Twelve and a half years ago, Mojo, then a one-year-old pup, came into my life after being locked in an apartment for 7-8 days without food or water. While I like to think I rescued him, in reality, he was the one who saved me—a story for another time. On the evening of May 14, 2012, when Mojo came home, he was in a dire state: severely malnourished, underweight, running a fever, and suffering from a range of unforeseen medical issues. Seeing this beautiful, traumatized soul stirred my nurturing instincts and I was determined to be a responsible and loving pet parent. Despite my inexperience, my commitment to giving Mojo a good and healthy life galvanized me into action.
I took Mojo for a comprehensive check-up with a good veterinarian while simultaneously deep-diving into all the information I could read up on that would ensure his well-being and wellness. Once I had a diagnosis, I promptly began a course of homeopathic and holistic treatments for him including the game-changing PEMF Therapy, which proved to be highly beneficial.
In this blog, NYP explores the advantages of maintaining your pet’s health, including increased longevity, a higher quality of life, and reduced risk of disease. We delve into how enhancing both mental and physical wellness gives them a quality life, the importance of providing them preventive veterinary care, as well as a nutritious and balanced species-appropriate diet, and maintaining proper grooming and hygiene.
Mental and Emotional Well-Being
The wellness and well-being of a beloved pet are paramount for every pet parent. To ensure that our pets thrive and live a long quality life, it's crucial to maintain a peaceful, calm, and relaxed home environment. Pets are highly sensitive to our emotions and pick up on anxiety, stress, and changes in our energy, such as anger or aggression. These emotional shifts can directly impact their well-being. Just like humans, pets too experience depression and anxiety so prioritizing their emotional health from the start can help improve or prevent them. Enrichment plays an integral role in enhancing a pet's emotional and physical well-being. This includes encouraging natural, positive social interactions with other pets, establishing a regime for obedience training, providing mentally stimulating toys and puzzles, allowing time for sniffing and exploring outdoors, and engaging in scent work.
Species-Appropriate Nutrition and A Balanced Diet
A healthy diet is essential for the overall health and longevity of pets. With abundant dietary advice, countless brands, and a plethora of information, it's easy to become confused. To provide your pet with the best possible and balanced nutrition, consult your veterinarian or a specialized pet nutritionist to develop a personalized diet plan that addresses your pet’s specific needs. This plan will cover essential elements such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water content. Instead of synthetic and chemically induced dry food brands, many pet parents are turning to fresh or raw food options to enhance their pets’ well-being.
Physical Stimulation
Overweight pets can pose a serious health risk if neglected by their guardian or pet parents. Obesity comes with a series of issues and conditions that are harmful to pets and there is nothing adorable about an overweight pet. Pet parents need to understand their pet’s behavior well to avoid overfeeding them at every bark or meow. Cats too, need regular exercise, even if they don't go for daily walks like dogs. Engaging in physical activities is crucial for your pet's health and longevity. For dogs, physical activities like fetch, agility training, hiking, and swimming are excellent options. For cats, interactive toys, feather wands, and running wheels can be used to stimulate them physically. If your pet is overweight, it's essential to consult with your veterinarian to develop a safe and effective weight management plan. Tailoring a specific exercise regime catering to your pet’s individual needs and preferences, keeps them safe and healthy.
Overall Hygiene
Grooming provides both health benefits and comfort for pets. Regular at-home grooming strengthens the bond between you and your pet and helps avoid costly grooming bills, especially for issues like matting. Any hygiene regimes that pet parents opt for, must ensure the safety of their pets at all times!
Short-haired pets usually need weekly brushing, while medium and long-haired breeds may require daily attention. Anti-bacterial wipes can keep them fresh. Consult your vet or an experienced groomer for the right brushing schedule and tools. Nail trimming is also important, every one to two months.
Dental Care
Routine dental check-ups are essential for both dogs and cats, known as wellness exams. Preventive dental care is essential to ensure your pet's quality of life remains positive well into their senior years. Dogs and cats both face the risk of various dental diseases, which can potentially lead to tooth loss and severe health issues if left unattended. If your pet is not fond of brushing, consider incorporating dental chews or toys designed to promote dental health as a fun and effective way to supplement your pet's oral hygiene routine.
Prevention of Ticks and Fleas
Preventing and controlling parasites with products like collars and flea and tick medications is crucial to ensure your pet’s health and overall wellness. Pets with fleas are at risk of health issues such as tapeworms, cat-scratch disease, tick fever, murine typhus, and even anemia from blood loss. Ticks can also transmit Lyme disease. Since not all flea and tick preventatives are equal in composition, it’s important to research and choose the right products (there are even natural repellents or remedies that one can opt for to incorporate into a pet’s hygiene regime) to avoid potential complications.
Author - Khursheed Mistry
