Have you been considering getting a pet cat or dog? Do you want to make sure that you are able to provide the very best care for your new furry friend? Whether or not you think of your new pet as an actual member of your family or you are just hoping for a companion, the better you care for your new pet the happier both of you will be. To that end, there are some things that you should be doing as soon as possible. A few of the most important things include:
Research veterinarians: As with doctors for people, there are good ones and there are ones that are not so good. Before simply taking your dog or cat to a local pet hospital or a veterinarian's office, you should research not only the fees but the reputation of the veterinarian or veterinarians at the practice. If you don't immediately find one that matches the personality that you're looking for, don't worry. Keep looking. It can take some time to find the one that is going to be right for you and your needs. It's not uncommon to find that the best veterinarian for you isn't the one that is closest to your home.
Investigate treats: Cats and dogs will both often eat things that are not good for them. For instance, you might already be aware that cats will eat non-food things like strings and dogs will chew on and eat sneakers or papers. What you might not realize is that not all food items can be fed to a dog or a cat. Chocolate is a big one that you might already know about. But you may not realize that super fatty things like chicken skin can also force you to make a trip to the pet hospital in the middle of the night. Before feeding anything that's not specifically labeled as being for your type of pet, consult with a veterinarian first.
Childproofing: While cats and dogs don't have hands or thumbs, they can still get into plenty of things that they shouldn't be getting into. Without child-safe locks on your cabinets, a dog could get into your cleaning cabinet and decide that the bottle of bleach is going to be his or her newest chew toy. A cat could suddenly decide that an electrical outlet is the best place to mark territory, resulting in electrocution. You may not be able to prevent all trips to the pet hospital if you childproof everything but you can at least cut down on the number of instances significantly.