Best New Year Resolutions For Pet Care
When it comes to the best new year resolutions for pet care, there are five key areas of pet care that will contribute to your pet living a healthy life in the new year. Humans often make new year’s resolutions for themselves. But pet owners will be doing themselves and their pets a favor by making some new year resolutions for how they care for their pets in the coming year. Here are the 5 key areas of pet care that can contribute to a healthy pet in the new year & we’ll take a look at these action items individually:
- Nutrition
- Consistent exercise
- Dental hygiene
- Weight management
- Annual exams
Best New Year Resolutions For Pet Care: NUTRITION
Nutrition is a key factor in maintaining health for both people and pets. The new year is a great time to assess if your pet is getting the right nutrition whether they have fur, feathers, or scales. The best place to start is look assess your pet’s general health. Are they active and lively? Are there any signs of health breakdowns? Are there any issues with their appetite?
After that, a nutrition consult with your veterinarian is the ideal place to start. In a typical nutrition consult, your veterinarian will assess your pet’s health – and look at what your pet is currently eating. Nutrition discussions often will center around best practices for feeding, including ideal foods, specialty diets, the frequency of feedings, and the amount of food that’s being fed.
If your veterinarians thinks your pet would benefit from a change or update to their diet, details can be discussed for commercial foods that might be a better option. In addition, nutritional discussions often cover standard items in most kitchens that could be a healthful supplement to your pet’s current diet.
The bottom line is that good nutrition is the basis for maintaining a healthy pet.
Best New Year Resolutions For Pet Care: CONSISTENT EXERCISE
In addition to a healthful nutritional regimen, consistent exercise is another component that contributes greatly to your pet’s health. Optimal exercise regimens are based on your pet’s species, breed, and age.
Young animals have different exercise needs than adult animals or senior animals. The key to developing a consistent exercise program for your pet is to consider exercise needs based on your pet’s species, breed, and age.
Multiple indicators can show whether your pet’s exercise regimen is too little, too much, or just right. We at Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital often see and treat pet injuries that were caused by “weekend warrior” exercise, or aggressive exercise where your pet was not properly conditioned over time to accommodate aggressive exercise, or sport activities.
The best recommendation for developing a healthy exercise program is to work with your veterinarian to develop realistic exercise programs that get your pet in better shape over time, vs. fast. The faster a pet owner’s attempt to exercise their pet hard, the more likely the chance for orthopedic injuries.
Basic advice for formalizing your pet’s exercise program:
- Assess your pet’s breed and age and then determine what exercise levels make sense for them.
- Set realistic goals where exercise is gradually increased over a period of time. After each increase in exercise, observe your pet carefully for any signs of discomfort.
- Work with your veterinarian to determine a realistic amount of pet exercise based on your pet’s current physical condition, age, and any current orthopedic issues.
- If your goal is to get your pet involved in a sport such as agility, it’s critically important to work with a veterinarian experienced in physical conditioning programs for pets to help prevent injuries.
Best New Year Resolutions For Pet Care: DENTAL HYGIENE
Maintaining healthy teeth and gums for your pet is just as important as maintaining healthy teeth and gums in humans. Medical research now shows that mouth health significantly affects the health of the whole body. That’s why it’s so important to consistently focus on your pet’s dental health.
The first step is to consult with your vet on the condition of your pet’s teeth. In many cases, dental care & teeth cleaning under anesthesia is the best step to developing a healthy mouth for your pet.
In addition, ongoing home dental care for your pets can contribute to maintaining a healthy mouth. Daily or weekly home dental care can include:
- Brushing your pet’s teeth using toothpaste formulated specifically for pets
- Using pet dental wipes to help clean your pet’s teeth
Best New Year Resolutions For Pet Care: WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Maintaining a healthy weight on your pet can prevent a wide array of health problems & diseases.
Pet obesity continues to be a MAJOR health issue for pets in the United States. 2025 estimates are that more than half of dogs and cats in the United States are overweight or obese. These statistics also include rising numbers of pet obesity even for young animals.
Multiple factors are responsible for these alarming statistics. First, many pets spend most of the day sleeping while their humans are at work. Second, as a result of a lack of exercise, many pets are being over fed. Third, it’s common to provide treats or table scraps in addition to pet food – because treats are considered a sign of love for the pet.
Unfortunately, the “food is love” thinking from pet owners can harm pets – with overweight pets more at risk for diabetes, arthritis, and orthopedic issues.
For weight management in the new year, the number one place to start is to consult with your veterinarian, weigh your pet, and have a serious discussion about where your pet falls on the scale of healthy to overweight to obese.
If your pet has too much weight on their frame, your veterinarian can develop a steady, consistent program of weight management that’s designed to slowly and healthfully release some of the extra body fat on your pet.
Typical solutions for pet weight management include:
- An initial assessment of your pet’s condition
- A review of their current feeding & exercise regimens
- Building a weight management plan that may include:
- Smaller portions of food
- Weight management foods
- An exercise program
Hands down, the best way to ensure your pet lives a long, healthy life is to consistently schedule annual exams for your pet. During this annual exam, your veterinarian will perform a visual inspection of your pet; check eyes, heart, and lungs; assess body weight; assess mobility; and discuss any health concerns that you may have.
Annual exams are the best, first place to spot the start of serious health conditions and disease. For pets as well as humans, outcomes are better when disease conditions can be caught and treated early vs. late-stage disease.
The bottom line is that pet owners who make new year resolutions for themselves also can make new year resolutions for pet care – with the long-term goal of maintaining a healthy, happy pet for as long as possible.
Need help with pet nutrition, pet weight management, pet dental care, and other ongoing preventive care for your pets? Contact Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital & schedule an appointment today!