Five Common mistakes that pet owners make with their pets

As a veterinarian I get exposed to several types of pet owners. Most pet owners want the best for pets and try their best to provide good care. While there are others in the minority who can make careless mistakes which often lead to harm to their pets and to the owner’s budget.  Here are 5 common mistakes I have encountered that pet owners have made.

Mistake # 1

Self Medicate their Pets
This scenario is all too common. A pet is showing signs of illness or has an injury.  Some pet owners have an inclination to treat the issues themselves to either save money or time. While their goal may be to save money or time, it can end up having the exact opposite effect. Going online is a popular way to look for “home remedies” but these remedies are not  the best. People will also use themselves as a reference when they are treating their pets. Meaning they would treat their pets the same way they would treat themselves with similar injuries or illnesses. The problem with this is it can lead to either potential poisoning the pet by giving them medications made for humans. Also, there are serious injuries not treated correctly that end up becoming more complicated and even life-threatening.

Mistake # 2

Feed food off their plates
We all love our pets. So sometimes it can be very difficult to resist when we are at the dinner table and they beg us for food. The problem is not every food on our plate is safe for dogs. Foods such as grapes, raisins, chocolate or onions can prove to cause  major problems for pets. Even outside these food choices, foods high in fat or sugar can sometimes cause digestive issues such as pancreatitis or severe diarrhea.

Mistake # 3

Don’t get their pets spayed or neutered
I understand that there are pet owners who may have a good reason for not altering their pets. Either their pets are being used for responsible breeding, they are show pets or they use them for sporting or hunting etc. But there are also pet owners who have pets they don’t have a good reason not to have their pets fixed.  This just ends up creating problems later on for the pet and their owner’s wallet. This a  problems that seems to affect unspayed females the most. Common issues that are seen are unexpected pregnancies, mammary tumors, or a serious medical condition such as  pyometra.  These conditions often result in expensive medical treatment or surgery.

Mistake #4

Waiting too long to treat an illness or injury
Nothing is more frustrating to a veterinarian when a pet owner rushes a pet in for an appointment near closing time with a pet that has been sick for an extended period.  This is for pets that have been vomiting, has a loss of appetite, or has a tumor that has enlarged in size.  As a result the long wait time leads to a more costly and involved treatment.

Mistake # 5

Don’t keep their pets properly confined
This mistake  by pet owners leads to the most serious and expensive injuries for pets.  This is where you see injuries involving broken bones from pets being hit by vehicles, bite wounds due to fights, or unexpected pregnancies.

In conclusion

While no one is perfect especially when it comes to pet ownership, there are mistakes that can be easily avoided. These mistakes can be costly for the pet involved and have a huge impact on a pet owner’s wallet as well as the pet’s well being.