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Health and well-being
Feeding Guidelines
How can pet lovers help support their dog or cat’s overall well-being and a long and healthy life? Two important steps are helping pets maintain a healthy weight and ensuring they receive complete nutrition.
The caloric and nutrient needs of individual pets, even those of similar size, can vary significantly. Age, lifestyle, activity level, breed, and whether the animal is spayed or neutered all can affect the number of calories and nutrients needed to keep a pet healthy. The calorie content of different pet food products can also vary. Pet food makers use nutrient profiles established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) as baselines for formulating pet food recipes to ensure the 40 essential nutrients dogs and cats need are included at the proper levels.
While it may be tempting to estimate your dog or cat’s food measurement, it can lead to overfeeding and weight gain. It is important to review the feeding guidelines listed on a pet food packages to ensure you are properly feeding your cat or dog. Feeding directions for a pet food are based on the levels of nutrients and calories recommended for populations of pets, such as weight and life-stage. Based on your pet’s specific needs, feeding guidelines may need to be modified at a veterinarian’s direction.
Weight Management
Part of responsible pet ownership is ensuring that your pet is maintaining a healthy weight. With obesity comes major health risks, including diabetes, osteoarthritis, kidney disease, respiratory disease, and certain types of cancer. Keeping your pet’s weight in-check requires a combination of proper nutrition, exercise and preventative care. Check out the tips below to ensure your dog or cat stays healthy:
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Review the feeding guidelines on a pet food package, consult with your veterinarian, and measure out the appropriate amount of food at each meal.
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Look for “complete and balanced” on the pet food label.
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Treats and chews should only account for 10 percent of a pet’s daily caloric intake and should not be a replacement for pet food.
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Paying close attention to your pet’s weight is the best way to catch a problem early.
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Engage in regular exercise with your pets to not only help manage their weight but also support strong muscles and joints.
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Schedule regular check-ups with your pet’s veterinarian to discuss your pet’s weight management.
Pet Exercise
Exercise is an additional component in ensuring pet health and well-being. Not only does exercise help pets maintain a healthy weight, but it also helps build and maintain muscle tone, keep ligaments and tendons flexible, and stimulates pets’ brains. Regular exercise also strengthens your bond with your pet, and studies showthat having a pet can help pet owners stay more physically active, too.
Responsible Treating
Pet lovers use treats and chews in several ways—as training aids or rewards for good behavior, to support exercise, to provide long-lasting occupation, and sometimes just as a special treat. Treating pets results in a strengthened bond between humans and their four-legged family members. When feeding treats to pets, keep these guidelines in mind:
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Feed treats in moderation.
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Use pet treats alongside a complete and balanced diet.
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To help keep dogs safe, supervise when they are enjoying a chew.
Avoid feeding table scraps to pets as treats
Keeping pets safe at home
Human Foods to Avoid
It’s important for pet owners to remember that some common human foods are not recommended for pets. Popular snacks and treats for humans can disrupt a pet’s balanced diet and may cause serious health risks, including digestive upset, obesity, and more severe, even fatal, issues.
Foods to keep away from cats and dogs include:
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Sweets and baked goods.
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Chocolate, Coffee and Caffeinated Beverages.
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Common Snacks such as grapes, raisins, nuts and salt-heavy snacks like potato chips.
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Table scraps.
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Meat bones.
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Alcohol.
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Common recipe ingredients such asonions, garlic, and chives.
Keep Pets Away from These Household Items
Common household items, including cleaners, plants and holiday decorations, can pose a threat to cats and dogs. Pay special attention decorations, toxic plants, household cleaners, medicines, toys and batteries.
Dental Health
Dental health is an important part of a dog or cat’s overall well-being. A regular oral health routine will combat bad breath, remove tartar and bacteria, and ultimately helps prevent periodontal disease, a painful and preventable oral health condition.
Keep your pet’s teeth clean and healthy with these tips:
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Veterinarians recommend brushing your pet’s teeth daily or every other day, as plaque can be brushed away easily before it hardens, which takes between 24-48 hours.
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If a toothbrush scares your pet, you can ease your pet into becoming more comfortable by first wiping his or her teeth with a pet-safe gauze pad or dental wipe.
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Experts recommend regular professional teeth cleanings from a veterinarian, starting at one or two years old, depending on a cat or dog’s size.
Signs of Dental Health
Dental disease in pets, especially dogs, is extremely common. It is estimated that more than 80 percent of dogs over the age of three suffer from dental disease. Dental issues in pets start when plaque hardens into tartar below the gum line and becomes damaging and infectious to tissue and the jawbone. Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, can lead to serious health issues beyond bad breath and tooth loss, including kidney, liver and heart damage.
It’s important to be aware of the causes of dental problems and to be able to identify the indicators that your pet is suffering from periodontal disease, which include:
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Bad breath
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Broken teeth
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Teeth that are discolored or covered in tartar
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Abnormal chewing or dropping food from their mouth
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Reduced appetite or refusal to eat
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Signs of blood in a pet’s water bowl or on chew toys
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Swelling in the areas surrounding the mouth
Dental Chews
In addition to professional cleanings and an at-home care routine, dental treats and chews are specifically designed to provide dental-related benefits to dogs and cats. These treats and chews are meant to remove plaque buildup and often include ingredients that help to clean a cat or dog’s mouth. Many pet dental treats even freshen breath!
The human-animal bond
The human-animal bond is the documented occurrence of a positive connection established between you and your pet, that benefits both of you. In addition to providing companionship, numerous studies have documented profound mental, social and physical health benefits from the bond between people and companion animals. For example, studies indicate that sharing your life with a dog or cat can help reduce blood pressure and reduce levels of stress, and data has found that animals can play a role in managing depression. Explore some of the ways the human-animal bond improves our lives.
The human-animal bond can bring a range of physical health benefits to our lives. Research shows that interaction with pets can help increase allergy tolerance and immunity, increase physical activity and reduce risk of heart problems.
Interaction with pets can play an important role in supporting our mental health and well-being. Whether through pet ownership or other animal-assisted activities, the human-animal bond can help improve response to stress and anxiety, reduce signs of depression and reduce effects of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Interaction with pets can provide many benefits for our most vulnerable populations. Research has found that the human-animal bond can help reduce loneliness and social isolation and provide companionship and emotional support.