We can’t overestimate how important these are to your pet! There are three factors that really impact their lifespans and health: Genetics, Nutrition and Care. You can’t change their genetics but you can definitely take charge of their nutrition and care.
What do we feed our pets? How much exercise do they need? The answers aren’t as easy as you might think! An estimated 58% of US cats and approximately 56% of US dogs are overweight or obese, putting them at risk for a variety of health problems. Furthermore, the Purina Life Span 14 year study showed that feeding dogs to their ideal body condition throughout their life can extend their healthy years by 1.8 years! The dogs in this study still developed chronic conditions as they aged but the need for treatment was delayed in the lean dogs. Imagine, adding years to your pets’ life just by watching how much food you put in the bowl!
What do we feed them and how much? Here at LVH, we believe that there are many great pet foods out there and one we commonly recommend for all cycles of life is Purina. We like that they have great choices in food from puppy/kitten, adult and senior pets! They also offer a veterinary line of food to help with the issues that come with ageing-sensitive stomachs, kidney issues, etc.
How much should they eat? Should it be what the bag recommends? Not necessarily! You can have two littermates of the same breed and size who metabolize calories very differently! It’s like those people you know that can stay thin on tons of food and others of us are salad eaters that have to watch every meal! We are all different-and so are your pets. Some pets are naturally more active, or less, some have a higher or lower metabolic rate and we need to feed them accordingly. You and your vet should be regularly monitoring their weight to help them live longer, healthier lives.
Exercise is not just a dirty word! In addition to health benefits for your pets, it is also a great for bonding! Our couch potato dogs can all benefit from getting out for a daily walk or chasing a ball, socializing at the dog park. They will feel better and be easier to train once they use up some of their energy! Our active dogs will be much more fun to live with if we help them drain that energy! Hiking, biking, hunting, dock diving, frisbee or ball catching or check out our working dogs page that shows some amazing hobbies of our clients! Their pets are fully engaged, busy dogs that also happen to be well behaved and bonded to their people!
Cats don’t exercise. Says who! Garfield needs more to do than eat lasagna and lay around (please don’t feed them lasagna!). Playtime for your cats can be fun! Try putting their food in a separate room from where they like to nap so that they must move around while you are gone. Place safe toys in between rooms for them to come across while you are away. Try putting a portion of their daily food allotment into a feeder toy that encourages them to use their minds and their bodies for their reward! Try want toys to encourage running and swap out their toys frequently to keep it interesting for them. Leo is our LVH cat and he still goes outside and frequently mouses. He enjoys toys but he really likes the real thing! As he ages, we let him outside less and less, but he enjoys hunting in the barn…but we don’t really enjoy his gifts!