Invest in Your Pet with an Eye for the Future

I have recently looked after a blind dog called Lupo (photo)

Lupo has been coming to stay with me for over 5 years. He went blind recently due to diabetes and March 2018 was his first time to come and stay with me as a blind dog.
I have been very honored to see many of my pets come back to me year after year for pet care/sitting, and, because of this, I have seen them age, I have seen changes in their health, I have seen them put on or lose weight and I have been able to advise on health care and thus prevent more serious health situations from arising.

---

And so, with Lupo in mind, and including my observations over the years, I would like to write about the importance of investing in your pets with an eye for the future.
This will decrease the stress in your life, be more efficient in cost and  time and overall increase the life expectancy of your pet. 

Here are some suggestions:

• I cannot stress enough the importance of finding a good and experienced family pet sitter. Someone who your animal has grown to love, trust and with whom they are very familiar. Each time an animal is left at home or with a carer there is always some sort of anxiety, whether they be a dog or a hamster.  It is important to keep to the same pet sitter to minimize this separation anxiety.
• Pet Insurance. You never know what health issues your pet will experience, in the future. Surgery and emergency care is expensive.
• Proper diet. Take note that cats and dogs cannot digest grain, that cats need a very high quality and percentage of protein in their diet, that dogs need good quality protein and bones to chew on, that small animals need a variety of fresh vegetables daily, that fresh clean water is always available. Good diet prevents kidney failure, urinary infections, dental problems, obesity and depression. These are just some of diseases due to bad nutrition.
• Provide exercise.  BUT please do not do this out of guilt or obsession due to popular media. 
• Find a good vet.  Research and try not to take their word as gospel, be curious ask questions.
• Provide stimulation for your pet. Toys, thinking games.
• Take the time to train your animal so that it is comfortable for visits to the vet, that its paws can be touched for nail clipping, its mouth opened for future medicine administration.
• Take the time to train your animal to be at home alone.  It may simply be impossible to be with your animal for 24hrs, 365 days of the year. Teach them to be self confident, independent and adjusted little beings in their home space.
• Groom your animal.  Maintain their coats.  Clean their eyes
• Look for alternative therapies that will help your pet alongside veterinary advice.  Reiki, homeopathy, herbs, acupuncture, massage, hydrotherapy
• Read up about your pet and investigate how it perceives its life through its senses.  Try not to see its life as if it was a human.
• Spend quality time with your pet. They are just as important as our children. Allow time just for them. Allow their feeding times to be quiet and uninterrupted. 
• Feeding routine as per the species.  Eg dogs are not cows, they don’t graze. I recommend that food is not left down on the floor 24hrs a day.

 
One of the things Lupo’s human has done on this list for the future is to invest in the same petsitter. Lupo and I love each other and Lupo is very familiar with my flat and routine. For this reason his transition to my flat over Easter, as a blind dog, was seamless. Here is why:

• He was already familiar with my environment and as was able to find his way around confidently and quickly.
• The other dogs that I had to stay already knew him and him them. They only needed to sniff and recognize each other.
• He took his injected medicine for diabetes twice a day with no problems.
• He received Reiki!​

Remember:  You are not the "owner" of your pet. You are its primary carer. Be all that you can be for the health of your pet.

---