New Year, FRESH Start For Our Dogs & Cats
As we approach ringing in the New Year you may be thinking of your own New Year’s Resolutions. But have you thought about how you can do better for your pets in 2023?
At Tom&Sawyer, our resolution is for all our Loyal Companions to live happier, healthier, longer lives. Here we provide some guidance on how to help this New Year’s Resolution stick!
Feed the Brain
When it comes to our pet’s health, we almost always focus on their weight and we usually disregard other important factors. One of those is keeping their brain working hard.
Food puzzles can be a great way to exercise your pet’s brain! There are various food puzzles to choose from for both dogs and cats.
For the dogs, Outward Hound has a great selection of food toys for pups. There are different difficulty levels for pups at all stages.
For kittens, give Catit Play Treat Puzzles a try! This incredible maze has 6 different puzzle options for cats.
Shop our Treats selection to find the perfect filling for your pet’s new food toys! Our D’Liver treats are a healthy, single-ingredient snack that satisfies their taste buds without loading up on calories.
Say Hello to a Healthy Gut
It’s hard to resist gobbling down our fresh, gently cooked dog and cat foods, but this can actually put quite the strain on your pet’s gut.
If you haven't already, consider feeding your pet's Tom&Sawyer meals in a slow feeder. This can greatly reduce your pet’s eating pace, which can have many benefits!
Eating more slowly can help improve digestion, reduce bloating and indigestion, and keep your pet feeling full for longer (which means less begging)!
Feed the Right Amount of Food
We all love our pets and it can be easy to show our affection with food! And while we love seeing those Tom&Sawyer dance moves, we want to make sure we aren’t over (or under) contributing to your pets’ health.
Feeding the right amount of food is critical to your pet’s health. When determining how much to feed your pet, we need to consider their age, breed, sex, neuter status, and energy levels. From here, we can determine their daily energy requirements. This is key to determining how much food to feed your pet and keep them at a healthy weight.
If your pet needs to lose a few pounds consider reading our post on safe weight loss or contact our in-house animal nutritionist, Hannah (BSc.H. | MSc. | PhD Student in Animal Nutrition)
New Year, New Tricks
Teaching your pets some new tricks seems underwhelming but it can help with cognition, muscle memory, and maintaining that special bond you have with your fur-baby.
If your pet already knows the basics (sit, stay, come) maybe consider tackling something more difficult like: hugs and kisses, barking on command, playing dead (add the finger guns for some extra crowd pleasing), or spin!
Continue to Bond
There is nothing better than the love between a human and their pet. And when it comes to living happier, healthier, longer lives, building that special bond with your pet helps both you and them!
Bonding can come in many forms. For some, it’s long walks, for others it’s cuddles on the couch, playing fetch, exercising together, or working together. You know your pup best!
We hope this has given you some new goals for 2023 and we can’t wait to see you and your Loyal Companions in the new year!
Other articles you might like:
How Much to Feed Your Dog or Cat
10 Tips for Safe Weight Loss for Dogs
Written by Hannah Godfrey
Animal Nutritionist
BSc.H. | MSc. | Ph.D. Student in Animal Nutrition
