| It's their everyday routine that can save pets | |||||||
| by BUDDY AMATO | |||||||
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All pets are owed proper medical care. It is a right of theirs from the time they are adopted. But, just as it is with people, it’s the little things that end up ultimately determining a pet’s health or lack of it. It is the everyday routine of a pet’s life that can dramatically improve its life span and, most importantly, the quality of the pet’s life. Pets should have access to clean water at all times. Proper hydration is just as important for dogs and cats as it is for human beings. Adequate and healthy food, not table scraps, should be fed to them in reasonable amounts, to ensure good health. There is an old saying that good pet owners worry about their pet’s diet more than their own. This can be very true. Food for humans was not made for dogs or cats. Can they digest it? Sure. Is it the best that can be done to make sure that a pet is healthy and active, receiving the proper amounts of vitamins and nutrients specific to their species? Probably not. Exercise is a vital part of a pet’s life. This is especially true in the case of dogs. Let’s face it, cats are very independent and the best you can probably expect from them is good behavior and strong friendship. A regular exercise regime for dogs can make all the difference in the world for them, though. One example of this is the Old English bulldog. The bulldog is a good-natured, loving friend for its family. But, let’s face it…they can be lazy. A bulldog never met a couch it didn’t like. Maybe it’s coincidence that bulldogs look a lot like throw pillows when they are curled up sleeping, but just maybe throw pillows were made to look like them. Either way, bulldogs sometimes need to be edged toward the road to good health by walks and encouraged play…or they just may sleep through their entire lives. If you have a fenced in yard, there may be an inclination to just let a dog outside when it wants and then open the door again when they want to come in. But, it wouldn’t hurt at all, either insofar as exercise or in developing your relationship with your pet, to put your dog on a leash and take a nice long stroll around the block. Of course, it could be a lot warmer than it is right now. As silly as it may sound, keeping your floor clear of any foreign object that your cat or dog can get into could go a long way to keeping them healthy. Dogs and cats are both naturally curious. Foreign objects on the floor can gain their attention and perhaps even whet their appetites. This threat surely presents a health danger, long- and short-term, to the well being of an animal. Pets share a great deal in common with very young children when one sees the world they live in. Like young children, pets are entirely dependent upon their adopted ‘mothers’ and ‘fathers’ for virtually every aspect of their life, from safety and belonging to sustenance and shelter, ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ are one-stop shopping for them. An all-important aspect of a pet’s life that we have not discussed yet is its need to belong. Basically, a pet has to feel as if it is a member of your ‘pack.’ Like any other member of the family, a pet has an expectation to be wanted. (Chief Victor "Buddy" Amato is the chief investigator for the Monmouth County SPCA, headquartered in Eatontown. For more information about this column, call (732) 671-9555.) Buddy Amato is a Hazlet business owner, who operates Amato's Karate and Weapons Academy. For more information, call (732) 671-9555.
Copyright Buddy Amato Amato's Goju-ryu Karate, Nunchaku, Bo-staff, Aikido, Sword, Kendo, Sais, Kick-boxing, Tai-Chi and more 589 Palmer Ave, Keansburg and is the author of Buddys Animal Kingdom, NJ 07734 (732) 671-9555 |
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