As a pet owner, you know how crucial your four-legged friend is to you. You would possibly do everything in your power to keep them happy and healthy.
But are you doing everything you can? Are you forgetting the old and traditional ways of pet parenting that don’t work anymore?
According to a recent survey by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), 91% of pet owners agree they are willing to take better care of their pets. This was not just a statistic that was pulled out of thin air. It is a figure that represents the willingness of pet owners to keep their pets happy and healthy in 2023.
However, taking better care will only be possible if pet owners are ready to ditch the old ways of doing things. It is not easy to change habits, as it requires patience and self-discipline, but this can be achieved if you put in some effort every day.
Forget to Maintain a Diary of Your Pet’s Health Schedule
If you are a pet parent, there is a high chance that you are not maintaining a proper diary of your pet’s health schedule. With their plates already full of many commitments, pet parents tend to forget to maintain a diary, which can lead to severe consequences in the future.
For instance, if you forget to take your furry friend for scheduled vaccinations, you might face problems down the road. In fact, 42% of pet owners have to incur debt to meet their pet’s emergency needs, as found by a Lemonade-commissioned survey.
To avoid getting into such situations, pet parents need to keep track of their pets’ activities, eating habits, and health schedules, particularly as they plunge into 2023. By doing this, you will more easily identify any issues that your pets may be facing at an early stage. Pet parents who maintain such diaries are known to take better care of their animals and provide better treatment when required.
Moreover, you should always make sure that you write down every detail about your pets’ health, like the date of vaccinations, medication routine, etc. If possible, it would be good if you could use electronic diaries or apps so that you can track and make changes in real time.
Withhold Food as Punishment
As pet parents, we all want to do the best for our pets. But it’s easy to get caught up in old habits like withholding food as punishment.
We’ve all been there: our dog is misbehaving, and we’re tempted to withhold food as a way of getting them to stop. But that’s not fair. You should never withhold food from your pet as punishment, it’s not healthy for them, and it can cause long-term behavior problems.
What can you do? Forget the old ways of parenting and start treating your furry friend right with a high-quality diet today.
HABRI’s survey shows that 9 in 10 pet owners would buy high-quality nutrition for their pets in the coming years. That’s great news! With so many choices available now, there are plenty of foods out there that will help keep your pet healthy without causing any behavioral issues.
Moreover, it’s not just about feeding them the right food. It’s also about avoiding harmful ingredients like corn syrup and artificial flavors. Due to high demand, many local companies use unregulated ingredients, which may lead to serious health consequences for your pets. Being a pet owner, you should be extra cautious while purchasing pet foods from any online and offline stores.
With this awareness comes the importance of buying high-quality pet foods from genuine online stores like PetCareRx. PetCareRx provides a wide range of options at affordable prices. By buying pet foods from such genuine providers, you can trust that the food is safe for your pet because they source only from trusted suppliers who adhere to strict quality standards.
Underestimate the Importance of Socialization
The COVID-19 pandemic caused an enormous impact on our lives and habits. There are many things that we need to change in our life, especially when it comes to our pets.
While many of these changes were out of our control, others occurred due to our own negligence. For example, many pet owners couldn’t take their pets out for walks or socialize with other dogs/cats as much as they used to do before the pandemic.
A survey revealed that 85% of pet parents are tensed that their pets didn’t get enough socialization opportunities with other dogs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though this is largely due to COVID-led restrictions instead of your habit, you still need to provide enough opportunities for your pets to socialize with other pets.
Here are a few of the ways you can take to ensure that your pets don’t feel lonely and neglected.
- Start by taking your dog out for walks and letting him meet other dogs while you’re out together. This will teach him how to socialize with other dogs in a safe environment, and it’ll help him learn how to play well with others.
- Next, let him interact with children, not just at home but also when he goes outside or goes on walks. As he gets older, this will help him stay calmer around small children who may approach him on the street or at a park or dog park.
Forget to Set up a Routine for Your Pet
If you’re a pet parent, you know that your four-legged friend is nothing less than any other family member. And if you’re planning on being a better parent, you’ll need to ensure a regulated life for your pet.
To become a better pet parent in 2023, it’s important that you understand the importance of creating a routine for your dog. As a parent, you should set up a different routine for different aspects like exercise, food, playtime, etc.
You can set up a daily exercise routine that works well with your dog’s current needs. To be able to do that, it’s important to know which part of the day (i.e., morning or evening) your dog is most active. The physical activity requirements differ depending on breed and age. If you want to learn more, you can look at the detailed guide given on the website of the American Kennel Club.
The same goes for eating. If your dog eats whenever they feel like it, he won’t get all the nutrients that he needs to keep him healthy and happy. You can consult a veterinarian to know whether your pets’ eating requirements are being met properly.
Summing Up
We know how hard it is to change your ways, but we think it’ll be worth it in the end. Because when you’re a better pet parent in 2023, you’ll be a better person. Once you’ve adopted these practices into your life, you’ll find that it’s much easier to raise a healthy and happy pet.
