When it comes to pets, don’t buy impulsively buy, a Canadian pet expert warns. If you’re considering becoming a first-time pet owner, it’s important to do your homework before you get the pet, says David Kozuch, an Ontario-based veterinarian who is currently employed full time by a leading pet food company.
“That’s incredibly important,” he emphasizes. Otherwise, both you and the pet may be unhappy. And, as a result, you may end up returning the pet. As Kozuch points out: “Humane societies have a huge problem with returns.”
By getting the right person the right pet, there are far fewer returns, he says, stressing the importance of seeking professional advice and help.
“For pets at a shelter, there’s often a reason,” Kozuch says. “And it might take a special person to take care of that pet.”
A veterinarian can work with you and help you understand what you might expect, he says.
When it comes to budgeting for a new pet, there are all sorts of variables. Is it an older pet? A big dog or little dog? Is it a cat or a kitten?
If you’re getting a new puppy or kitten, visit a veterinarian, who can evaluate if the animal has any issues, Kozuch recommends.
A vet can often pick up on things like heart murmurs, or even more serious problems that pet owners probably should know about immediately when they get the animal, as opposed to down the road.
While some people choose to adopt pets that have health problems, because they want to take care of them, new pet owners should know about any health issues up front, he says.
A veterinarian can also provide valuable pet tips for at-home examinations, so you can identify early warning signs, such as a skin disease, or an ear or eye problem.
“For example, if you brought in a cocker spaniel or a German shepherd, I might say to you, ‘Check his ears every day, smell them, make sure that the skin is nice and pink, that they’re not scratching their ears.’ So that if they do get an ear infection, we can treat it early and more effectively than if it goes untreated for a long time,” Kozuch says.
To help offset the cost of pet health care, a variety of companies offer pet insurance, Kozuch points out.
“That makes it easier for them to deal with eventualities that might arise, if they’re worried about not having the budget to deal with it,” he says.
The right kind of nutrition — especially for puppies and kittens — is extremely important, Kozuch stresses.
You are what you eat. That’s as true for pets as it is for people, he emphasizes. By getting that right, it makes a huge difference to overall health and well-being.
Nutrition can create a smarter puppy, Kozuch insists.
“I wouldn’t have believed it until I saw the research,” he admits.
“We’ve done ground-breaking research that feeding a diet rich in DHA, one of the three fatty acids, results in a puppy that’s more trainable and a smarter, if you will, puppy,” Kozuch says, referring to research and clinical trials done by his employer, Proctor and Gamble, which produces Iams brand pet food.
“And that leads to less returns to humane societies, if they’re getting puppies from a humane society. Because if the pet is easily trained, and is smarter, then it takes less time to get them house trained, or convince them that jumping up is not a good idea,” he explains.
Before adding Fido or Fluffy to your family, Kozuch recommends going online and familiarizing yourself with what pet ownership entails. A good place to start is www.pets.yahoo.ca. The Iams website at www.Iams.com also has lots of information on how to match yourself up with a good pet.
Once you get a pet, it’s important to have the initial visit with a veterinarian, and develop an ongoing relationship so that pets get the proper worming medication, vaccines, the proper advice about nutrition, and pointers regarding what’s good for them in terms of exercise, and how much grooming is required.
Most veterinarians these days will put aside as much as half an hour for the initial visit, Kozuch says, because there are so many things they can go over with a new pet owner.
“A good veterinarian is asking if you have young children. Do you have immuno-compromised people in the house? All of those things factor into some of the care that animal should receive in that environment,” he explains.
Where you live in Canada factors into the equation, as well. For example, there’s different heart worm medication for different parts of the country. And fleas are less of a problem in Regina, for example, than they are in Victoria, Kozuch explains.
There’s tremendous variation in what individual animals need when it comes to exercise, Kozuch points out. Obviously, a small dog will need less exercise than a herding dog, like a border collie, for example.
And while older dogs that have arthritis might only be able to handle leash walking, younger, full-of-energy dogs require more of a workout, such as having a Frisbee or ball thrown repeatedly, so they can keep retrieving it.
That’s another important reason for getting the right kind of pet for your lifestyle.
Kozuch offers the following general guidelines: Take your dog for a walk at least a couple of times a day, ideally for about a half an hour each time.
“In a perfect world, you get someone to come in and take him for a walk during the day,” he adds.
Just as having an exercise buddy motivates people to exercise, having more than one pet can help pets get more exercise. With cats, that’s especially true, Kozuch says.
“The biggest challenge is, we don’t want overweight pets,” he says. “There’s special food to prevent that. But exercise, like in people, is a really important component of doing that.”
When grooming your pet, look and feel for anything that’s different — for lumps and bumps, Kozuch recommends.
“When you feel around the ribs, you get a very good idea if your pet is putting on weight or losing weight. You want to look for a shiny coat. You want to open their mouth and look at their teeth. You want to look for tartar or bad odour, which can tip you off that there’s an oral problem that probably should be dealt with sooner rather than later,” he says.
And pay attention when you scoop the poop. Is it really dark, or watery? These things can signal problems.
When in doubt, get it checked out, Kozuch recommends.
“You want to make sure they’re healthy and that they have good lives,” he says.
Photo: Handout photo / The perfect pet in veterinarian David Kozuch’s life is his dog, Misha. ;
source: post feb 09
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