The Things You Do That Are Actually Harming Your Pet

Even though pets are our best friends and a part of our families, we take the extra effort to make sure they are comfortable and happy. We go the extra mile just to ensure we meet all the needs of our pets. Although we may never want to hurt our pets intentionally, some of our habits can be harmful. Here are five things you do that are harming your pet:

1. Feeding them bones and milkEven though our pet loves to chew on bones, it isn’t good for their bodies. For starters, it is quite common for pets to choke on bones, destroy their teeth, cause internal obstruction and internally injure it because of the bone splintering inside its digestive tract.At the same time, we often think it is okay to give our pets milk. Contrary to popular belief, milk does more good than harm if they are lactose intolerant. Most of the time, milk can cause flatulence, diarrhea and bloating. Most pets lose their ability to digest milk post-weaning.
2. Smoking near your petAlthough it is quite obvious that smoking is a bad habit, it is quite hard to kick the butt. As smoking is addictive, it is hard to fight the urge to light up a cigarette. When we are at home, we feel comfortable in smoking a cigarette. However, second-hand smoke is quite extremely harmful to pets. Exposure to tobacco for a long time increases the risk of heart disease, skin disease, and nasal cancer in dogs. Inhaling second-hand smoke can increase the chances of getting oral and lymphoma cancer.
3. Allowing it to eat food with xylitolWe know that our pets shouldn’t be eating food such as grapes, macadamia nuts, and chocolate. However, there is another ingredient which is harmful to our pets. Brands prefer to use xylitol, an artificial sweetener over sugar. A large number of products such as peanut butter, yogurt, mint, candy, gum, and baked goods contain xylitol. Even in small quantities, it is quite toxic to pets. Symptoms of xylitol ingestion are lack of coordination, vomiting, and lethargy.
4. Letting it lick creams and lotionsWe use creams and lotions to keep our skin healthy and glowing. While these creams and lotions have a lot of benefits for our skin, we can’t say the same for pets. Products such as muscle rubs, calamine lotion, anti-fungal creams and hydrocortisone-based creams are harmful to pets. If we want to use these products, we must make sure that our pets don’t lick our skins after application.

These are the four things that you do which can harm your pet. If you have any queries regarding this topic, feel free to leave a comment below!