Exercising Pets

Keep your pets out of our animal clinic!

Even though treating pets is what we do at North King Animal Clinic, we prefer seeing your companion happy and healthy playing outside our doors – not in pain or sick with one of our veterinarians.

One easy and very effective way to do this is by allowing your cat or dog ample opportunity for daily exercise.

Exercising your dog doesn’t have to be grueling; it can be as simple as a walk out in a nearby park when the weather is sunny or a hike through any of the many forests in Western Massachusetts. If you’re already busy working out your own body every day, why not take your dog along for a run or a bike ride?

Getting a cat in shape is a little different. When it comes to achieving feline fitness, the name of the game is fun. And that means buying or making a toy. A cat toy should be dynamic. Give it lots of different dimensions: feathers (it’ll look like a bird), rubber fingers (something to paw at), carpet material (good for scratching), or even a little place to hide some catnip! Toys can be as simple as a toy mouse you tug with a piece of string or as complex as an elaborate set of boxes with scratching board tunnels through which your meowing friend crawls.

Don’t worry - this will get even the most proverbial “fat cat” on the go. Once you have their attention, they’ll be so busy that they won’t even realize that they’re exercising.

With as little as half an hour to an hour a day, regular exercise can have a significant impact on the emotional and physical well-being of your pet, the core value in how Dr. Nancy Lewis Owen and all the vets work at North King Animal Clinic.