3 Questions to Ask Before Adopting a Pet


As a vet, people often ask me for advice about adopting a pet. I ask them just three questions.

  1.  Does the lady of the house love dogs/cats/hamsters/rabbits/guinea pigs etc?
  2. A pet is for life. Are they willing to make a commitment to take care of their pet for the rest of its life, in sickness and in health?
  3. Are they willing to spend time and effort to understand their pet, their needs, their food habits, their temperament and adjust to it?

If the answer to even one of the above questions is 'No', then the family is not ready for a pet.Let me explain.

  •  If your mother/sister/wife does not like pets, then never, ever adopt one. Hoping that she will have a change of heart, is unfair to her and to your pet. The house is the lady's nest. Whether she comes back home from a long day in office or is a homemaker, she expects her nest to look and smell a certain way. Having a pet can change that drastically. Dog/cat hair of sofa, dog urine and poop in the balcony, a pungent odor of hamster/mice/guinea pig can make the house hell for her, so respect her wishes!
  • Often pets are brought as toys for children. Dogs/cats can live up to 15-20 years. As the children grow up, go out for studies and eventually leave home, the pet is left saddled to the ageing parents. These pets are also old and have similar health problems like us - diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis etc. Such pets are abandoned on the road or dumped at the shelter where they die, heart broken. If you have insisted for the pet to be brought home, take them with you. Or else don't get one in the first place!
  • Every pet has their own special needs. Dogs need a food, clean water and a warm place to sleep. They need regular exercise and warm, confident human and canine interaction to keep their spirit alive. Cats also need a litter box, a scratching post and places to climb. Hamsters and guinea pigs have a different set of needs like a clean cage, equipment for exercise, special diet etc. If you are willing to make the effort to understand your pet before bringing them home, then you deserve to have them as your companions. Else, again, don't get one!

Lets give our pets the same respect as we give to our family members. They deserve it. In return, you will be rewarded with unconditional love and support for the rest of the pet's life!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nagpur SPCA - How it all started

A lot of people I interacted with in Nagpur were not aware of SPCA and that it exists in Nagpur. Nagpur SPCA stands for Nagpur Society for Prevention of Cruelty against Animals and is affiliated to RSPCA, UK. It has been around since 1971. Till 1984, it was what the present Executive President, Dr. Kailash Marwah calls, a drawing-room society. Like minded people would meet at somebody's place and discuss the steps that needed to be taken to prevent cruelty to animals. After enjoying their tea and sandwiches , everybody would disperse till the next meeting. It was in 1988 that the animals in Nagpur saw a ray of hope when Dr.Kailash Marwah ( M.V.Sc, Ph.D) took over as Executive President. Under him, the society came out of the drawing rooms and got its hands dirty. There now exists a shelter on Katol Road for the sick, abandoned and stray animals of Nagpur and its adjoining areas. There are 3 common kennels for the abandoned pets and 5 boarding kennels for the pampered pets. There is
Read more

Baby human and dogs

When people around me realized that I was expecting my first child, they all came to advice me on getting rid of my dogs. Dogs will bite my child, the child will lick dog hair and it will form a ball in it's stomach (!) and many more reasons... I patiently heard each one out and left it at that. My son came along on a cold January day and when I brought him home, I kept the dogs away from him. They clustered around at the restriction gate and did not bark even once! They knew! I gave in and took my son out to them to be sniffed at and accepted in the pack. As my son grew, so did his antics but not even once did they growl at him or try to bite. Some would gently nudge him away if he got too boisterous or just walk away. I think they are more mature than some humans I know. Now I am at a point where I have to protect the dogs and tell my son to not torment them. 
Read more

Neuter your pets and community dogs

I never understand why people dont neuter their dogs and cats. Most people are not interested in getting their pets mated, so taking chances with unwanted pregnancies and it's complications is something I never tire of telling my clients. So when Worldwide Veterinary Services came to Nagpur for their surgical camp for training vets in spay-castration techniques, I jumped at the chance and joined. The two week long course was very intensive with theory lectures on welfare, understanding the drugs we use, the aseptic techniques for neutering operations and assessing the post-op dogs on the Glasgow Pain scale. I and my partner, Dr. Neeti each operated on two females and two males daily, taking turns with the anesthesia. If you ask me, performing the surgery is a cakewalk compared to monitoring the anesthesia. But Propofol, the wonder drug kept me sane! So why should we neuter our pets? Firstly for health reasons- it prevents complications like mammary glad tumors and prostate c
Read more