Make Caring for Pets Easier on Your Joints
Use these tools to make feeding, watering, grooming and walking your pets less painful.
By Sharon Liao | Dec. 20, 2024
The unconditional love and companionship of a pet make the walking, feeding and grooming a small price to pay. If these tasks are painful for your joints, these tools may help, says Nancy Ryan, an occupational therapist and owner of Ryan Vision Rehab in Ulster Park, New York.
Bowls with a handle. A long handle on a food-and-water-dish combo keeps you from having to crouch down at every feeding. One to try: The Kitty Kaddy Double Diner’s ($19, weehelpers.com) 27-inch handle has an easy-grip top attached to two stainless-steel bowls.
Automatic feeder. Fill these dispensers and they release food and water on a schedule. One to try: The Arf Pets Automatic Pet Feeder ($70, amazon.com) lets you adjust portions and even records your voice calling your pets to eat. Pair it with the PetSafe Healthy Pet Water Station ($20, petsafe.com), which automatically replenishes water.
Grooming glove. No need to grip a brush — these gloves have bristles of nubs on the palms and fingers. “If you have pain in your fingers, keep them straight as you groom your cat or dog,” says Ryan. One to try: HandsOn Animal Gloves ($25, handsongloves.com) have soft nubs that brush, massage and even scrub Rover in the bath.
Hands-free leash. Walking your dog is good for your health and your dog’s. But if it’s hard on your joints, free your aching hands. “A leash that loops across your body removes the stress on your arms and hands,” says Ryan. One to try: The Kurgo Quantam Leash 2.0 ($30; kurgo.com) has a soft, padded handle and can be worn around the waist or across your shoulders like a messenger bag. It can also be used as a tether or double leash.
No-pull harness. Even the most well-behaved dog be tempted by the occasional squirrel. A no-pull harness keeps him from tugging at the leash and throwing off your balance. One to try: The Easy Walk Harness (starting at $23, petsafe.com) goes across your pet’s chest and latches in front, so when he lunges, it gently steers him to the side and you can redirect his attention.
Check out more arthritis-friendly collars, harnesses and leashes
The unconditional love and companionship of a pet make the walking, feeding and grooming a small price to pay. If these tasks are painful for your joints, these tools may help, says Nancy Ryan, an occupational therapist and owner of Ryan Vision Rehab in Ulster Park, New York.
Bowls with a handle. A long handle on a food-and-water-dish combo keeps you from having to crouch down at every feeding. One to try: The Kitty Kaddy Double Diner’s ($19, weehelpers.com) 27-inch handle has an easy-grip top attached to two stainless-steel bowls.
Automatic feeder. Fill these dispensers and they release food and water on a schedule. One to try: The Arf Pets Automatic Pet Feeder ($70, amazon.com) lets you adjust portions and even records your voice calling your pets to eat. Pair it with the PetSafe Healthy Pet Water Station ($20, petsafe.com), which automatically replenishes water.
Grooming glove. No need to grip a brush — these gloves have bristles of nubs on the palms and fingers. “If you have pain in your fingers, keep them straight as you groom your cat or dog,” says Ryan. One to try: HandsOn Animal Gloves ($25, handsongloves.com) have soft nubs that brush, massage and even scrub Rover in the bath.
Hands-free leash. Walking your dog is good for your health and your dog’s. But if it’s hard on your joints, free your aching hands. “A leash that loops across your body removes the stress on your arms and hands,” says Ryan. One to try: The Kurgo Quantam Leash 2.0 ($30; kurgo.com) has a soft, padded handle and can be worn around the waist or across your shoulders like a messenger bag. It can also be used as a tether or double leash.
No-pull harness. Even the most well-behaved dog be tempted by the occasional squirrel. A no-pull harness keeps him from tugging at the leash and throwing off your balance. One to try: The Easy Walk Harness (starting at $23, petsafe.com) goes across your pet’s chest and latches in front, so when he lunges, it gently steers him to the side and you can redirect his attention.
Check out more arthritis-friendly collars, harnesses and leashes
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