If you have pets, they are part of your family. That Americans love their pets is evidenced by the fact in 2015, people in the United States spent $60.28 billion caring for pets. One reason we love our pets is how they make us smile. In fact, about 94% of pet owners say they smile multiple times a day because of their pets. This is the reason so many of us turn to natural pet products to care for our furry companions.
6 Natural Ways to Care for Your Pet:
- Keep their food additive free. To save money, many pet food companies add fillers in with the vegetables and meats. These include low quality grains, artificial sweeteners and animal byproducts. Check all of the labels to make sure your pet foods list chicken, lamb, fish, beef or turkey at the top of the ingredients out. You should not buy any products that have chemical preservatives or gluten. Some people prefer to make their own pet food but you do not need to do that. Natural pet food is one of the most popular natural pet products.
- Use herbs to treat your pets’ stress. We all see our pets stress out from time to time, just as we do. They react to stresses in our lives and are upset when we are gone or there are fireworks or thunder. You can make these times easier for your pets by using some of the same natural remedies that work on people work on them. Valerian is used by many people to calm themselves. The best way to give this to pets is to sprinkle it on their food. Camomile tea has a great calming effect on pets. Brew some, cool it and let them drink it.
- Improve pets’ health with antioxidants. Pets benefit from antioxidants just as their companion people do. You can get these into their diets with herbs. Sprinkle them on their food. You can use dried or fresh herbs. These will change the taste of their food so you will have to play around to see what they like best. Some of the best herbs for this are sage, peppermint (a relative of catnip), lemon balm, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, dill, and rosemary.
- Add oil to their meals to help for their dry skin. If you have an itchy cat or have to deal with itchy skin in dogs, one culprit can be dry skin. Like people, our pets can suffer from dry skin. Sunflower, corn, safflower and peanut oils are good for helping with this because they have all the essential oils. For dogs, you should give them between one and three teaspoons with meals. Use your judgement based on their size. For dry skin on cats, add one teaspoon to their meals.
- Wipe them off. One easy way to help them with their itchy skin is to make sure their coats are free of the things that irritate them. When they come in the house, take a slightly damp towel and wipe your cats and dogs down. This can get rid of anything that is causing irritation. Of course, natural pet shampoo is always an option to get rid of allergens that have worked their way into your pets’ coats.
If your pet has skin allergies, you should know this is pretty common. For example, they are the second most common reason for dog vet visits. Nearly one third of all cat vet visits are due to cat skin swelling. By paying attention to their diets and adding some oils and herbs, you may be able to make them more comfortable. If you are really concerned, it never hurts to talk to your vet.
Natural pet products are gaining more popularity just as organic products are for people. When you cannot take care of your pets’ problems and issues at home with natural remedies, you can buy natural pet products for them. For example, many of us love our pets a lot but that does not mean we have the time to make pet food from scratch. Even vets say this is not necessary, we can give them the best nutrition and care with store bought food.
