Basic care of your pet animal
Visit the veterinarian!
We cannot start in any other way, the first thing you have to do with your pet animal is visit the vet. Pay careful attention to everything they say. They will give you advice on feeding, parasite elimination and general care. And they will also check its health. For sure your dog or cat will come to hate these visits to the vet, but for us they are useful and obligatory.
Everything for its health.
Parasites: Cats and dogs need to be treated against internal parasites every 3 months, especially when they are puppies and before being vaccinated. There are also external parasites, such as fleas and ticks, which can be eradicated with the right products. It is best to consult your veterinarian about them. This way our friend is clean inside and outside.
Vaccinations: The first thing you need to know is that if your pet animal is not vaccinated it should not come into contact with other animals nor with the outside world. The vaccination plan varies in function of breed, immunological status and lifestyle. Your vet will design it and you will find out how beneficial it is in avoiding diseases like parvovirus, distemper or canine hepatitis in the case of dogs and calicivirus, panleucopenia or rhinotracheitis in the case of cats.
Sterilisation: Sterilisation is a recommended practice. In the case of males, castration diminishes fights with other dogs, running away and even behaviour like urine marking and mounting. In the case of females, it will reassure you to know that sterilisation eliminates heat and the possibility of pseudo-gestation and reduces the occurrence of breast tumours, as well as meowing and other behaviour typical of heat. This operation does not provoke mood changes in your animal and is both common and without risk. Consult your veterinarian about the right date and remember that sterilising your dog or cat avoids having unwanted litters, which in our country amount to 15% of all abandoned animals.
Bureaucratic procedures
The more meticulous you are in this respect, the easier you will find it to have your pet animal well-localised. You have to register it in the census of your Council, just like a person, give it the obligatory microchip and get its health card with updated information on its vaccinations and veterinarian record. If you are going to travel frequently with your dog or cat, make sure to get the European Pet Passport.
Taking care
Let's go for a walk!. Enjoy your outings with your dog. He needs them to exercise and socialise, so three walks a day will do fine and even better if you can alternate them with long outings in the fields. A cat, in contrast to a dog, can spend all its life indoors, but you could create an exciting environment for it to have a great time. Be civilized and scoop your dog's poop and if you have a cat, remember to clean its litter tray and change the sand regularly.
Bathing. We don't need to bathe our dog every month. If we comb it every day, it will be clean and only needs a bath twice a year. If your cat is healthy and doesn't leave the house, you will never have to bathe it.
Feeding. If your pet animal is a puppy, you will have to feed it three times a day, if it is adult, once or twice a day is enough. In contrast to dogs, cats are themselves capable of limiting their food intake. Remember to always have fresh water at their disposal and take extra care of your pet animal during the hottest months.
If you follow this advice, you will be a perfect adopter and your cat or dog will be really grateful. Don't forget to show it your affection and have as much fun together as you can. If you have children at home, do not miss this article: Sharing the tasks of taking care of a pet animal with your family.
