Petcare Lifehacks

Keeping a pet isn’t always easy. Even though they can be loyal, cute and rewarding companions, there are challenges that come with keeping a pet that can make it a less pleasant experience.

Today we’re taking a look at some of the easiest tips that can make a big impact on the day to day stress of keeping a pet, and ensure you get more enjoyment out of your furry, feathery or scaly companion.

Get a Vet

Under the UK Animal Welfare Act of 2006, you’re legally obligated to do your best to protect your pet from “pain, injury, suffering and disease”, but there are better reasons to register at a vet than legal obligation.

Knowing where your vet is and them having an existing relationship with your pet is far preferable to frantically searching “vets near me” in the middle of a crisis.

Taking your pet for a regular check every six to twelve months also makes your life substantially easier in the long run – it doesn’t just mean finding the early signs of health issues so you can start treating or managing them. Taking your pet the vet regularly gives both of you experience, so the trip can be more practiced and less stressful when it’s really important.

Exercise

It’s not a surprise that you need to walk your dog, but providing adequate mental and physical stimulation is a key lifehack for any pet owner.

A pet without enough mental stimulation and physical exercise is unhealthy and unhappy. An unhealthy pet means more worry, more trips to the vet and more cost, and an unhappy pet means worse behaviour, a worse relationship between pet and owner, and even disobedience and aggression. Unhappiness can progress to stress and anxiety, which in turns produces more physical symptoms that could mean treatment at the vet, and therefore bills!

The key is to identify what’s suitable exercise for your pet, and provide a variety of different options to keep them mentally engaged. For a dog, this means finding out how much exercise they need (and too much can be as harmful as too little) and making sure you have a variety of different walking routes, to provide variety.

For a cat this could mean making sure you have a variety of different toys that you rotate regularly and opportunities for your cat to climb and explore both indoors and out (if appropriate).

Fitting the right exercise to your pet’s species and individual preferences means they will be healthier and happier, and you’ll have a more rewarding and fulfilling relationship with them.