Expert tips on how to prepare for a new pet
1. GET TO KNOW YOUR PET
It's possible you may have just brought home the new addition to your family, and you may be wondering why your little furry friend seems different from when you first looked into its big beady eyes from its little corner at the shelter.
Maybe you got a rescue pup from KSPCA, or picked up a stray cat, out of the kindness of your heart. Only now, you are beginning to wonder why you brought it home just yet. (Bye bye clean carpet)
Usually when you meet your future pet for the first time, especially at a shelter, they are probably scared, shy and most of the time on high alert. Then you go home and they turn out to be this ball of energy that you did not anticipate or surprise you to be a little more territorial than expected.
Well, we have all been there. As a vet, I've had a chance to interact closely with animals and pick up a few tricks along the way about how to quickly assess a cat or dog before physical examination.
Here are some of those tricks that could help you get to know your little (or large) new family member:-
Look into their eyes
Now, i don't mean this in a look deep-into-their-soul type of way. Just take a look and learn to pay attention and take cues from their eyes. You can actually learn a lot in the first few seconds of meeting a cat or dog from just their eyes. Here, take a look at this:
I'm sure its pretty easy to distinguish which one is possibly more aggressive.
The eyes are a good way of gauging possible aggression. In the same way, they can help you tell if your dog is sad or happy. Angry...you will definitely know!
I learnt this trick early on in University from a close friend of mine and trust me it has saved me a great deal. All the, same, try not to look too hard, you don't want to end up being the aggressor.
Breed Characteristics
Most of the time people pick a pet based on how it looks, and i totally get it especially if they come to you looking like this;
Pulls right at your heart strings doesn't it? I totally get it.
Only thing is later on I begin to hear remarks like, "My Labrador Retriever is too energetic" or "My Terrier won't stop burrowing holes in the garden" or "My German Shepherd keeps chasing cars"
This behavior might seem strange to a new pet owner but are most of the time normal breed characteristics.
Most of the breeds we see today are as a result of controlled breeding, especially during the Victorian era (1830-1900's) which they did to isolate certain character traits that were most desirable for different activities at the time.
These included hunting, protection, retrieving buried objects or herding farm animals (hence the chasing of cars in Shepherd dog breeds). Which remain some of the common traits we see in our pure breeds today.
I suggest doing a little research about your new/future best friend. (of the furry variety) Get to know some of the traits that are genetically linked to them, so you don't get too surprised when you find your Labrador Retriever swimming in your pool or your Dachshund digging holes in your garden.
They really can't help it.
To find out more on dog breeds check out this fun informative show here or maybe you are more of a cat person here
It will help you figure out which breed will match your own lifestyle.
This one is for the new cat owners
Cats are very interesting creatures.
They sometimes want to spend time with you at strange times. You may wake up in the night, open the door and think, maybe it needs to go outside, or perhaps it's hungry.
Only for you to stand there by the door (half asleep) watching your cat weave in and out your feet at 4 in the morning without a care in the world.
It can be frustrating in the beginning, but with time you end up finding it endearing when you realize that all they want to do is just spend time with you.
A quick tip to save you some time (and sleep) just pick your kitty up and take it with you to bed or if it has its own little bed in your room.
Usually just knowing you're there is all they want, and of course your body warmth.
This however, can only work if they are already potty trained and you don't have to worry about any stinky messes in the morning. which brings me to my next point.
2. POTTY TRAINING
For Dogs
A quick disclaimer, this is usually easier to do with young pets, puppies or kittens but i don't want you to worry because the same principle applies and that is CONDITIONING
This is a scientific principle by a scientist named Ivan Pavlov. the basic principle is that if you do an action consistently to an animal, and add a secondary stimulus with the action, with time, it begins to respond to the latter stimulus to trigger the initial one.
Are you still with me? What i mean is, for example during dog training, if you blow a whistle then tell the dog to sit then repeat this over a period of time, the dog begins to sit just from blowing the whistle, without even having to hear the word sit.
So how do we apply that to house training?
After your puppy has eaten, wait between 15-30 minutes and they will need to poop.
For peeing a 2 month old pup needs to go every two hours and at 3 months they will need to pee approximately every 4 hours.
BUT, puppies are different, so pay attention during training to their routine and you will be able to get a correct estimate of when they need to go.
