How to make your pet happy!
Everyone with a pet will know how much it means to keep your pet happy, but sometimes it can be hard to find a balance. For today's post, we're teaming up with Iams to share their formula for a happy pet!
Research from IAMS has put the nation’s pet parenting skills to the test to find out what makes our furry family members purr with delight and this is what they found: • The typical UK dog or cat will enjoy breakfast at 7.43am with dinner being served 10 hours and 55 minutes later, at precisely 6.38pm • Cats tend to enjoy 34 minutes of play each day, often playing on their own or chasing things such as string or toys • With all that playtime, cats like to enjoy two naps per day with the sweet spot being five naps – in their owner’s bed of course! • When it comes to dogs, the average walk takes just over one hour (one hour and four minutes to be exact) for most medium sized breeds such as Collies and Cocker Spaniels • Dogs are much more demanding on their owner’s time, requiring up to 61 minutes of play and 64 minutes of cuddles daily; that’s an additional 41 minutes of play and cuddles than the average cat requires each day! However, the research also found one third of owners feed their pets human snacks. What’s more, 30% exercise their dog for less than 30 minutes each day and considering that 49% of dogs are considered overweight. Although recent reports show that 76% of pet owners see their pet as their own child, this new research reveals that we may need to fine tune our pet parenting styles to ensure that our pets are as happy and healthy as possible.
So what should you be doing? According to IAMS Nutrition Expert and Veterinary Training Manager, Kellie Ceccarelli, there is a careful balance between what we think our pets want, and what they need to help them live a long healthy and active life: “Showering our pets with love and affection is natural, and when faced with puppy-dog eyes, or an adorable cat brushing up against you, it can be hard not to give in to their demands. Giving in by feeding human foods, or foregoing a daily dog walk due to bad weather, may seem to please your pet, but in the long-term it can have damaging health implications, such as increasing the risk of heart problems, obesity and joint issues – particularly in older cats and dogs. “The secret to perfect pet parenting is understanding what your pet needs to be happy and healthy. Providing a 100% complete and balanced diet rich in high quality proteins offering proven health benefits will be one less thing for you to worry about. Look out for diets containing high quality animal protein as the number one and therefore most plentiful ingredient.”
As you can see, IAMS has created the perfect formula for our cats and dogs!
This was Rio's results that IAMS put together for us:
At least two hours of exercise a day + two hours of play
Divided by a 100% complete and balanced diet which supports Rio at every lifestage
Times by 30 minutes of affection Balanced with veterinary support and care as Border Collies can be prone to weight gain unless they are a working dog
Luckily, Rio is a working dog that competes in Agility so has always been very fit and is fed by our sponsor, Eukanuba and wears a Streamz magnetic healing collar (watch out for post on this!) - obesity is not a problem :)
What is your pet's results? Let me know in the comments!
Lots of love,
Chloe & Rio Xx