with their fur baby on the couch. A little more than half of pet parents will do an outdoor activity with their furry friend. There’s no right way to spend time with your pet, just spend time with them and make them feel loved.

Pay attention to your pet

If you’re not noticing when something is wrong with your pet, you’re just plain old doing it wrong. Paying attention to your pet is a MUST do for all pet parents. For instance, if you miss out on some conditions, you might not realize your loved one suffers from incontinence. If that happens, you might just get angry with him/her for messing around with urine in your home. Keep an eye on your pet's favorite spot. Does it smell like dog pee? Do you notice she constantly licks her vulva? You should figure out how to solve the dog leaking urine issue right now.

Get educated

BEFORE you get your furry friend, it is wisest to read up on your pal before bringing them home. This is as important as getting to know them before you bring them home. Borrow books from the library, buy them from the store, search the internet, whatever you have to do. Read and study up on your pet so that when you bring them home you know what to do and how to handle and care for them.

Remember it’s a lifelong commitment

Our furry friends are not creatures that we can just drop whenever we want to. They require our care and attention around the clock. They live long lives, and leaving them will break their poor little hearts. Get a fish if this is something you don’t think you can handle because rehoming a pet is heartbreaking for the people around you and for the pet itself. 

Keep up with their care

Take them to the vet for their checkups regularly, take them out for walks regularly, pay close attention to oddities in their behavior, groom them, bathe them, brush their teeth if they have them (some have beaks and feathers!), and make sure you know what you need to know as their parent. These things are optimal for having a fur baby and they cannot be healthy without them.

Dogs: Play with a reason

When you pet and play with your dog, specifically, especially when they are young, you are going to want to intentionally play with their feet, their ears, and their mouth. Doing this during a happy play experience desensitizes your furry friend from being touched in these places. So when it’s time for, say, a nail trim, and you touch their nails during positive play time, it makes it much easier for you or the groomer who is trimming their nails. Same with their ears and mouth, it makes them used to being touched like this and your vet will thank you for it. The dog will be less stressed out during exams as well, which makes them happier. 

Cats: Pay attention when you clean the litter box

Cats' litter boxes will tell you everything you need to know. If your cat has worms, if your cat is sick, if everything is normal, literally everything you need to know will be in their litter box. This does not mean don’t pay attention to their behavior, but pay attention to the cat’s litter box as well. Both are equally as important.

If you have a puppy …

First of all, puppies are quite a handful, and you are going to need to make sure you have all the time you need to care for them. That includes crate training, puppy-proofing, changing the way you do your housekeeping (dependent upon what household products you use), and keeping human food away from your dog. 

Trash

Keep all garbage away from your dog. Dogs are drawn to, what they believe is the delicious smell of your garbage and could eat things that are either toxic, harmful, or not digestible they find in your trash can. So, make sure you secure your trash can to keep your pet safe. Ingestion of different things could lead to some quite costly emergency surgeries for your loved one.

Give him or her a safe space

Have a safe space for your dog’s bed, blanket, toys, and a water bowl so your dog can feel safe and comfortable in taking naps during the day. This can help your dog self-soothe in a variety of situations. Thunderstorms, babies crying in the house, a party, fireworks, the list goes on. Your baby needs a safe place to land when the stress hits. If he or she was crate trained, leaving the crate open and available in situations like this is a perfect idea.

Lock up all toxins in the house

Do not ever keep your household chemicals, cleaners, and pesticides out where your furry friend has access to them. This could kill them. Many clever fur babies can and will get into them if they’re not locked away safely. Try baby-proof locks and seal cabinets with toxic items in them.

Wash your dog’s things regularly

There are so many different things that end up on your dog's things. Germs, dirt, pollen, and way more end up on his or her bedding, toys, and blankets. If you’re washing them weekly you’ll keep them fresh and clean for him or her. If your dog suffers from seasonal allergies, this is especially helpful in reducing their exposure to pollen.

Keep your pup away from human food

There are so many foods that are poisonous to dogs. Chocolate, avocados, onions, or corn are just a few of the things on the “toxic” list. These foods can have serious health ramifications and are extremely advised against keeping anywhere near your dog. By toxic, it doesn't mean it's just going to make them a little sick. No, these things are toxic as in they can kill your dog if ingested.

Please keep human food out of reach and be cautious with gum and candies with the sugar-like substance, xylitol, as it is toxic to dogs as well. Do not feed human food to your dog unless a veterinarian is recommended to do so. Some human foods, like plain rice, chicken, cheese, or canned pumpkin might be recommended purposefully. Reasons for this can include curing digestive problems, and diarrhea, feeding oral medications, or as treats in training to motivate your furry friend. In instances such as these, human food for your dog may be appropriate for them. However, they most definitely do not need to be licking your dinner plate each night. It is simply unnecessary.

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