3 New Year's Resolutions for Pets

What are your New Year's resolutions for 2020? Are you still on track? According to the American Medical Association, roughly half of all Americans make resolutions, but less than a quarter are still committed by the end of January. But what about focusing on your pet? Small goals are easier to achieve than lofty ones, and having a buddy to care for can be more motivating than focusing on yourself.

Resolution #1: 5 more minutes of play
Even just 5 extra minutes of active play makes a difference in your pet's mental and physical health. Throwing a ball, taking a walk or teaching a new trick are good ways to engage your dog. Cats may not retrieve toys but will usually walk to eat kibble tossed in front of them at mealtimes (one piece at a time, folks). Laser pointers, feather dancers, and toys that move on their own can be stimulating for cats. Birds will enjoy paper boxes to shred and foraging toys. Extra bonus - you'll move yourself as well as your pet, and get those creative juices flowing to keep them engaged.

Photo credit Tambako the Jaguar www.flickr.com

Resolution #2: Feed to your pet's calorie needs
You'll need  a measuring cup and 5 minutes to start this one. I hate to break it to you, but those labels on the back of the food bags usually overestimate the amount of food your pet needs. A basic rule of thumb is that a healthy weight spayed or neutered indoor cat or small dog needs roughly 20 calories per pound. Talk to us about your pet's specific needs, because our pets are individuals and the estimates are only starting points. Overweight sedentary pets may need significantly fewer calories while active pets will need more. Carefully monitor weight and body condition after changing the diet to ensure that your pet is fed properly. Check out the Pet Nutrional Alliance calculators or look at the tables by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association for dogs or cats to get the number of calories to start with. Your pet's food should have a calories per cup or can somewhere on the bag, usually near the ingredients. Then you can do the math. If you like giving treats, here's permission: 10% of the calories can come from treats. For example:

• my 60lb dog needs roughly 1000 calories according to the chart, or 1167 according to the calculator
• my Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diet DRM is 418 calories/cup
• 1000 / 418 = 2.4 cups or 1176 / 418 = 2.75 cups  - this is your starting point
• I have been feeding Cooper 2.5 cups per day, or 1,045 calories of kibble, with a 190 calorie dental chew 3 days/week. Don't forget to add in dental chew calories - as you can see, a single chew is more than Cooper's 10% treat allowance! I balance that by not using one every day. Since Cooper is maintaining his weight and muscle mass, I know that I have his calorie needs in balance 
• I ignore the bag, which recommended 2.75-3.5 cups per day for a 60lb dog

Photo credit Eli Christman www.flickr.com

Resolution #3: Weekly once-overs
Think of this as petting with purpose, and a chance to bond with your pet. Once a week, run your hands over your pet's entire body. You're feeling for anything out of the ordinary or asymmetric. This is your chance to find anything from a mat in the fur to a new skin bump to realizing that one leg more muscle than the other or that a joint is swollen. Lift the ear flaps to look and smell - any brown gunk or odor? Clean off any eye goobers, using a wet washcloth to moisten dried out crusts so you don't rip the fur. Lift the lips and look at the teeth - any red angry gumlines, lumps, or brown tartar? Here is your chance to catch little things while they're still little and easier to fix. 

These resolutions aren't big by themselves, but they can add up to a better relationship with your pet and a healthier, longer life over time. Here's your chance to start the new decade with some small goals, and beat the odds of making them stick. Your pet will thank you.