The expert spoke about the necessary preparation before starting a pet.

Before you get a pet, you need to evaluate your budget, life circumstances, and the availability of additional time to ensure the comfort of the animal. Taisiya Ilyina, a veterinarian and expert at Valta Pet Products, told Izvestia about this on February 11.

"Responsible ownership begins long before the appearance of a puppy or kitten in the house. The owner will have to assess whether he has enough time between work and home for care, whether food, vaccinations, checkups and possible trips to the doctor will be met in the budget, and whether everyone in the house is ready for sleeping on the couch and walking in the rain. And be sure to save the number of the round—the-clock veterinary clinic in advance, because if the animal gets sick at night, there won't be time to find contacts, but it solves everything," says Taisiya Ilyina.

The expert also advised to study and memorize the basic parameters of the pet's health beforehand. Thus, the normal temperature in dogs is 37.5–39 °C and in cats is 38-39.2 °C, and the resting respiratory rate is 15-30 breaths per minute. Any deviations from these indicators are a reason to be wary, Ilyina added.

In addition, according to the veterinarian, each owner should have a first-aid kit that will help stabilize the animal's condition before visiting a doctor. The minimum set includes bandages (sterile bandages, gauze napkins, adhesive tape), antiseptics based on 0.05% chlorhexidine, as well as scissors with rounded ends, tweezers, and an electronic thermometer.

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And how to maintain them

"Unfortunately, there are still those who give the animal "human" drugs, but few people know that just one tablet of paracetamol can cause liver necrosis in a cat. No medications without the appointment of a veterinarian," emphasizes Taisiya Ilyina.

In addition, she stressed that you should not copy other people's lists of medicines from the Internet, because, for example, a puppy's first-aid kit will differ from an elderly animal's first-aid kit or a pet with chronic diseases.

According to her, it is important to take into account the seasonal tests of pet owners. So, in the hot season, the peak of complaints is due to heat stroke and poisoning. In autumn, animals often pick up rotten berries and mushrooms from the ground, which leads to gastroenteritis, and constant dampness provokes skin mycoses. In winter, pets are prone to frostbite and chemical burns on their paws from road reagents.

On February 8, Ilina gave advice on how to prepare a pet for a trip. So, according to her, it is necessary to start by studying the rules of the carrier. On an airplane, an animal can be taken into the cabin only in a special carrier, the parameters of which are strictly regulated by the airlines. Since 2025, trains have allowed the transportation of small pets in carriers in high-comfort compartment cars without buying out the entire compartment.

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