Animal Care Guide

Many people agree that having a pet is a joy. But it can be a lot of work too. Some incidents of animal abuse is neglect. Sometimes these people didn't know how to care for their pet so they gave up. In this post, I will be explaining how to care for some domestic house pets like dogs, cats and rodents.

Food: Make sure your pet has food that suits their nutritional needs. Be sure you know the diet of your pet. Most animals need to be fed once or twice a day. Do not give your pet human food. It's not good for human food often has minerals and items in it that can be harmful to animals. Make sure your pet has plenty of clean and  fresh water.

Exercise:
Your pet needs exercise just like humans. Every pet needs a different type of exercise. Dogs need plenty of exercise so make sure you walk them or play fetch with them every day. Cats also love some quality playtime with you. Laser pointers gets your cat moving. For rodents like hamsters and gerbils, you can put an exercise wheel in their cage.

Grooming:
It's good to brush your pet every day to get rid of loose or shedding hair. Cats will have less hairballs and shed less if they're brushed on regularly. Look for fleas, ticks, leaves, and other things that might be caught in your pet's fur. Try bathing your dog once a month and cat every few months. Don't do it too often because too many can take away the natural oils from their skin and can cause rashes. If you have a cat and it gives you a hard time you can go to your the vet and have them give it a bath. Or you could bring your cat or dog to places likes Petsmart. There they bathe and groom your pet. Don't forget to trim your pets claws. Most rodents don't need their claws trimmed.

Health:
Animals need to see vets for a check up like we do with our doctors. Make sure your pet's vaccinations are up-to-date.

Love/bathroom/shelter:
Give your pet a lot of affection. This creates a strong bond and lets them know they're loved. You also need to give your pet a place to go to the bathroom. Cats need a litter box, rodents need a cage, and dogs need to go outside. Your pet needs a place to go like a tank, cage, or a doghouse. If your dog or cat spends a lot of time outdoors, make sure they still have a nice place to. Shelter keeps pets protected from cold, heat, wind and rain.

In my opinion, animals can be hard to take care of. That is why people should be fully committed when purchasing a pet and know what needs to be done. A lot of situations of neglect happen because the pet became too much to handle or the owner thought it was okay to not do everything the pet needed. These situations can be avoided. But there are situations where the owner just does not care. I don't get why someone would own a pet if they did not care. I think a pet should be part of the family.

Sources:
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/family/pets/article7.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Care-of-Your-Pet