Helping Your Pet Live a Long, Fulfilling Life

We all want the best things for our pets. While this might sound selfish, we’d want them to live long, healthy lives, partially for our sake. Because of that, most pet owners prioritize quality food, proper exercise, and solid vet care.

“Just a few healthy habits can completely change the outlook for your furry friend,” according to Phoenix Veterinary Center, reputable pet experts from Arizona. According to these medical professionals, you can increase your pet’s life by at least a year or two by implementing the following practices:

1. Improve Dental Hygiene

Similar to humans, dogs and cats are heavily reliable on their dental health. Unfortunately, more than 80% of dogs will start experiencing some sort of dental problems after three years of age. Gum diseases are especially troublesome. Not only are they painful, but they also lead to the accumulation of bacteria, which can seep into the bloodstream and cause organ failure.

Perhaps the best way to address the issue is by giving your pets chewing toys. By gnawing on these objects, they synthesize saliva, which cleans up teeth. Nevertheless, nothing beats proper brushing. You must do it at least several times a week (preferably each day) to ensure your loved one has a clean bill of health.

2. Check Mealtimes

Similar to their children, some people have no self-control when feeding their pets. They give them all sorts of human food, even if that means they’ll experience stomach issues. However, the most important thing to keep in mind is not necessarily the type of food you’re giving. Instead, you should focus on quantity. 

According to limited data, pets that eat 25% fewer calories than the US average tend to live much longer. They also experience fewer health issues, especially digestive and mobility problems. Even when they do suffer these issues, they usually come later in their lives.

3. Exercise Each Day

Whether we’re talking about cats, dogs, or some other animal, all pets require constant exercising. Similar to humans, animals need to move around to boost their organ functions, reinforce joints and bones, and experience other improvements.

Through regular activities, pets maintain a steady weight, which is especially important for dog breeds that tend to get fat. It’s worth noting that each species, whether we’re talking about cats or dogs, has its optimal exercise pattern, which varies based on size, age, breed, and health. 

4. Adapt to Requirements

Each breed has its unique requirements that vary from other ones. For example, larger dogs tend to suffer major issues with osteoarthritis as they get older. On the other hand, Siamese cats are notorious for their asthma issues.

Whatever the case, you need to learn more about a pet’s potential health issues before getting one. Monitor the symptoms as the animal comes of age and introduce preventative measures when possible. Don’t postpone vet visits and opt for surgery as soon as an expert notices an issue. Quick reactions are vital in these situations, having a major impact on a pet’s life expectancy.

5. Reduce Stress

Stress is a major factor determining an animal’s life expectancy. We have a plethora of data that shows how fighting and working animals tend to have much lower expectancies than pampered urban pets. Fear, depression, anxiety; all of these are conditions that can seriously hamper the animal’s life expectancy and quality.

The best way to reduce stress and anxiety is by learning more about an animal’s personality. Some pets hate socialization, which is why you shouldn’t expose them to many other animals. Or there might be things triggering aggressive or fearful reactions, which you need to eliminate as soon as possible.

Whatever the case, you should give your pet some time to recuperate after experiencing a stressful situation. Assign an area of the house where they can isolate themselves from the world, including you. 

6. Use Drugs

Nowadays, you have people who don’t believe in drugs and vaccination. Unfortunately, as our pets end up in all sorts of places, they will need to get their shots from time to time. For example, tick vaccines are vital for both cats and dogs as they spend so much time in the grass.

Visit the veterinarian every once in a while for checkups. Perform complete urine, blood, and parasite tests, as they are vital for early prevention. Depending on the breed and healthhistory, you might have to do some of these tests more often than you’d like. 

7. Snip Your Pet

Many owners are reluctant to get their cat or dog neutered as they’re too attached. However, besides removing the chance of reproduction, this practice also has an incredible impact on the lifespan. Depending on the pet, it might increase their life expectancy from six months to three years on average.

Another good reason to snip your pet is so you can avoid testicular cancer. As if that wasn’t enough, it also helps the pet avoid all the prostate issues that come with older age. Similarly, neutering a female pet eliminates mammary cancer and womb infections from the equation.

Conclusion 

If you want to extend your pet’s life, you’ll have to make some drastic cuts. Besides improving its diet and sleep, you also need to remove anything that causes stress. You need to rely on medicines and vet’s suggestions, ensuring that your pet doesn’t succumb to an ailment while still relatively young.