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Some Tips On Maintaining Pet Health
by Gerda Lourdes
http://www.thepethealth.com
Owners know that pets are closer to human beings than many
people realize. They are loving and moody, and they are
also prone to get overweight or ill, just like humans. As
human beings we are responsible for our own health, but as
pet owners we have to take responsibility for the health of
our pets. A pet is not able to plan their own diet - they
eat what they are given. In other words their health is in
our hands, and we must help keep our pets healthy.
Some elements of pet health are common sense, others are a
question of reading up and seeking professional advice.
When it comes to using your common sense you need to have
some confidence in what you already know. Let's look at
dogs for example. Think about what you know about the
close cousins of domestic dogs - say wolves, for the sake
of argument. Ask yourself, how do they live? They are
wild creatures capable of covering many miles on foot each
day. They appear to love to run, they are affectionate (to
a point), and they eat a diet of raw meat as and when they
can get it. Now our household dogs are not exactly like
wolves, but there is plenty of sense in thinking about what
years of evolution has led the wolves to be good at.
If we use what we know about the wolf to answer any doubts
around exercising our own dogs. Is a dog built for lazing
around the home all day, or should it be out walking and
running? The wolf has the answer. And though some
domestic breeds need only a little walking, they all must
exercise daily. If your pet is in bad shape you will know
it - their weight goes up and they have that hang dog look
whenever they need to move about. They are under
exercising and overeating - the same happens to human
beings.
It is not healthy for a dog (or any animal, humans
included) to be overweight - again think about how they
might survive running with wolves. One thing to watch for
in everyday pet health is a change in behavior - if your
dog happily walks a few miles each day and then all of a
sudden starts panting at the shortest distance, you ought
to take him or her to the veterinary surgeon. A key to
maintaining pet health is being attuned to the ways of your
pet - they cannot simply tell you they do not feel right
like a human could, instead you must work it out by knowing
your pet very well.
It is not hard to understand your dog, dogs love attention
(even as wild animals they give affection) and they require
relationships with their owners that are close and caring.
Responding to their affection means looking after their
needs and going out for walks. It won't then be hard for
you to notice any changes in them such as if their eyes
lack their normal brightness or if they have any discharge
from their nose or ears.
You should worm your dog regularly, keep them flea free,
groom them, make sure you are feeding them the right amount
of good quality pet food, and keep their vaccinations up to
date.
We have looked most closely here at the domestic dog, but
any pet that is kept at home can be better understood by
using your knowledge and intelligence when caring for them.
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