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Proper Pet Care 101: The Basic Necessities

Happy puppy

Hi Pet Blog Readers,

Please welcome Jordan with this comprehensive guide on pet care: its everything a new pet owner should know and research before bringing home your very first pet. Our pets are family and living creatures. They should be given the best care and attentiveness you have to offer. Good luck on your pet owning adventures and be sure to add anything you think needs to be added to this guide in the comments section!

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Owning a pet is a huge responsibility, especially if you think about pet health. However, this responsibility also comes with a huge reward in the form of the adoration and love that your pet will show towards you. Wouldn’t you see yourself smiling foolishly whenever you see your dogs wagging their tails at you or your cats dozing off on your lap peacefully? It is like the best feeling in the world that you have made such animals feel safe and happy even if they can only express it in their cute gestures.

First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit ContentsOne of the first things that you need to do in order to ensure the safety of your pets is to have a pet first aid kit at home. You never know when your clever yet naughty animals will get into trouble so you better be ready to handle any crisis that will come your way. The kit should have the following things:

  • Cotton swabs and balls
  • Bandages and sterile gauze pads
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • First aid tape
  • Scissors
  • Antiseptic wipes
  • Flashlight and batteries
  • Leash
  • Muzzle
  • Splint
  • Gloves
  • Eye wash
  • Antibacterial ointment
  • Mineral oil
  • Ice pack and hot pack
  • Buffered aspirin
  • Thermometer
  • A bottle of water
  • Veterinary documents
  • Book on pet first aid
  • Other drugs

Cleaning Up After Pets


Furminator

 

Once you feel quite secure about being able to respond to emergencies from minor injuries, you have to think about the daily needs of your pet. An impor

tant one would be cleaning up after them. Not only is this a pet care requirement, it is also necessary for the entire household’s health.

First, regular grooming and brushing can reduce shedding. This will not only prevent hair from being scattered at home but it will also protect your pet, especially cats, from hairballs. You also need regularly vacuum clean your home to remove pet hair from your furniture. Sticky lint rollers will help in removing their hair from your clothes, too.

When it comes to odor and stains, there are cleaning products that can remove them from your carpet or furniture. Proper cleaning will ensure that your home will be as homey and as clean as before.

Don’t forget to stock up on kitty litter or disposable poo bags to clean up the litterbox or your yard (or your neighbor’s yard when you walk).

When to Call the Vet

vetJust like parents would, you might feel rattled whenever you see some strange symptoms in your pet. For instance, dogs may be exposed to kennel cough, which shows symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing, or eye discharge. If you notice these symptoms, make sure you separate the infected pet from the other animals to contain the contamination. It would be best to bring them to the veterinarian right away.

The common reasons why owners bring pets to the vet for emergencies include the following:

  • Feeding the pets the wrong food. This often happens if you treat your dog, cat or pet as another human being. There are human foods that the animal cannot digest properly so be cautious what you feed them. Chocolate may be heaven for humans, but it can be deadly to dogs and cats.
  • Swallowing foreign things. Some pets cannot differentiate foreign objects from food so they end up eating them. This will however show symptoms such as discomfort, distended abdomen, constipation, vomiting, and diarrhea.
  • Poisoning. When pets get poisoned, they vomit, experience diarrhea, foaming at the mouth, nosebleed, and bleeding from the mouth. This situation usually happens when your pets mistook rat poison as a treat.
  • Allergic reaction. Dogs are prone to allergies, which have symptoms such as sneezing, itchiness, runny or itchy eyes, and excessive scratching.

If you can’t figure out what’s wrong with your pet, make sure to call your vet for advice. Be accurate in giving your vet details about your pet’s symptoms so the right medication will be prescribed.

Rewards of Having a Pet

dog relaxing in sunIt’s true that it can be quite burdensome to care and be responsible for another creature. However, having a pet at home means that you will experience the following things:

  • You will always have an eager greeter by your door every time you come home and a refreshing goodbye before you go to work.
  • You will always have someone warm to cuddle with.
  • You will have a pet to talk to who is willing to lend you a listening ear and a warm coat to lay your head on.
  • You will never have a dinner table all to yourself as your pet will keep giving you the “please-give-me-food wide-eyed look.
  • You will never be deserted no matter what happens to you.
  • You will have an exercise buddy.

These are only some of the things that you will enjoy if you take care of a pet at home. When you think about it, the benefits that they can give you certainly overweigh the things that you have to do to care for them.

If you’re ready to have a pet at home, you may want to think of adopting a rescue animal. There are many abandoned animals that need your care and love. Nothing beats the feeling that you have finally stood up to be responsible for another creature that cannot take care of themselves.

Author Jordon WalkerAuthor Bio: Jordan Walker

Jordan Walker is the lead content curator for Coops And Cages as well as a couple of other pet related blogs. His passion for animals is only matched by his love for ‘attempting’ to play the guitar. If you would like to catch him, you can via Google+ or Twitter: @CoopsAndCages

One comment

  1. avatar

    Fantastic article, I enjoyed reading every word of it. This is very useful for people who are new to world of pet care and have no idea how to get started. This is a very useful article that will help a lot of people and pets.

About hcrotsley

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Currently an owner of 3 dogs and 2 cats, I’ve gained a plethora of pet-related experience over the years. I strive to provide the best home I can for my little terrors, and you’ll read all about our trials and tribulations as I continue down the rewarding yet rocky road of pet parenthood.
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