Owning a pet can be a truly wonderful experience – something that just about every single pet owner in this world will readily attest to. Pets can help with loneliness, mental illness, or even just a need for a bigger purpose. Pets can be some of the best companions out there, and caring for an animal can bring great joy and fulfillment to the lives of many people. As a matter of fact, pets are so commonplace – at least here in the United States – that the vast majority of all households throughout the country own at least one of them, if not more.
Dogs are particularly common, as up to 44% of all households found throughout the country are dog owners. Many even own multiple dogs. Dogs typically live for anywhere from 12 to 16 years, and many can enjoy a great deal of happiness and vitality even in their later years, when things begin to slow down a bit. However, providing them with the care that they need to stay comfortable and happy requires a number of things.
First of all, older dogs and dogs that you suspect have become injured should be seeing a vet on a regular basis. A vet can diagnose an injury or chronic health problem and can advise you on how to treat it. Arthritis, for example, is so very common that up to one fourth of all pet dogs will develop it at some point, typically in their later years. In addition to arthritis, hip dysplasia is also commonplace, especially in certain breeds of dogs. Fortunately, however, more than three quarters of all older dogs that have been diagnosed with one (or both) of the above can still live happy and relatively pain free lives, often for a number of years before passing from old age.
Fortunately, there are many tools that can be used to make your dog as comfortable as is possible, such as a therapy mattress pad or even just a therapy dog bed altogether. Therapy dog products have become more commonplace than truly ever before, and they provide a great way for older pets to stay comfortable throughout the day. Therapy warm knee braces are also common and can be used on a dog that has sustained an injury as well as a dog that has arthritis in a specific joint. Even some forms of medication can be used to help alleviate the pain that is felt by the animals in our lives.
The same can be said for horses. Though not as common of a household pet, horse ownership is still quite popular here in the United States, with recent data showing that up to seven million people ride horses on a yearly basis in this one country alone. For older horses or horses that have sustained an injury, something like an equine shoulder guard can help to prevent this injury from becoming worse. In addition to the equine shoulder guard, a therapeutic blanket, often heated, can help to keep a healing horse comfortable.
Something like an equine shoulder guard can be especially crucial for horses that live on farms and not necessarily as pets, as the use of an equine shoulder guard or, again, warm knee supports, can allow continued mobility of the joint in question while still protecting it, as the typical equine shoulder guard will very much do. In addition to the use of an equine shoulder guard, even just therapeutic socks can help, and all of the above can be used to promote warmness as well, such as is often essential for horses that spend the night in barns across the country, many parts of which grow quite cold during the winter months (especially during the night time hours).
From the equine shoulder guard to the socks with ankle braces to the therapy products for dogs, there are a wide range of therapy products for animals of all shapes and sizes now for sale here in the United States. Owners can use these products to ensure the comfort of their pets.
