Here comes 2016! It’s that time of year again, when everyone commits to their New Year’s resolutions. From living a healthier lifestyle, to managing your time better, to reducing stress, there are always ways that we can improve our lives. Since I’m a veterinarian and considering this is a vet blog, I’m a bit partial to sticking with a pet theme for my resolutions. You didn’t really want to give up bacon and soda anyway, did you? I certainly have no intention to, so here are some resolutions to work on for you and your pet. 1.) Take your dog on more walks. Even if you can only devote two to three days a week to walking your dog, this can make a huge difference for both you and your pet. Did you know that 34-41% of companion animals are overweight or obese? As you can imagine, obesity is associated with a number of diseases in dogs and cats, including orthopedic disease, dental disease, pancreatitis, endocrine diseases (Diabetes, hypothyroidism, Cushing’s Disease, etc.), bladder or urinary tract disease, heart disease, lung dysfunction, and an increased incidence of certain cancers. Studies have shown that keeping your dog at a healthy weight can prolong their life for two-three years! In a dog’s lifespan, that is a very significant amount of time. Walking or exercising your dog or cat can go a long way toward keeping them at a healthy weight. And let’s be honest, you need a little exercise too. Everybody saw you hovering over the Christmas party buffet line. Just because you only went through the line once, doesn’t mean you had one meal. Quite a few meatballs and little smokies never even made it to your plate. 2.) Measure your dog or cat’s food every day. How many of you are guilty of just filling up your dog or cat’s bowl and leaving it out for the day? This is what we refer to as “free feeding.” Look, I get it. Life gets hectic, and it’s simple to just fill up their bowls in the morning and move on with your day. However, most animals will become overweight or obese when free fed. Dogs and cats don’t know how to reason and limit their food intake in order to stay healthy. If I had an unlimited supply of chili cheese dogs, fried cheese sticks, nachos, and mashed potatoes and gravy, I would become overweight too (I have now revealed all of my favorite foods and am salivating while writing this). So how do you know how much to feed your pet? My best advice would be to consult your veterinarian. Most bags of dog food have feeding guides on the back or side of the bag. However, often times these guides can overestimate how much food your dog or cat needs, and doesn’t necessarily account for life stage or activity level. Your veterinarian can tell you how much your pet needs in cups each day. We usually recommend cutting the daily serving size in half and feeding them twice daily. The other catch: When your veterinarian says your pet needs three cups of dog food daily, they mean MEASURING CUPS! I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard, “But Dr. Stroupe, we’re only feeding Lucky two cups twice a day” only to find out that the cup they’re using is a Big Gulp from the gas station (another sign that your health choices may need a little work too). Measuring your pet’s food may seem daunting and a little over-the-top, but this simple change can make a huge difference in maintaining a healthy weight in your pet and helping them live a longer, healthier life. 3.) Feed your pet a good quality diet for their life stage. With all the pet foods and advertisements out there, it’s hard to determine what the best foods are. Trends in veterinary nutrition can often reflect trends in human nutrition as well, so natural pet foods and grain free foods are making a comeback. Companies that make these foods often have very effective marketing, but their nutrition is very poor along with a hefty price tag. Many of my patients being fed these “natural” diets (*cough* Blue Buffalo *cough cough) are coming in at a very young age with bladder stones because the minerals in the diet are out of whack. Enough about my veterinary nutrition rant (trust me, I’ll devote an entire blog post to this sometime soon). What ARE the best pet foods to feed your pet? When my clients ask me this question, I refer to the “The Big Four.” The best dog foods to feed your pet are one of the following: Hill’s Science Diet, Royal Canin, Iams, and Purina Pro Plan. If you’re wondering if these companies are paying me to say this, the answer is no, although, that would be nice (Maybe I should look into that!). These four companies employ boarded veterinary nutritionists, perform appropriate food trials and research, and perform testing and quality control measures for safety. Once you’ve decided which of “The Big Four” to feed, you also want to make sure you’re feeding a diet for the appropriate life stage, or even a prescription diet if your pet has specific health needs. I recommend you feed puppies a puppy dog food for the first year of life. Once they’re a year old, you can transition them to an adult maintenance food. Dogs are considered seniors usually around seven years of age, but this can vary a little depending on breed, so around that time you can switch them to a senior diet. And, of course, as mentioned earlier, all of these brands carry a number of prescription diets for pets with specific health needs, like diabetic pets, pets with kidney disease, joint disease, the list goes on. Your veterinarian is a great source for helping you decide what diet is right for your pet. A good quality pet food can make all the difference in the world for your pet’s weight, hair coat quality, and overall health. 