Pet owners in general tend to have big hearts -but many new pet owners also need to have big wallets. That’s because it’s easy to find yourself on a financial land mine before you ever know what hit. The following tips from pet health columnist and author Kim Campbell Thornton can help you avoid some of the most common mistakes new pet owners make.
1 Research breeds. Rather than make an impulse purchase when you’re overwhelmed by the cuteness of that little puppy, first learn about the breed. Thornton cited examples of weird traits that a new pet owner might not anticipate: “Border collies and other herding breeds need a job to do or they’ll start herding your family, staring at all of you and nipping your heels to make everyone stay together. Basenjis yodel. Spitz breeds and hounds will wander off unless your yard is as inescapable as Alcatraz. . . . Bloodhounds, Shar-Pei and pugs must have their wrinkles cleaned regularly to prevent infections.”
2 A tiny dog’s bite can be bigger than its bark. It’s easy to think that those adorable toy breeds can’t cause much trouble. But all dogs need to be trained not to chew, dig, bark - and yes, bite. “Don’t skip training class just because you think Tiny is too small, cute or sweet to do any damage,” Thornton advised.
3 Carefully dog- and cat-proof your home. Wires, remote controls, shoes, poisonous plants, medications and items that are easy to chew and swallow, such as socks and gloves, can all pose serious threats to your pet. “Get down on your hands and knees . . . to see what’s down at that level that might look chewable or fun to drag around,” Thornton said.
4 Don’t unwittingly start bad habits. If you start feeding your dog human food, he’ll always want human food. If you start letting your dog sleep in your bed, he’ll always want to sleep in your bed. Unless you really don’t mind these behaviors, don’t let them take root.
5 Help Prince stay physically fit. Make sure your pet gets enough exercise. Otherwise, your pet may channel all of his or her pent-up energy into destructive behavior around your home.
6 Don’t minimize your vet’s advice. It may, for example, seem cruel to make your pet wear a cone to prevent licking an open wound. But if you ignore instructions, you will almost certainly face bigger vet bills. “If your pet hates the cone, look for a soft one made of fabric,” Thornton said. “They’re more comfortable and pets are more willing to tolerate them.”
7 Take steps to avoid having a scaredy-cat (or dog). Expose your pet to lots of people, experiences and sounds before he or she turns 4 months old. “By that time, a puppy should have met 100 different people,” Thornton said. “Puppies and kittens that don’t get lots of early handling and socialization are likely to be shy and fearful for the rest of their lives.”
8 Start training early. Don’t wait until your dog is 6 months old to take him to training class. You can begin teaching him to sit, come, stay and walk on a leash when you bring him home at 7 or 8 weeks of age, and he can start puppy kindergarten by 9 or 10 weeks of age, Thornton said.
9 Be alert for unusual behavior. It requires patience and attention to learn your pet’s rhythms and habits, but if you know what’s normal, you’ll recognize what’s not. “Most often, that means something’s wrong,” Thornton said. “For instance, cats with lower urinary tract infections may strain to urinate, but some people don’t notice the behavior until the infection is advanced - by which point the cat is going outside the litter box in an attempt to find someplace to pee that isn’t painful.”
10 Keep the litter box clean. Scoop it at least once a day, and clean out the entire box and refill it with fresh litter once a week or at least every two weeks. “It’s the single best thing you can do to ensure that your cat always uses the litter box,” Thornton said.
Laura T. Coffey can be reached atlaura@tentips.org.
Source: Kim Campbell Thornton, writer of the Creature Comforts column on msnbc.com (www.msnbc.msn.com; search “Creature Comforts”), a blogger on Pet Connection (www.petconnection.com), and co-author of The Everything Dog Health Book (Adams Media Corp., 305 pages, $14.95)
source: stp times
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