Are these Pet Trends Worth the Hype?

As people started to live with pets, they also kept coming up with unique ideas to make the  company of their pets even more enjoyable. These practices have spread quickly throughout the world of pet owners making them a trend. Not only the pet owners but even people who do not have pets have started to follow these trends blindly.

We’ve all seen a lot of creative pet-related ideas on the internet. They do seem fairly attractive,  we could agree on that but are all the trends we see and hear about on the internet beneficial? Let’s have a closer look at it. 

First and foremost, let us shed some light on the trends that we should embrace.

Adopting a Pet to improve the Atmosphere at Home

Adopting a pet will undoubtedly add more responsibility to your life. However, it is also like bringing home a forever friend who keeps you company on both good and bad days. 

Animals not only provide love and loyalty, but they have also been shown to benefit their companions psychologically, emotionally, and physically. Caring for a pet can provide you with a sense of purpose and fulfillment while also alleviating feelings of loneliness. 

Nothing beats coming home every day to a four-legged family member who is overjoyed to see you!

Health Insurance for Your Pets

Despite being a long-standing trend, it has gained considerable popularity over the past decade. 

Animals are more prone to fragility and severe diseases than humans. Therefore, if you have pet insurance, you may relax without having to worry about their health. Additionally, it eliminates concerns about affordability and financial hardship if your pet needs additional care or a challenging surgery.

 The human-pet bond with our pet is very important to us. We want our pets to live with us for as long as possible as pet parents. Therefore, I have purchased health insurance for my pets and recommend that you do the same.

Pet Camera Technology

 Just this morning I got a call from my mom asking if I ate the pastry she kept in the kitchen rack for my brother. Obviously I didn’t. I immediately thought of my dog and was hyper worried if he had all the sweets which was not good for his health. So we rushed to check the camera and saw our dog pleasing himself with the piece of pastry which he somehow managed to pull out from the rack with his mouth. He did not, however, show any signs of illness due to the sugary diet. Still, after consulting with our veterinary doctor, we were assured that he was perfectly fine. 

So that camera helped us figure out what our crafty dog was up to when we weren’t looking. The pet camera is a useful gadget that allows you to relax when you’re away from home because you can check in on your pet at any time with the click of a button!

Health and Fitness Trackers for Pets

The biggest concern to a pet’s health in modern times is obesity. Investing in trackers that track the amount of activity your pet receives each day and send the data to your phone is the smartest investment you can make right now. According to veterinarians, a dog should exercise for at least 30 minutes daily, and a cat should engage in active play for at least 15 minutes a day. 

A fitness tracker can also alert you if your pet isn’t exercising as much as it formerly did. Additionally, it will remind you to put your dog’s leash on after your work so you can go for a 30-minute stroll.

I believe that a fitness tracker is the best investment you can make because, if you acquire the habit of walking your dog for 30 minutes every day, not only will your dog be healthy, but so will you.

Yoga for Dogs

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has seen the video of an aussie dog practicing yoga with its owner. This trend has also been taking over the internet in recent years. As tempting and cute as it seems, Dog yoga, also known as Doga, is incredibly beneficial to both you and your dog’s physical and mental well-being. Dog yoga has various advantages, including improved posture, better sleep, and a healthy mind and body for your dog.. Moreover, it guarantees that you spend quality time with your pet, which will help it feel important and reduce behavioral problems. For me, any activity that gets you moving physically with your dog is a win-win situation. 

Pet Wellbeing Through Functional Food Ingredients

From packaged food to pet care, there is a rising demand for functional and natural ingredients in today’s market. A change from overall health to particular functional well-being propels substances that target digestive, joint, heart, dental, and skin health. Pet’s mental health is also garnering attention in mature markets as customers grow increasingly concerned about their pets’ stress, particularly when they leave them alone. Even while this trend may not appear to be significant to many pet owners, it is an essential step for maintaining good pet health.

Sustainable Packaging as well as Environment Friendly Items for Pets

Most of the humans, not just pet owners, are gravely worried about how their actions are affecting the environment. Many pet owners are attempting to use less plastic and are moving to environmentally friendly packaging for the items required by their pets. In response to that, manufacturers are also introducing various products in recyclable packaging. For example, in Europe, a company called Mars has  started to use recycled plastic packaging from 2022.

 Even if this trend has not yet taken hold yet, it should be promoted in the near future as it is not only beneficial for you and your pet but the environment as well.

Now, let’s move on to look at some trends that should be avoided.

Trendy Pet Diets

Pet food options have expanded in tandem with human food trends. Raw foods, grain-free, gluten-free, and other diets are becoming more popular for both humans and pets. However, there is no evidence to suggest that these diets keep your pet healthy. On the contrary, it might even do harm to your pet.

According to research done by FDA, it shows that:

• Grain free diets may lead to heart issues in dogs and cats.
• Uncooked meat or eggs, which are part of a raw diet, make your pets more susceptible to illness since the heat doesn’t eliminate the bacteria and viruses in those foods. Those bacteria and viruses might get into your pet’s intestine and make them sick.
• Although gluten-free meals are not thought to be hazardous to pets, they are not absolutely necessary either to include in your pet’s diet.

Therefore, don’t plan our pet’s diet the same as your diet routine. Remember, they require different nutrients than we humans do!

“Bark at Your Dog” Trend

We all like seeing dog videos on social media, but occasionally, people may make detrimental choices for dogs in an effort to gain more views and go viral. In order to get the dog’s “funny” reaction on camera, the fad involves the dog owner barking in their dog’s face while filming a video. Despite the fact that this trend may be highly popular, this engagement between you and your dog can be extremely stressful and traumatic for the dog.

The majority of the posts that have gained a lot of attention in response to this trend feature dogs who are showing indicators of dread and discomfort, such as “whale eye,” in which their eyes are wide open, stiff body and facial features, and pinned-back ears. Some dogs are also seen barking at their owners or licking their lips, lunging, snapping, which might be a calming sign that the dog is attempting to deal with the circumstance that makes them uncomfortable.

In a nutshell, if the thought of barking at your dog for the tiktok occurs to you, consider how uncomfortable and scared he might feel.

Bringing Pets to Your Home Only Because Your Friend Suggested You to

This trend is also seen widely today as gifting pets to friends on various occasions without knowing if they want to keep them or not. A pet is more than simply an animal; they are also a part of your family. Therefore, it should be treated no differently than a family member. If you don’t want an animal running around your house or you feel disgusted to take care of them, getting a pet is not a good idea.

The disadvantage of this trend include:

• A pet may not get a loving home environment which he could have got somewhere else.
• It may become a burden for you or your family members.

It is not a valid reason to get a pet simply because a friend suggested it to you unless you feel responsible enough to take care of it. Therefore, the above mentioned trend is most important to be considered before bringing a pet home.

To summarize, not everything that appears interesting on the internet is actually beneficial. We should conduct thorough study before following any such trends because they might be really harmful to your pet.