Have your four-legged companion help you achieve your New Year’s resolutions! 

Tom Dock, Director of Communications/Public Information Office at Noah’s Animal Hospitals, shares ways you can stay accountable with your goals for the New Year by getting your pets in on the fun: 

1.    Most of us will jot down at least a few resolutions for the New Year…why not let our pets help us keep those resolutions!

2.    A very common goal for the New Year is making a plan to lose weight.  Since 60-65% of all cats and dogs are obese or overweight, this is a good goal for them as well.
a.    Walking your dog just 1 hour a day or 2 twenty-minute walks can do you both a lot of good!  A 2008 study showed that dog owners were 57-77% more likely to reach sufficient physical activity for the week.
b.    Besides helping you with your weight and exercise goals, this time with your pet can help him/her shed pounds and improve quality of life.
c.    Even though most cats aren’t walked, using a variety of “tricks” can induce your lazy feline to increase activity.  Consider “tails” while you clean the house or introduce feeding puzzles.3.    Along with increased exercise, many people will add “eating better” to their plan for the New Year.  
a.    Review your pet’s current diet with your veterinarian.  It could be that a change in feeding frequency, feeding amounts, or even type of food could be beneficial.
b.    Look for well-known brands with good reputations.  Good pet food companies will employ a veterinary nutritionist or animal nutritionist on staff.
c.    Avoid buying the bargain brand food…anything that is less than $1 per pound of food isn’t likely to have quality ingredients.  This means you are probably going to feed MORE of that type of food.

4.    How about those resolutions to “read more”?  For most of us, this is an attempt to increase knowledge, improve memory, or challenge our brains.  We can do the same thing with our pets as well.
a.    As mentioned above, feeding puzzles and treat dispensers can help stimulate our pets’ mental state as well as help control the amount of food we feed.
b.    Boredom and the bad behavior that can result often leads to relinquishment of the pet.
c.    Although these products can be found on sites like Chewy.com and Amazon, consider visiting a site like catfoodpuzzles.com to find a wider variety of recommendations.

5.    Saving money is another BIG goal for many of us.  While our pets might not have their own bank accounts, there are ways that you can watch your pennies on their healthcare.
a.    Follow your veterinarian’s prevention guidelines…in many cases, the cost of prevention is FAR less than the cost of treatment.
b.    Look into pet insurance…just realize that this is reimbursable insurance, so you will still need the funds to get the care done.
c.    Other thoughts would be considering CareCredit or a credit card saved for pet emergencies.

Find details on your local Noah’s Animal Hospital at www.noahshospitals.com.