Food Rules For Cats And Dogs During The New Year Holidays

2023 Author: Molly Page | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 22:49

During the winter holidays, you often invite friends and relatives to visit. To delight them, prepare delicious dishes according to new or long-loved recipes. Traditionally, pets keep a close eye on the preparations in the kitchen, hoping for a tidbit. It is difficult to resist and not pamper your pet with any delicacy. But you need to know how such food affects the pet's body.

Galina Gaskarova, Senior Veterinary Consultant at Hill's Veterinary Information Center, talks about the basic rules for feeding a pet during the New Year holidays.

Correct diet

Food "off the table" is poorly absorbed by pets and is not recommended for feeding cats and dogs. Therefore, do not seek to treat your pet with something unusual, especially sweet or salty. For example, in cats, the use of such foods, as well as milk, can exacerbate hidden diseases. Despite the holidays, the pet's diet should remain balanced and include all the necessary nutrients, including macro- and micronutrients, as well as vitamins, which ensure that the specific and individual needs of cats and dogs are met. Therefore, it is better to opt for special diets that meet the needs of your pet, contain an accurate balance of nutrients, and clinically proven antioxidants.

Veterinary care

According to statistics, the largest number of visits to veterinary clinics falls on the period of the New Year holidays. The most common ailments are poisoning and overeating, which occur when the owners treat their pets to "delicious" from the festive table. In addition to feeling unwell, this can lead to the development of obesity in a cat or dog. Therefore, try to adhere to the basic rules of feeding your pet, and also regularly visit a veterinarian for a complete diagnosis of the animal's health. Remember that the owners cannot be objective in this matter, and the problem of overweight in a pet can only be diagnosed by a specialist who determines the pet's body mass index.

Winter meals

Remember that during colder seasons, your pet's activity tends to be less. Despite the fact that during the New Year holidays you walk and play a lot with your pet, it is recommended to choose a diet with fewer calories and fats and high in fiber. Thanks to this balance, unwanted weight gain is prevented and the feeling of hunger in the pet between feedings is reduced. The diet should include essential fatty acids to maintain healthy skin and coat. It is also necessary to correctly dose the food for the animal - adhere to the norm indicated on the package.

Available treats

If guests are to come to celebrate the New Year, be sure to warn them not to feed your pet with food "from the table". Explain how this might affect his health. In order for a pet to feel comfortable and not react to the tempting smells of holiday dishes, first of all, he must be full. Therefore, take care of this in advance. It is also important to provide the pet with free access to water at any time of the day. If you still want to pamper your cat or dog with something unusual for it, choose special treats for animals of high quality and take into account their calorie content.