The veterinarian warned about the influence of habits on the health of pets

Excessive love of the owner can form habits that can adversely affect the well-being of the pet. Taisiya Ilyina, a veterinarian and expert at Valta Pet Products, told about this on April 6.

The expert stated that the appearance of an animal makes a person want to provide him with food, as well as pay attention. However, the needs of animals may not coincide with the ideas of human comfort and happiness. For this reason, it seems to the pet's owner that an extra portion of food is one of the forms of love.

"The owners treat the pet between feedings, give treats without measure, <...> because it seems that the animal is not full. It is especially easy to fall into this trap when a pet actively asks for a supplement <...> or begins to associate itself with something fragile and eternally hungry," Ilyina noted in an interview with Gazeta.Ru».

Animals, unlike humans, do not know how to independently control nutrition, so frequent overfeeding of a pet leads to chronic problems. As food becomes one of the ways of expressing love, the pet demands more often, and it becomes easier for the owner to refuse him. In such situations, it is not so much the food that is important to the pet as the attention from the person.

The other extreme, which Ilyina highlighted, is permissiveness in pet behavior.

"A pet is allowed to do literally anything. <...> Many habits seem funny at first, but over time they become fixed and become a full—fledged behavioral problem," the veterinarian pointed out.

The problem is that in the absence of rules, a pet begins to determine the acceptable limits of behavior for itself.

"It is easier for an animal to live when it has a regime, predictable reactions of the owner and understandable restrictions," she concluded.

The pet needs to understand the place to sleep, the time of eating, the rules of behavior at home and on the street, the boundaries of what is allowed. If these rules change frequently, the pet receives conflicting signals from the owner.

"Real care for a pet is not the desire to constantly please him with something pleasant, but the willingness to think about his condition for a long time," Ilyina added.

It may be useful for the owner to reason whether his actions are really necessary for the pet or help him feel like a good owner? Ilyina clarified that the following symptoms may indicate the need to review habits and rules of behavior: rapid weight gain, constant need for food, problems with rejection and restrictions, as well as an obsessive need for attention. This condition lies in the absence of clear boundaries for the pet, rather than the difficulties of its character.

To improve a pet's health, it is necessary to analyze its diet, give treats less often, stop feeding the animal from the table, and approve new rules with the whole family so that the boundaries for the pet are more understandable. If you have any questions, it is better to seek help from a veterinarian.

"A pet really needs warmth, attention, and intimacy with a human. But he also needs moderation, consistency, and clear rules. It is in this combination that the care appears that makes the animal's life not just pleasant, but healthy and safe," concluded the veterinarian.

To keep a pet healthy for a long time, it is important for the owner to take into account not only the emotions of the pet, but also its needs. Sometimes it's important to stop in time.

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Igor Glamazdin, Doctor of Veterinary Sciences, Professor, Director of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary and Sanitary Expertise at ROSBIOTECH University, reported on March 28 that home lighting affects the activity and rest of cats. He explained that cats' biorhythms are focused on twilight, and bright light in the late hours can be perceived by a cat as a signal for activity, which often leads to serious health problems. According to the expert, it is necessary to darken the room at night, remove light sources in the recreation area and minimize noise.

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