Turns out that New Year’s Resolutions aren’t just for us alone. We can (and should) include our fur babies in them too! Here’s how to choose clever New Year’s Resolutions for both you and your pets.
5 Clever New Year’s Resolutions You Can Do with Your Pet
Get insured
Let’s dedicate 2024 to holistic health care for our entire household – including our pets! Comprehensive Pet Insurance should be a non-negotiable, and it’s essential that we make sure that we get a great pet policy for our fur babies that will cover them when they need it most. This way, you constantly have access to the best medical facilities and practitioners whenever you need them!
We highly recommend looking at Oneplan Pet Insurance for your beloved furry family member as they offer 5 plans to suit your pet’s needs and your budget, and they also front you with cash before routine vet visits with their unique Onecard and Oneplan App! Did we mention they don’t use provider networks so you can keep your favourite vet? It’s pretty obvious why we think Oneplan is a great option.
Let’s get physical
Is it even possible to have a list of new year’s resolutions without having exercise somewhere on there? In fact, prioritising exercise is statistically in the top five most common New Years resolutions. And while we totally love the fact that you’re seeing the physical and mental benefits of a good workout, we think that you should incorporate your pets into your workout routines too!
While it might be easier to incorporate your dog into your exercise routine with things like going for walks and runs around the neighbourhood, even cats need a little bit of exercise for mental stimulation too. Make it fun for both of you and you will instantly notice how exercise becomes the new norm for you!
Eat a healthy, balanced, age-appropriate diet
When it comes to your own health, you already know that nutrition plays an important role in keeping your mind sharp and your body functioning; and, well the same goes for your fur baby.
Make sure that, going forward, you switch out the feeding habits you’ve currently created and implement new, healthier ones. You can start by keeping your pet on a high-quality diet from a reputable pet-food company. One that offers age-appropriate options that are high in nutrients and fibres.
If you are unsure about the best food for your fur baby, make sure to reach out to your family veterinarian – they’ll know exactly what your pet needs and will be happy to help lead you through the confusing world of pet food. Remember that once you’ve chosen a personalised diet for your four-legged friend, be careful not to overfeed them.
Too often, the cute puppy dog eyes and gentle meows and purrs have us reaching for more snacks for our pets. But this is dangerous because it can lead to your pet being overweight or obese. The reality is that those extra kilograms can exacerbate joint pain, and lead to other major health problems, such as diabetes and cancer.
Preventive care: your new bestie
There are a lot of things you have to consider when you own a pet; however, one that you cannot overlook is preventative care. As we go into this new year, it’s important that you get better acquainted with preventative care strategies.
Now if you find yourself struggling to figure out where to start, you can breathe a sigh of relief because that’s exactly why we’re here. The main purpose preventative care or routine cover is to identify any key healthcare issues before they become significantly worse. Not only could it save your pet’s life but save you thousands of Rands down the line.
Basically, how this works is our team will ensure that your pet can go for very important tests and checkups with the vet of your choice to make sure that they are happy and healthy fur babies!
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Get them chipped
Far too often, we see missing posters for neighbourhood pets, and it breaks our heart, so we can only imagine how the paw parents involved must be feeling in those moments. To help out, we encourage all pet parents to ensure that their pets have some form of identification.
Keep in mind that the current range of affordable collar ID tags will make all the difference should your dog or cat get lost (this is a great article about how microchipping works). The thing is that while a collar is great, sometimes our pets do tend to wiggle their way out of their collars. The point is that your pet needs to be microchipped as soon as possible.
A microchip is a permanent form of identification that is gently inserted under your pet’s skin so that they have access to the best defence if they get lost because when a pet is found, their microchip can be scanned for the owner’s contact information. Also, always remember to keep all of your information in the microchip database up to date.
There you have it! These are the top 5 things we think that you should add to your list of New Year’s resolutions. That being said, it’s important that you make your New Year’s resolutions personal to you, so you can add things to our current list too… Just don’t forget to include your pets in it.
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