4.) Incorporate play time with your pet into your regular routine. Time can be so hard to come by, but your pet loves your time and attention more than anything else. Play time with your pet not only helps strengthen the human-animal bond, but it can help keep them mentally stimulated. Figure out what activities your pet enjoys. For dogs, this could be swimming, playing fetch, agility, or play time with other dogs. Cats can be more challenging to play with or exercise, but they often enjoy laser pointers, or even a good cat nip toy. 5.) Make a date with your veterinarian! Regular wellness checks with your vet are crucial for maintaining your pet’s health and detecting disease. As mentioned in the previous blog, dogs age seven years for every year that we age. By age two, cats have matured to the level of a 25 year old human. A lot can happen in one year of a pet’s life. Your veterinarian can check your pet’s weight, discuss concerns, give a thorough exam from head to tail, and make sure your pet is on the right preventatives to keep them healthy throughout the year. Now would also be a good time to discuss things like how much you should feed your pet, or what is the right food for your pet that we mentioned earlier in this blog. Your veterinarian has had years and years of training and education on how to keep pets healthy and happy. They can be a great resource to you. 6.) Start a pet savings fund. It’s always good to have a little money set aside for emergencies. You never know when your pet could slip out the door and get hit by a car or come down with an illness. Pet emergencies can be costly and can catch you off guard. As a veterinarian, nothing is more heartbreaking than not being able to treat a patient adequately or even having to euthanize a patient for financial reasons. Doing this can guarantee your pet-related financial health and help you rest easier knowing your pet can be taken care of if an emergency arises. I also cannot stress the importance of simply establishing a relationship with a veterinarian before a pet emergency arises. Having a pet fall ill suddenly is stressful enough, but trying to scramble around and find a veterinarian to see them after-hours makes the process infinitely more stressful. A little bit of planning and forethought can go a long way in ensuring your pet gets the care they need. 7.) Make sure your pet has adequate identification, either in the form of an ID tag or microchip. This simple act can increase the likelihood that you will be reunited with your pet in the event that they get lost. Unlike collars and tags, microchips cannot slip off or be lost. Most veterinarians in private practice (including yours truly) can insert microchips. It is a simple office procedure that just takes a few minutes. 8.) Groom your pet regularly. Coat maintenance can vary widely depending on what breed of dog or cat you have. Long haired breeds generally require more care and maintenance and should be brushed daily. Matted coats can cause skin problems and hygiene issues, and can even make it more difficult for your dog to stay cool in warmer temperatures. Certain breeds require regular grooming as their hair can get very long and get into their eyes or get excessively long around their feet. 9.) Bribe your veterinarian and veterinary staff with gifts and treats. Last, but not least! I’m only somewhat serious about this particular suggestion, but just in case anyone was wondering, here is a list of acceptable bribes for veterinarians or staff (well, I might share with them).
Well, here you go! Now that we have plenty of resolutions for you to choose from, you can stop worrying about what major food group or fun thing you have to cut out of your life. Happy New Year!
2 Comments
KtGirl
12/29/2015 08:42:05 pm
I think 2016 will be the first time I stick to my resolutions for more than a month or two! Making my fur babies' health and happiness the focus of my resolutions is a great idea! It will definitely be much easier than giving up the simple pleasures in life (soda and bacon)!
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Jessica Stroupe
12/30/2015 08:49:17 am
Thank you, KtGirl! Glad you enjoyed the blog post!
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Jessica Stroupe, DVM
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