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Take 10 With Your Furry Friend

Take 10 With Your Furry Friend

Being isolated is hard on all of us, including our pets. But if there’s one thing we know about our ASVC family, it’s that you’ve got this. We’ve already seen our community pull together in incredible ways over the last several weeks, and we wouldn’t expect anything less. It’s simply the West Village way. We are proud to know and serve each and every one of you and to provide our support for your pets in whatever way we can during this challenging time. 

If you’re working from home, sheltering in place or self-isolating, you’re no doubt spending more time with your pets. We can help you can keep them healthy and happy until their next office visit with these 10 pet-care tips, many of which take just 10 minutes.

  1. Keep your pet’s coat clean and in good condition with regular brushing. Check for parasites, lumps or anything unusual you can report to us at your next visit.
  2. Are you brushing your pet’s teeth? This may be a good time to learn how to provide good oral care to your dog or cat.
  3. Give your cat or dog a massage to reduce anxiety, increase flexibility and improve circulation.
  4. Are you stress baking? Try these vet-approved dog treats for a healthy alternative to commercial treats.
  5. Keep up with your dog’s regular outdoor exercise routine, maintaining socially appropriate distances from other people.
  6. Fun exercise indoors: If you have a long hallway or a staircase, toss a toy or a tennis ball for your dog to chase. Offer praise and a treat if he brings it back and drops it.
  7. Cats chase balls, too – will yours? Give it a try and be sure to offer a tasty treat as a reward.
  8. Teach your dog a new trick with short positive reinforcement training sessions. Training apps like Puppr make it easy!
  9. Keep up with heartworm and flea and tick medications so your pets don’t develop secondary problems like hot spots, allergies and tick-borne disease.
  10. Find some pet entertainment! Spotify has curated playlists for pets, and streaming services like YouTube and Pluto.TV have dedicated channels for keeping your pet engaged. You can even visit the app store on your phone or tablet to browse interactive games for your pet! Not into electronics? Try Three Stories You Can Read to Your Dog.

In addition to trying out these tips, you can create a pet profile for an emergency pet caregiver, in case one is needed. Include our contact information, medical conditions and medications, food preferences as well as any behavioral tendencies. If you don’t already have one, create a pet disaster preparedness kit and include the pet profile you created.

At heart-heavy times like these, it helps to express gratitude for the silver linings: As pet owners, we are fortunate to have furry friends who can bring joy to our lives during this challenging time. Just as we care for our pets, our pets care for us, too.

We miss you all, and can’t wait to see your playful pups and fluffy felines (and you!) again. Until then, stay strong and stay safe.
 
With love, 
Your ASVC Family