A Filipino home is richer and more vibrant with a pet. Having a furry friend at home is one of the best things to enhance your home life, and this is something we celebrate on National Pet Day. Not only are pets charming and entertaining, but they also offer a host of benefits to their owners, including:
- Decreasing the risk of heart disease
- Lowering blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels
- Increasing opportunities for exercise
- Managing loneliness and depression through companionship.
The Philippines is a pet-loving country, with 67% of Filipinos having pet dogs and 43% having pet cats. As pet owners, it’s part of your responsibility to ensure that pet wellness is maintained at home and at all times. After all, pets thrive when they’re well taken care of and loved.
Here are some of the things you can do to give them the best shot at a happy, healthy life:
Provide a Balanced Diet
It may be tempting to feed your pet the most accessible commercial food, which you can often find in groceries and supermarkets. While not all commercial food is bad, you’ll need to pay attention to the ingredients used to create the food. Try and find food with high-quality animal proteins (salmon, turkey, or chicken), vegetables, complex grains, vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids. Avoid those that have too many fillers, like corn, soy, and wheat. If you decide to give your pet table food, aim to give them meats, fruits, or vegetables. You can also give them rice in moderation. However, note that some food can be harmful to pets. It’s always a good idea to do ample research first.
On top of choosing quality food, ensure that your pets are getting the right portions. Pet food bags usually come with appropriate portioning suited to your pet’s size. Some pets would also need extra care and attention in their diets if they’re prone to some diseases, so it’s best to consult with your veterinarian.
A balanced diet is more than just providing your pets with healthy food, it has to be coupled with correct portion sizes, too.
Create an Exercise Routine
Just as in humans, exercise also offers numerous physical and mental health benefits for pets. With regular exercise, you can help your pets manage their weight, decrease the risk of diseases, reduce stress, and relieve anxiety.
Dogs typically require at least an hour of active exercise daily. Depending on your dog’s age and breed, this period could change to keep them happy and healthy. Take dogs out for daily walks and runs as a baseline. You can also supplement this by adding obedience training, agility drills, fetch, and other activities.
Cats, on the other hand, need just a little less physical exercise. On average, cats thrive on at least two 15-minute play sessions in a day. They enjoy toys and activities that engage their hunting instincts. Cat wands and laser pointers are simple toys that can offer endless entertainment. You can also use puzzle feeders to keep your feline friend engaged and happy.
Socialize Your Pets
Meeting and interacting with other animals stimulates your pets’ curiosity and problem-solving abilities. It also helps them become more active since being around other animals encourages them to play.
One thing to consider when letting your pet interact with other animals, though, is that it has to happen in a safe and neutral territory. For many dog breeds, interacting with other pets can be a breeze. Cats may need more time to get used to new environments and animals. Take your time and allow your pets to take as much time as they need to get comfortable.
Make Grooming a Priority
Pet grooming is an essential part of pet ownership and pet care. Admittedly, it’s not the easiest task. Although, grooming is one of the primary ways to keep your pet healthy and comfortable. For one, it gets rid of shedding, helps avoid flea and tick infestations, and helps you spot underlying conditions and diseases early.
Pets can become uncomfortable, grimy, and itchy when they go too long without baths. Frequent, regular baths help them shed dead skin cells, avoid matting, and clear their fur of oils and other debris. Bathing also stimulates the growth of healthier and shinier fur. After baths, brush your pet’s fur. This prevents matting; when your pet’s fur gets matted, it can cause pain, sores, and infections. Also, ensure that your pets’ nails are trimmed. Not only do overgrown nails cause discomfort and may force them to move less, but it can also damage your furniture and flooring.
Prioritize grooming your pet at least once a week, especially if they have longer or thicker fur.
Make Your Home Pet-Friendly
At Camella, we advocate for pet-first home design. A pet-friendly home entails providing your pet with their own space where they can retreat and relax without being disturbed. This space doesn’t have to be expansive, just make sure that it has a comfortable surface to lie on, away from foot traffic. You can also boost your pet’s wellness at home by investing in pet furniture. Dogs benefit from pet beds where they can lounge. Cats would require clean and fresh litter boxes; a good rule of thumb is to have one litter box per cat.
If you’re looking to make your home even more pet-friendly, you can give them outdoor access through pet doors– given that they’re safe and secure in these spaces. You can even make a small playground for them, using some balls and exercise toys.
Fortunately, Camella provides you with the space and the opportunity to create a home that’s fit for you and your pets.
Integrate Your Pet Into the Camella Community
Having your pet be part of the wider community is one of the best things you could do for their wellness. The Camella community welcomes pets and embraces what they can offer, too. More importantly, Camella wants to help you ensure that your pet’s wellness is at the forefront.
At Camella, we don’t just talk the talk, but we also walk the walk. Recently, there have been pet-focused initiatives in Camella Projects around the country. There have been pet expos where families with pets came together for knowledge-sharing and exploring new products. It was also a chance for the community to interact with other pets and pet owners. We also want to help you keep your furry friends as healthy as can be, so we’ve also organized vaccination drives. Pet activities are also a regular occurrence in the Camella community, so keep an eye out!
This National Pet Day, we invite you to integrate your pets into the Camella community to help enhance their wellness year-round. Through the years, we’ve always put the Filipino family at the heart of all our projects, and we acknowledge that pets are part of your family. At Camella, your pets are at home just as much as you are.
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