Young animals - Welcome home

When adopting a pet, people tend to prefer young animals because it is easier to bond with them than with adult animals, and also because they are charming. After all, who does not like baby animals?

But baby animals need some care during the first months of life, as they are still very dependent. If you adopted a dog or a cat, try to create a calm atmosphere the moment they arrive at their new home and allow them to explore their new habitat.

Weaning

A baby dog or cat should be weaned before being adopted. The animal drinks only its mother's milk and needs to get used to eating the appropriate animal food.

Diet

The diet should be suitable for young animals. Initially you can feed them wet food because it is easier to chew, but dry food should be introduced gradually.

Water

Water should always be available and renewed regularly. Unlike cats, dogs usually drink a lot of water.

Vet

Before taking your pet home you must take it to the vet first. It is normal for baby animals to have fleas and internal parasites; therefore, it is important to deworm them first. Going to the vet is also important so that he/she can assess the animal's health and make a vaccination plan.

Vaccination

Vaccines are especially important because they protect animals from serious and fatal diseases that can be prevented. The rabies vaccine is the only one that is mandatory, but the others are also important. It is better to prevent than to spend far more money to treat the disease.

In case of new-borns, especially if they are puppies, you should avoid taking them outside for long walks. Contact with other unvaccinated dogs should also be avoided, since they have not yet established immunity to some parasites. Some vaccines require more than one dose to grant immunity.

Internal deworming

The first deworming of puppies can be done at 2 weeks of age, whereas for cats it should be done at 4 weeks of age. When dogs are young, internal deworming should be done every 3 months.

 

External deworming

External deworming against fleas and ticks should be done as they are responsible for serious diseases in animals. It is also important in order to keep our homes free from these intruders. Depending on the type of product used, deworming can be done every 3 months or monthly.

Space

The pet should be provided a cosy space, sheltered from the sun, rain and cold, as much as possible. Dogs and cats like to have a fixed place that is only theirs.

Physiological needs

The cat is a more independent animal and does its business in a litter box. Just put the kitten in the box and let their instinct do the rest. The dog must learn that it should not do its business at home. Start by placing a sheet of newspaper on the floor so that your  puppy learns that it must do its business in that place. As your puppy gets older, it will need to be trained to do its business in the garden, if you have one, or when it goes for a walk on the street, always taking care to collect its waste and put it in the trash.

Animals do not like to see their home dirty, so when the dog or cat does its business, it should be removed as soon as possible. The litter in the cat's box should also be changed regularly to avoid odours.

Hygiene

The cat is a clean animal and spends a large part of its day cleaning itself; there is not so much need to bathe cats with water and shampoo, as is the case of dogs. Neither should you bathe your dog too frequently because too many baths can remove the natural oils from the animal hair, responsible for a shiny and healthy appearance. You should use specific shampoos for dogs and cats, adapted to their type of hair. Before completing the first vaccination cycle, animals should not be bathed; you should opt for baby wipes to clean them.

You should also regularly check the cleanliness of your pet’s eyes and ears, and regularly trim its nails, taking care not to trim them too much in order to avoid hurting the animal.

Toys

Pets need to have appropriate accessories to play with, thus preventing them from damaging objects of greater value or that can be harmful to them. A cat scratcher is important because cats scratch instinctively; this item will prevent them from doing it on sofas, for example.

Bearing all this information in mind, remember that a baby animal is like a child, it needs a lot of love, and patience!

Sources
iSaúde
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