Bringing a pet to your life not just feels good but is also a huge responsibility. While some people understand this responsibility perfectly, some neglect it. If you also don’t have enough information about pets but want to adopt them, stay tuned with us.
Reddit user u/mrktx21 uploaded a question to r/AskReddit: “Veterinarians of Reddit: What is one thing you wish people would know/understand about their pet?” After this, the post went viral and got several responses. Scroll down to have a look at some of these responses.
1.
Cats. Can’t. Be. Vegan.
[SHUT UP] with your “well I’m vegan and I want my pet to be vegan too!!”
THEN GET A [FREAKING] RABBIT
2.
I am a vet. Do not get a cat and then expect me to amputate its toes because you don’t want it scratching the furniture. I refuse to perform declaws on cats because most of the time it is mutilation for the cosmetics of a couch. There is no medical benefit to the animal.
3.
Dogs prefer their ears and tails intact.
4.
From my former vet tech girlfriend, don’t leave your pets to be euthanized without you. It’s hard to be there and it’s hard to watch, but if you leave them they will die scared and looking for you. She had to try and comfort pets whose owners couldn’t bring themselves to stay and it’s one of the few things that makes her cry.
5.
About their pet, the best one I know is one I heard a while ago: You have your life, your job, your friends, your family to provide your social interaction per day. Your dog only has YOU. Interact with your dog for more than five minutes per day and maybe your dog will not go out barking every five seconds.
6.
Your dog doesn’t “want to be a mom” or experience the “joys of motherhood”
7.
Don’t buy a dog only because you like the way it looks. Huskies and most sorts of shepherds are working dogs. They need lots of activities to be happy and they often turn aggressive, if they do not get enough of it!
8.
Don’t complain about your dog not having boundaries when you’re literally feeding them scraps off your plate at dinner time! That’s 100% on you.
9.
I am a vet. I wish people just even had a BASIC understanding of dog or cat body language. FFS. The number of videos posted on Reddit of animals in distress and its tagged as “oh my little fluffer is so cute when he plays!” Or whatever makes my blood boil. That kind of moronic ignorance is what gets children bit by the pet dog or the cat who is now dying because the owner had no idea of the signs 4 months ago.
10.
Having a pet is a luxury, not a right. If you can’t afford unforeseen medical problems or pet insurance, please don’t get a pet!
11.
My wife is a vet. She says that a lot of people tell her they want their dog to experience childbirth at least once. It’s a horrible and traumatic experience for dogs because they not only have to go through pregnancy and labor, but they have to give up their babies.
Spay and neuter your pets.
12.
KNOW YOUR BREED!!! Don’t complain about your dog being too energetic or destructive when you keep them cooped up in a cage for 12 hours a day!! A Labrador is a working dog – he needs a job to do!! A husky is a snow dog – don’t own one in Florida!! German Shepherds shed ALOT – don’t complain about the hairballs!! DO YOUR RESEARCH 1st!!
13.
If you see a stray cat with a cleanly clipped ear tip do not take it to a shelter. Either take it home to live with you or leave it on the street.
Clipped ears mean they were caught, neutered/spayed by the city/county, and released. This is a way to control cat populations and, over time, protect wildlife. They compete for resources with fertile cats without adding to the population.
In many cities, stray cats are more likely to be adopted from the street than in the shelter. If the cat is taken to a shelter they cannot legally release it because it is now abandoning the animal. That cat will be euthanized, or at best absorbs resources until it finds a home.
14.
They rely solely on you for care. For everything. You are their everything. Don’t f**k it up.
15.
RVT here. There are sooo many.
1. It is not cute or sweet to have an obese pet. It can cause joint issues and heart disease among many things. Stop showing love through overfeeding (especially human junk food).
2. Dogs are living creatures who need preventative medical care just like you do. And sometimes they get sick as you do. If you can’t contribute the bare minimum to take care of them, maybe you should think again about owning one.
3. GET YOUR PUPPY ITS DAMN DISTEMPER/PARVO VACCINES.
16.
Not a vet, but my mom was a vet tech for years and I’ve been an animal professional for a while now.
Cats DO NOT do things because they are mad at you. Your cat did not poop on your boyfriend’s pillow as revenge for being yelled at, and they certainly did not pee on your clothes because they’re mad you didn’t feed them on time. Cats are creatures of habit and prefer routine to feel safe, so when you have drastic changes in behavior (such as eliminating outside the box), it’s typically due to one of two reasons: environmental changes or medical issues. If you cannot think of anything in your home environment that’s changed, then you need to get them checked at the vet.
Neither milk nor tuna from a can is good treats for your cat, despite the stereotype.
Unless it’s for a legitimate medical reason, declawing cats is cruel. If you don’t want cats clawing your furniture, but can’t be bothered to do the bare minimum of just researching how you can prevent it, then don’t get a cat. Don’t have a completely unnecessary medical procedure done on your cat simply because you don’t want to be inconvenienced.
17.
