Ring in the changes for 2009!?!

At the start of any new year, our thoughts often turn to diet and exercise in a bid to purge ourselves of all the festive food and drink. Pets also suffer from overeating and lack of exercise, but there are more things to consider when it comes to being a good pet owner. So here are our top tips for achieving a healthier lifestyle for your favourite furry friend!?!

1. Regular exercise is not only a great health booster, but it also provides us with valuable time to bond with our pets. A simple daily walk will help a dog learn proper manners and will work wonders for any unfit owner at the same time!!!

2. A trip to the vet shouldn’t just be saved for when your pet is unwell. A regular health check up will nip any problems in the bud, and having this information for comparison will be invaluable to the vet if any problem should arise in the future.

3. Like humans, any pet who eats a poor quality diet will suffer from a multitude of problems such as poor skin, hair loss and obesity. Always feed your pet a healthy and nutritious diet that has been specifically formulated for the breed – a diet rich in table scraps is not a healthy one and should be avoided.

4. No one wants to be around a stinky pet, so regular grooming is essential!!! Bathing, toe nail clipping, brushing out the coat and parasite control will not only make your pet more pleasing to be around, it is much healthier for them too!!!

5. Proper maintenance is important for all pets as creating a clean environment will help to keep them healthy. Doing the more unpleasant tasks such as cage cleaning, litter box scooping and fish tank cleaning will help to reduce the risk of skin infections and diseases.

Hopefully some of these tips will prove useful for 2009 and will save you a fortune in vets bills at least!?! Here at the Aquatic and Pet Warehouse we’re only an e-mail or phone call away if you need any advice – and remember we’re online too if you need any supplies!!!