When it's time, take your dog for a walk outside, if possible to the same spot and let them do their business.
Here is where the conditioning comes in, create verbal cues of positive affirmation like "Good job" or "Good potty" to affirm that what they are doing; and more importantly, where they are doing it, is good.
Do it again the next day and take them back to the same spot. Keep up the affirmation and do it consistently for at least a few weeks. They will begin to associate the outdoors plus what you tell them, to potty time.
A quick reminder, lets refrain from sticking our pets faces in their excrement when they make a mess. Trust me, they will not connect the poop to themselves. They don't even remember pooping, much less where they did it. They will only associate your aggression to them and will impact negatively on your relationship and begin to instill fear.
Eventually, your dog knows that if they don't go outside, they cant go and will end up holding it.
Note: Puppies below 4 months cannot hold their bladder or bowel movement, so go easy on them if they mess up when you're not around. Keep up the training and with time they learn to hold it especially through the night or if you are gone a few hours.
Always ensure they get a daily walk once they are mature enough.
Cat
In case you have a kitten, a litter box will do the trick.
Cats are more private about their business and will usually do it where they know they can bury it.
However, they still require a level of training. If you don't want to buy a litter box, you can always improvise with a
cardboard box
polythene/ an old tray (to catch fluids)
plain DRY soil.
Then all you have to do is familiarize them with it after meals so they know where to go.
If only they all knew how to do this;
Generally, it helps if you have a specific feeding time and regime which also allows for their digestive system to have regular bowel movements.
In case you are looking for a diet that offers great nutrition and is already planned out for you, check out our shop.
Whatever size your pet is, everything is measured out for you based on their weight. All you do is measure, scoop and serve and you don't have to worry if your cat or dog has had enough because its already scientifically calculated for you! How great is that!
3.VACCINATIONS
This one should be a no brainer.
Your pet MUST get their vaccinations. Not just for their well being but for yours as well. Specifically for Rabies.
I recommend that you get the entire regimen from when they are weaned.
For dogs this begins at 6-8 weeks and for cats at 4-6 weeks. A total of 3 vaccinations are done, 3-4 weeks apart.
Plus you get a Vaccination Certification book from your vet, to keep a record of all the vaccinations done and date for your next vaccination.
If for whatever reason you cannot do the entire vaccine regimen, then the annual Rabies vaccine is a must.
Safe from 12 weeks and over for both dogs and cats
Incidence of rabies in Kenya is still high with 2000 human deaths occurring annually (2)
So this is not just your pup, but for your safety as well.
Also, if you have a puppy below 4 months I would strongly suggest you start the Parvo Virus vaccine (which is usually the first) and proceed with the entire regime.
Trust me, no pet owner wants their animal to suffer from this and it happens to be very common if unvaccinated. Trust me, it is a very debilitating disease for a puppy.
The cross breeds are less susceptible in comparison to pure breeds like Rottweilers, Doberman Pinchers, English Springer Spaniels and German Shepherd, the exception to this being Toy Poodles and Cocker Spaniels (1).
In case you have one of the susceptible breeds, there is no escaping it, get your puppy vaccinated.
Ensure you get your pet fully checked out at the vet before they come home and fully vaccinated. At most clinics in Kenya each vaccination will not cost you more than Ksh2500 each. With a total of 3 vaccinations (one every 3-4 weeks apart)
That is well worth it to ensure your pet is free from preventable diseases.
For cats, ensure they get their Feline Enteritis/Feline Distemper from as early as 6 weeks of age. Kittens are vaccinated once every three to four weeks until they reach 16 weeks of age or older. However, to avoid over-vaccination, most veterinarians will recommend starting the vaccine at 8 weeks of age, followed by boosters at 12 weeks and 16 weeks old.
Overall, having a pet is great, they offer great laughs and unconditional love, but you do have to be prepared for some level of responsibility (especially during potty training) but i can assure you it is all worth it in the end.
Your fellow animal lover.
1.Houston DM, Ribble CS, Head LL. Risk Associated with parvovirus enteritis in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1996;208:542–548. [PubMed]
2.. Zoonotic Disease Unit Strategic Plan for the Elimination of Human Rabies in Kenya 2014-2030 Nairobi; Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries 2014