Dr. Reed Stevens says it is really important for your pet to have some goals this year and the two big topics are training and weight.
Dr. Stevens says 60% of pets, whether they are a parakeet or a dalmatian, are overweight and it is important to keep our pets fit. They will live longer, have better quality lives, they will be better pets for you and they will even be less expensive for you. The first thing to do is talk to your vet and see what the goal weight for your pet should be. Then, Dr. Stevens says do some research. Talk to the people at the pet store and find out what the lowest calorie food that’s in your budget and would be good for your pet. We make decisions on everything our pet eats, and it is your responsibility not to overfeed your pet and not to feed it food scraps. He says not only will that cause weight gain, but it could also cause a serious disease like pancreatitis. Next replace all those expensive treats you buy at the pet store with kibble. He says most pets don’t care what treats you give them, they just want your love and affection so just give them the kibble for treats, and I’m taking about the dry dog food from the bag or the dry cat food from the box and in the end go back to your vet and check on the weight.
Finally training. Dr. Stevens says there are lots of training options online, Zoom, there are some lessons online and there is a lot of research out there. He says it is never too late to train your dogs.
For more information visit nfveterinarysociety.org