If your cat or dog was hit by a car and is whining and limping, when you bring them in and get asked when the accident happened, the damn answer best not be ‘oh, 4-5 days ago, but I haven’t had time to bring him in.
Source = wife is a surgical vet nurse
18.
Your rabbit is not a f**king hamster.
It needs actual space to run around, and not a single cage sold at a commercial pet store has even close to enough space. They need runs, and access to the house if you can.
They are incredibly social animals, so don’t come to me and say you got one. They are lonely and need a buddy. If they don’t have one, be prepared to spend 6+ hours a day hanging out and socializing with them because they need the interaction.
They do not just eat pellets, 80-90% of their diet is should be hay and I’m tired of people coming in with morbidly obese rabbits as a result of the rabbit being fed nothing but calorie-dense pellets and carrots.
And stop buying pugs from breeders. Bringing more of those poor suffering creatures into this world is inhumane.
19.
Vet here.
Your dog does not need to eat grain-free food with massive amounts of protein because they are “basically a wolf.” No. They’re not. They’re a dog. And not only does the actual science not support the need for these trend diets, now there’s concern they’re actually doing harm, causing dilated cardiomyopathy in certain animals.
In a similar vein, we do not get any money from diet companies. Do you think I would be wallowing in my 325K of debt (no this is not an exaggeration in the slightest), driving a 15-year-old broken down car, and renting without hope of buying a house, if I were getting kickbacks? I would not. If we make a diet recommendation it’s because current science says it may help your pet.
We agonize over cases, work longer hours than we should, spend time away from our families and friends to figure out difficult cases and help the really sick pets. Taking out your anger and grief on me and my staff does nothing but tear us apart and contributes to the high suicide rate that vets and vet techs have. We are helpers at heart and it hurts when we can’t help – please be kind and don’t make us feel worse.
20.
There is no such thing as Alpha. The whole concept was based on a flawed methodology where even the researchers who wrote the book in the first place disavowed it. Simply use force-free training and you and your pet will be happier for it
21.
Not a vet but my mom is.
One thing that really frustrates her is the myth that neutering a cat will make them fat and lazy.
It reduces the number of calories they need which means they need less food and/or more exercise to maintain the same weight. Cats generally get less energetic as they get older regardless, but most will still perk up if you make the effort to wave a toy in their face every so often.
22.
Vet Nurse for 10+years…
90% of your pet’s behavioral issues are your fault. If you’re not willing to train your pet (mostly dogs here, cats just dgaf) basic commands and getting them used to be handled then you can bet we will restrain and muzzle if need be or we will charge extra for sedation. My colleagues and I are not in the business of fluffing around whilst trying to treat your pet and or getting bitten.
What you think is cute in your large breed puppy (growling, resource guarding, biting) is not cute when it is a 30+kg uncontrollable beast.
Retractable leashes are the worst invention ever and should be banned. You have no control over your pet.
Stop letting your pet wander up to any other pet in the waiting room. Not all dogs are friendly and cats are stressed enough.
Overfeeding your pet is the same animal abuse as underfeeding.
Start a savings account for your pet if pet insurance doesn’t suit. If you never need it you have money you can spend on a holiday.
23.
If your pet eats your weed stash, let the vet know. They are not going to call the police. They need to know everything they can to diagnose your pet.
24.
Ripping your cat’s claws out to preserve your furniture is absolutely disgusting and inhumane.
Don’t justify it by saying that at least you’re giving him/her a good home. You’re depriving the animal of one of the core essence of being a cat!
25.
Vaccines you get at the drug store on the corner of the feed and tack shop ARE NOT as good or the same as the ones you get at the vet.
Just because your dog is scratching its ears does not mean it has ear mites.
Your cat is not urinating outside the box because it’s a jerk ( it might be) it probably has an infection.
Not eating for 3 days while vomiting and having diarrhea is a huge deal! That 5lb chihuahua or even 80lb lab cant lose that many fluids without having any intake and be ok and neither would you.
26.
That they are NOT human. Anthropomorphizing your pet often leads to behavioral issues ( small dogs being treated like babies makes them feel they’re pack leaders, no your dog is not smiling, he’s [fricking] stressed, no, your dog is not guilty, he’s terrified of punishment). So for the love of all your deities… Love your pet as if it was your child and treat it how it deserves to be treated – through communication it understands!
27.
28.
The internet is not a place for you to self-diagnose and treat your pet. I saw way too many things happen to pets that didn’t need to. Like putting oregano or oil in your dog’s ear to treat an ear infection.
29.
It’s not cute to have a dog that obsessively protects you. It means they see you as a resource to guard. Nothing more than a toy or bone. They are supposed to belong to you, not the other way around.
30.
Veterinarian here.
Getting and relying on medical advice from breeders and groomers (with no medical background). I once saw a rat terrier with a fractured humerus, which typically requires surgical correction. As I stepped out of the room to check availability with a surgeon, the client called the dog’s breeder who said not to follow my advice and to “just put the dog in a sling” and that she’s “done on her own dog’s plenty.”
Also, not exercising dogs enough. Many behavioral problems can be solved with ample exercise daily.
