{"id":453,"date":"2022-03-29T21:46:47","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T21:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/?p=453"},"modified":"2023-07-07T14:07:56","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T14:07:56","slug":"april-2022-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/april-2022-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"April 2022 Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Prevent Hairballs in Your Cat<\/a>
\nHow to Celebrate National Pet Parent Day<\/a>
\nBest Ways to Exercise Your Dog Mentally and Physically<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nHow to Prevent Hairballs in Your Cat<\/strong>
\nWe love our cats. They are fun, cute, cuddly, sometimes sneaky, sometimes like to knock things off the table, and then there are the hairballs. If you have a cat who gets hairballs, what can you do?<\/p>\n

When you first encounter a hairball it can be quite undesirable and nasty to look at. Your cat basically will vomit up the hair, according to the article, \u201cHow To Treat Cat Hairballs\u201d at PetMD.com.<\/p>\n

The hairballs occur because of your cat grooming himself and then swallowing hair. While some \u201chair will pass thorough their digestive tract and into their feces with no complications,\u201d the article said, sometimes in cats the hair gets into the stomach and becomes a hairball. \u201cAfter hair has accumulated in the stomach and a hairball is formed, it will then be vomited as a long, tubular hair mass that may be covered in slimy mucus.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are things you can to do prevent and treat hairballs. The PetMD article offers the following tips:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Laxatone, an oral gel that binds hair in the stomach so the hair passes easier
\n\u2022 Over-the-counter hairball diets available in certain cat food formulas
\n\u2022 Prescription diets that you can discuss with your veterinarian<\/p>\n

You can try to prevent hairballs in your cat as well. According to the article, \u201c7 Tips to Prevent Hairballs\u201d at PetSafe. Some things you can do include:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Brushing your cat and do it more during shedding seasons. \u201cRemoving the loose and dead hair from your cat\u2019s coat before your cat can ingest it is probably the best way to prevent hairball from forming in the first place,\u201d the PetSafe article said.
\n\u2022 An active cat who engages in regular exercise and play can keep the digestive system working.
\n\u2022 Try pumpkin, a great fiber-rich treat.
\n\u2022 Ensure your cat has lots of water.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nHow to Celebrate National Pet Parent Day<\/strong>
\nThere\u2019s a day for just about everything. And while we have Mother\u2019s Day and Father\u2019s Day, did you know there is a National Pet Parent Day? It\u2019s a great way to celebrate being a parent to your pet.<\/p>\n

Celebrated on the last Sunday of April, this year the day falls on April 24. Thankfully, back in 2007, this very special day started \u201cto acknowledge the many Americans who consider their pets to be beloved members of the family,\u201d according to the article, \u201cWays to Celebrate National Pet Parents Day\u201d at PetPlace.com.<\/p>\n

Pet parents take care of their pets on a daily basis by feeding them, walking them, cleaning the litter box, taking them to the veterinarian, playing with them, and even taking them on vacation.<\/p>\n

How can you celebrate this very special day? Here are some suggestions, according to the article:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Go to the park with your dog. Your dog will have a great long walk and you both can take in the sights and smells.
\n\u2022 Cuddle up with your pet in your lap. Provide extra kisses and belly rubs.
\n\u2022 Get out and go for a drive. You can even choose a destination.
\n\u2022 Prepare a special meal that you can share.
\n\u2022 Organize a pet food drive and bring together your community to help pet parents in need.<\/p>\n

You can even make it memorable. According to the article, \u201cTop tips to make this National Pet Parents Day one to remember\u201d at Animal Wellness Magazine, consider these suggestions:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Adopt a shelter pet and become a wonder pet parent all over again.
\n\u2022 Buy your pet a new toy and bask in the happiness it brings.
\n\u2022 Volunteer at your local animal shelter<\/p>\n

Whatever you decide to do to celebrate National Pet Parents Day, remember it\u2019s your day so celebrate it in your style.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nBest Ways to Exercise Your Dog Mentally and Physically<\/strong>
\nSince April is Canine Fitness Month, it\u2019s a great time to exercise your dog both mentally and physically.<\/p>\n

As with people, dogs can become sedentary, become obese, and lack mental stimulation. According to the article, \u201cCanine Fitness Month: Exercises Anyone Can Do\u201d at Vet Organics, dogs need to be active at least 30 minutes a day and so do humans. \u201cNow is the time to build exercise, playtime, and games into our daily habits to keep all of us, canine companions included, mentally healthy and physically fit,\u201d the article said.<\/p>\n

The article offers some ways to get out there with your canines:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Walk at any pace that is comfortable for you and your dog. If you\u2019re just starting, begin with a shorter walk.
\n\u2022 Fetch anyone? It\u2019s a great game. You can try a Frisbee, ball, or stick.
\n\u2022 Take the stairs, but be mindful of senior dogs.
\n\u2022 Try obstacle courses, which you can do at home.<\/p>\n

According to the article, \u201cEnriching Your Dog\u2019s Life\u201d at Fetch by WebMD, while we all have lives that are busy, our dogs are often home alone a big part of every day. \u201cIf you give your dog \u2018jobs\u2019 to do when she\u2019s by herself, she\u2019ll be less likely to come up with her own ways to occupy her time, like unstuffing your couch, raiding the trash or chewing on your favorite pair of shoes,\u201d the Fetch by WebMD article said.<\/p>\n

Provide a food puzzle toy for your dog. These sturdy containers have food or treats inside but dogs have to work to get the food out. They \u201crequire time, patience and problem solving,\u201d the Fetch article said.<\/p>\n

There are so many activities you can do to help stimulate your dog mentally and physically. It will help you both in the long run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to Prevent Hairballs in Your Cat How to Celebrate National Pet Parent Day Best Ways to Exercise Your Dog Mentally and Physically How to Prevent Hairballs in Your Cat We love our cats. They are fun, cute, cuddly, sometimes sneaky, sometimes like to knock things off the table, and then there are the hairballs…. Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":519,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453\/revisions\/519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}