• Provide your pet the proper diet. Obesity can be as deadly as malnutrition. Be aware that some foods can be deadly, such as chocolate, and fatty foods can cause pancreatitis.

• Make sure your pets get the proper amount of exercise.

• Provide veterinary care for your pet. Keep their vaccinations up to date and make sure they have annual checkups.
While most of us take our pets each year for their check-ups, there are a great number of those that fail to do so, or don’t protect their pets as they should.On a personal note, a couple of weeks ago we found another golden that needed a home. The family seemed like a great family, and the 5 year old golden seemed very healthy. They did inform us that the only shot the dog had been given since his puppy shots was his rabies vaccination.
We took him to the vet for a complete check-up and it was discovered that he has a servere case of heartworms. To me this is inexcusable. The dog now has to go through heartworm treatments and could possibly die from the treatment.
My point is, if you take on the responsibility of a pet, please make sure you protect him/her. I’m sure this family had their human kids vaccinated.

Our New Guy Max

• Spay or neuter your pets. There are too many homeless animals without adding to the problem.
Spaying or neutering your pet is an important decision for pet owners. As animal lovers who value our pets, it is important to understand the impact of this decision.

It happens everywhere
In every community, in every state, there are homeless animals. In the U.S. as a whole, there are an estimated 6-8 million homeless animals entering animal shelters every year. About half of these animals are adopted, and tragically, the other half are euthanized. These are healthy, sweet pets who would have made great companions.

The number of homeless animals varies by state—in some states there are as many as 300,000 homeless animals euthanized in animal shelters every year. These are not the offspring of homeless “street” animals—these are the puppies and kittens of cherished family pets and even purebreds.

Yes, your pet’s offsping could be shelter animals
Many people believe that their pet’s puppies or kittens would never become homeless shelter animals. But the reality is that every time the dog finds his way under the fence to visit the neighbor’s female dog, or the indoor/outdoor cat comes back home pregnant again, the result is a litter of dogs or cats. Even if they are placed into homes, it is still possible for them to end up in shelters once they become “hard to handle,” or for them to reproduce further and for the next generation of puppies or kittens to wind up homeless.

Many people are surprised to learn that nationwide more than 3 million cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters. Spay/neuter is the only permanent, 100-percent effective method of birth control for dogs and cats.

Not just for dogs and cats
When being conscientious about the pet overpopulation, don’t forget to spay or neuter your pet rabbit. Rabbits reproduce faster than dogs or cats and often end up in shelters where they must be euthanized. Spaying or neutering rabbits can reduce hormone-driven behavior such as lunging, mounting, spraying and boxing. Spaying females can prevent ovarian, mammary and uterine cancers, which can be prevalent in mature females.

Millions of pet deaths each year are a needless tragedy. By spaying and neutering your pet, you can be an important part of the solution. Contact your veterinarian today and be sure to let your family and friends know that they should do the same.

• Choose a pet that fits your lifestyle. Don’t get a high energetic dog, if you don’t have the time to exercise him. If you can’t afford grooming or can’t do the grooming yourself, pick a low maintenance dog.

Being a responsible pet owner is much more than just providing adequate water, food and shelter for your pet. Domestic pets are completely dependent on their owners for their welfare.

• Owning a pet is a lifetime commitment. If you can’t make the commitment, don’t get the pet.

February is responsible pet owners month. Throughout this month we will be post some ideas on how we can all contribute to this cause, instead of it just being another date on a calendar.