Most people at some time in their lives have owned, do or will own a pet. There are many different reasons for one having a pet. For most, it is the enjoyment and companionship that one gets from pets. For others it is a means of security, by having watchdogs. Then too for many, it is purely for commercial gain, by breeding and selling thoroughbred animals. Whatever the motivation though, with the ownership of pets comes the responsibility to properly care for them. Too many people do not consider this responsibility before obtaining a pet. This attitude unfortunately is responsible for so many cases of pet abuse, which occur daily in every country, city, town village and farm throughout the world. If you, the reader, are at this time considering getting a pet for yourself or your child, I urge you to take note of some of the responsibilities in relation to caring for your pet.

General responsibility in caring for and maintaining your animals entails seeing to their adequate nourishment, shelter, control of external and internal parasites such as ticks and fleas, ensuring that they are regularly vaccinated and using veterinary services when necessary. Pet care also involves training and controlling your animals so that they do not become a problem to neighbours, delivery personnel and visitors to your home. In some cases, this could mean costly additions to your property, such as fences or walls. Caring for your pet also means obtaining some general knowledge in relation to the various sicknesses and ailments that can affect animals. Yet another area of responsibility is to ensure that at times when you and your entire household go away for vacations, you can provide either pet sitters, or arrange for your pets to go to boarding facilities.

Let us look now at some specific areas of pet care and here we will concentrate mainly on dogs, as they are the most popular of pets.

Feeding. Too often, pet owners think that all a dog or cat needs is the leftover food from their own meals. However, for animals to remain healthy they need to have the correct type of nutrients that can be found in good quality animal foods. For growing dogs, the amount of dry food intake per day should be about 5% of the dog's body mass. For the maintenance of grown dogs, it is about 2% and for lactating or hardworking dogs, it is 7.5%. It is good to provide bones for chewing, as this assists in keeping teeth clean. Raw meat is a healthy component of a good diet. Milk too is good in moderation, as an excess of it can cause diarrhoea. Clean drinking water is vital. It should be replaced at least once a day. The physical appearance of a dog, such as a glossy coat is a good indication of the adequacy of the diet. Check too the gums and the tongue, which should have a healthy, pink color.

Bathing. The 2 main reasons for bathing pets is for general hygiene, especially where you have a lot of physical contact with them and also as a controlling factor for external parasites. Most large breed dogs which do not have access to inside your home do not necessarily have to be bathed, except in the case where they have rolled in something smelly, as they tend to do at times. When bathing your pets, be sure to use suitable soaps or shampoos, as some may tend to irritate the skin, or dry out the natural oils that an animal needs. This can also happen with excessive bathing. When bathing for the control of ticks or fleas, be sure to use the appropriate insecticide shampoos and to follow the instructions carefully.

Grooming. Longer haired dogs especially, need regular grooming, both for appearance and for the comfort and health of the animal. An ungroomed dog will be more of an ideal breeding ground for fleas and ticks. Dogs, which live inside, if not groomed regularly and thoroughly, will be depositing shed hair all over your home. Take care in choosing the right grooming brushes. One with nylon bristles tends to create static electricity in the animals coat and could damage the hair over a period of time. The metal variety is probably the most durable.

Exercising. Regular exercising is an important part of caring for your pet, especially if your home has a small yard. If that is the case, then you will need to take them for walks. This means that they would have been, or must be trained to walk on a leash, as it is not wise to let your dog run free in the streets.

Lastly, you need to know that dogs are very sociable animals and thrive on companionship. Therefore part of caring for your pet is to play with them. This can be done in conjunction with exercising.

Take joy in caring for your pet and you will have many rewards. A well cared for pet will give you years of pleasure, satisfaction and companionship.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Pet Care