With the holiday right around the corner, families have started holiday planning and thinking about New Year resolutions. Holiday celebrations are fun for everyone in the family, especially for our pets.
When it comes to celebrating the holiday, music, food and fun go hand in hand. It is important to keep our pets in mind when celebrating the holidays as it can have a profound effect on their health and well-being. Please consider the following if your pets will be present for your family’s holiday celebration:
If loud music will be playing at your holiday celebration, it is in the best interest of your pet to re-locate them to another room or location to avoid increased stress and anxiety.
Ensure that family members are not feeding foods outside of your pet’s regular diet as this can lead to gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting and diarrhea.
Ensure family members are aware that giving bones to your pet is very harmful and can have catastrophic repercussions such as gastrointestinal obstruction.
Creating New Year’s resolutions for change in the new year is a common practice for not only us but for our furry friends. Desirable changes that are most often part of our new year’s resolutions include diet change, exercise, and lifestyle changes. Applying resolutions that we make for ourselves to our furry family member’s routine, will lead to positive changes to our pet’s mental health, somatic health and internal functioning.
As recommended by Daniel Mudrick, DVM at Clarkson Village Animal Hospital, please consider the following resolutions that you can apply to your pet’s lifestyle:
Exercise- More frequent and longer walking facilitates calorie burning and weight management. Frequent walking promotes healthy socializing among pets, thus promoting environmental enrichment and relaxation which is imperative to our pet’s mental health. Leash walking establishes respect and control training between our pets and ourselves. Lastly, frequent walking increases muscle, burns fat and allows less stress on joints (most commonly hip and knee).
Flip the lip- Checking our pet’s teeth regularly to determine the condition of their oral health and to keep track of the changes to their teeth. Things to look for are tartar, redness and inflammation. If you see these signs, please consult your Veterinarian. Regular teeth brushing promotes our pet’s oral health and can mitigate the progression of dental disease. Teeth brushing is also a great bonding experience!
Grooming- Clip and cleaning our pets is not only beneficial to the cleanliness of our homes, but it makes our pets feel happier and look Rocco. Regular grooming of our pets allows us to see what is underneath the coat. This is important when it comes to dermatological issues such as dry skin, hot spots and skin irritations. These issues are common and often buried under our pet’s heavy coats. If grooming is a rarity, these issues can later surface via the exhibited behaviours and symptoms of our pets. Please consult your Veterinarian if you are seeing these signs. Mats (clumped and tangled fur) occurs often with the lack of regular grooming. Mats can cause pain and skin irritation if left untreated. An important aspect to consider is what is underneath the coat. Fleas, ticks, and other parasites can be dwelling on our pets without us noticing. Grooming facilitates health, happiness and awareness!
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call our hospital at 905-855-2100, we are open 7 days a week.
