I came across the following stats the other day from a poll taken by dog lovers in the UK
79.4% of dog owners admit they have not cut down the amount they spend on their dog due to recent financial problems
56% love their dogs as much or even more than their partners
23.5% of dog owners confess they trust their dog more than their partner
56.4% feel closer to their dog than their best friend
Based on the above it seems that dogs are well respected and a loved member of many families across the UK.
Owning a dog brings many responsibilities, which includes how you react and treat other non dog and dog owning members of society, but the main responsibility though, is to the dog itself.
Owning a dog, and loving a dog, are 2 totally different things.
Anybody can own a dog, keep it locked up in a backyard day in day out, feed it low quality food, and neglect it’s basic requirements when it comes to exercise, grooming & veterinary care.
As we have blogged here before on pedigree dogs, if you really love your dog, you will of course do all that is in your power to provide 100% for his or her needs no matter what.
Really loving your dog includes having the best veterinary care available at all times, with a practice that keeps up to date with all the latest developments in canine care.
One such procedure is the laparoscopic spaying that is very popular in mainland Europe and we ourselves availed of this.
Something that came to mind recently, is that when you know that your dog is not well, and suspect that it is something serious, would it not be better to fast track the course of treatment and say go for an MRI or book an ultrasound with Emma Tobin straight away rather than go down the path of numerous blood works etc., only then to be told that the dog has to go for one of these procedures anyway to determine the real cause of the problem.
We had a situation like the above towards the end of last and beginning of this year with Dempsey where we sent off at least three lots of blood to be worked on, and never really got to the bottom of the problem, and in the end booked him for an ultrasound, but he passed before the appointment date.
Like in human medicine, these earlier consultations can waste valuable time not to mention add to the overall expense at the end of the day, and although an ultrasound or MRI can be very expensive, at least you would have a definitive picture as to what is wrong with your dog, and in most cases are covered by the dogs insurance.
Not being involved in the veterinary profession in Ireland, I am not sure how these things work, but think it should be an option that is given to the owner at the start of treatment, as after all, you don’t just own your dog, you LOVE it !
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