Having a pet is a joyful experience, and it is a lot of responsibility too. Once you take charge of another life form, you need to make sure you give them the best life you can possibly give them. You feed them, take them on walks, give them baths, and play with them. But there is more to your pet than just these things. You have to take utmost care of their health and should leave no stone unturned to ensure their well-being. Sometimes, you tend to overlook certain practices that are necessary when taking care of pets, or you may make mistakes when handling them. Some of the mistakes you make when taking care of your pet may even be dangerous for their health. Here are a few of the dangerous mistakes you may be making as a pet owner.
1. Giving Milk To Cats
You may be under the impression that cats love milk, and you may be feeding your cat milk on a regular basis. Well, the truth is, most cats are lactose intolerant, which means that they cannot digest the sugars present in milk. It can mess with their digestive system and can cause diarrhea. Even if your cat can drink milk without any issue, you should stop anyway as it is not necessary for them. Your cat will do just fine, or even better without milk in its diet.
2. Giving Bones To Dogs
The same way you associate cats with milk, you tend to associate dogs with bones. You cannot deny how much they seem to enjoy big, juicy pieces of bones, but they are not good for your dog’s health. Chewing on bones can cause teeth and tongue injury and sometimes, bone splinters get stuck in their digestive tract, causing serious infection. These bones usually have to be removed by surgery. So stay away from bones as much as possible and go with softer doggy treats instead.
3. Feeding Foods Meant For Humans
When feeding your cat or your dog, it is strictly advisable to stick to foods designed especially for them. Just because you can eat certain foods safely, it does not mean that your pet can too. For example, grapes and raisins are good for you, but they can cause sudden kidney failure in pets, especially dogs. Other foods like onions, garlic, chocolate, energy drinks, coffee, and tea are also harmful to your pet’s health.
4. Not Neutering Or Spaying The Pets
One crucial reason to spay or neuter your pets is that there are so many cats and dogs out on the street because they are a part of unwanted litters. If more pets are neutered, such a problem will decrease and maybe the homeless pets will find loving homes too. The other reason why you should sterilize pets is that it benefits their health. When females are sterilized, it reduces their risk of breast cancer and when males are sterilized, it reduces their risk of testicular cancer. Neutered males also have a tendency to act less aggressive.
5. Not Deworming Them Regularly
Ringworms are dangerous parasites that cause vomiting, diarrhea, and severe illnesses. You have to take your pet to the doctor regularly to get it checked for ringworms and to deworm it. Ringworms can even infect you and your kids if you accidentally ingest their eggs. When ringworms infect people, they may cause severe tissue damage and even blindness.
Taking care of pets it not at all easy. You should always be in constant touch with the vet and should never waste time if you notice any issue with your pet’s health. As a pet owner, it is your responsibility to be fully aware of your pet’s health.
