Preparing for the New Year! How to Look after Your Pet’s Health and Avoid Stress

Time flies and we are now in December again. Many people find it easy to lose their rhythm in life around Christmas and the New Year holidays. In fact, pets who spend time with their owners are also easily affected by this. In this article, I would like to write about ways to avoid stress as much as possible and how to manage your health.

The Impact of Busy Year-End and New Year Holidays on Pets

The New Year’s holiday season is a busy time for pet owners, with major cleaning, returning home, and traveling. However, this busyness may be stressing your pet. Especially in high-rise apartments, you need to be careful not to leave the windows open during major cleaning and let your pet go out onto the balcony without realizing it. Dogs and cats are also sensitive to changes in their daily rhythm and the environment inside the house. They may feel anxious or stressed when the family grows or becomes noisy. Even when you are busy with New Year’s events, try to maintain your normal daily rhythm as much as possible and value your pet’s sense of security. In homes where people tend to gather, it is important to make sure that everyone can touch and love your pet from a young age, and conversely, it is important to secure a quiet place where no one can approach when people gather.

Be Careful About Your Pet’s Diet During the New Year Holidays

Many families prepare delicious food for New Year’s and Christmas, but human foods can be dangerous for pets. In particular, chocolate, rice cakes, and foods high in salt should be avoided for dogs and cats. You should also be careful with poinsettias, which are often seen at Christmas. You should also avoid giving food to pets at drinking parties. This is also the time of year when there is an increase in emergency visits to veterinary clinics due to food eaten over the New Year period, so it is important to pay even more attention than usual to managing your pet’s diet.

Preparation For Leaving Your Pet

When leaving your pet at a pet hotel or with a friend while traveling or returning home, you need to make preparations in advance. Make sure the environment of the place you are leaving your pet is comfortable for your pet and that the staff are trustworthy. It is also important to bring items that will make your pet feel safe, such as its usual food, toys, and blankets. If possible, it is a good idea to use a short-term trial period to see if your pet can get used to the new environment. When leaving your pet at a pet hotel, you may be asked to provide proof of vaccination against infectious diseases and rabies. Make sure you have the certificate on hand and that the vaccination date has not expired. If your pet has a chronic illness, be sure to check in advance with the pet hotel whether you can give it medicine during your stay.

Don’t Forget to Take Care of Your Pet’s Health

While families spend more time together during the New Year holidays, pet health care can sometimes be put on the back burner. Be sure to take precautions against the cold and take your pet for walks and play as usual. For elderly or sick pets in particular, the cold can be a strain on the body, so you need to find ways to keep them in a warm place. Also, since many veterinary clinics are closed during the New Year holidays, it’s a good idea to check in advance whether your pet has enough medicine, has enough of its usual food, and is in good health.

Summary

The New Year is a busy time for pet owners, but it is also a time when pets are prone to stress and health problems. It is important to maintain a normal daily routine and pay attention to diet and health. Be sure to prepare well when leaving your pet with us so you can welcome the New Year with peace of mind.

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Our hospital is located in Tsukishima, Tokyo, near Ginza and surrounded by high-rise apartment buildings, and we aim to be a foreigner-friendly veterinary hospital. We will continue to take various measures to become a place where foreign pet owners can feel free to consult us about any small matter.

Our hospital website: http://www.anima-ah.com/