Choosing a Pet

Adding a pet to your family is a decision not to be taken lightly. Since pet ownership is a commitment that can last 10 to 15 years, research on the type and breed of pet you would like is essential. There are several questions you should ask yourself and your family:

Why do I want a pet?
How much time do I have to devote to a new companion?
Are there health issues with a family member (such as allergies) that may complicate the decision?
What type of lifestyle do I have? Do I travel? If so, who will take care of the pet when I am unable to do so?

Once you have decided to add a pet to your family, you must determine whether you are interested in a dog or cat. Both can make wonderful companions. Dogs require more initial attention and training, but they are more willing to please family members. Cats need attention and training and can be very affectionate, but their main advantage is that they do not need outside access to relieve themselves. Whichever type of pet you choose, the decision is accompanied by the responsibility to ensure the pet is housed and fed appropriately and receives necessary veterinary care.

Dogs

Pros:

In general, dogs are more attentive to their owners than cats.
Dogs are easier to train.
Dogs travel easier than cats.

Cons:

Require more initial training than cats to learn appropriate behavior.
Must be walked several times a day to relieve themselves.
Cannot be left to their own devices if the owner is away for a weekend.
May require more general maintenance, such as bathing and grooming.

Acquiring Your Dog

Here is where the real research takes place! It is essential that you choose the dog that will fit in best with your family and lifestyle. Not all dogs are created equal! First, ask yourself several questions. What size pet best fits your lifestyle? What activity level do you want in a pet? Do you like long hair or short hair? Do you want a purebred dog, or does rescuing a dog from a shelter excite you?

Once you decide on the parameters that you would like in your new pet, the search begins. If you are looking for a purebred puppy, it is important to find a responsible breeder. A responsible breeder ensures that their puppies are healthy, have been examined by a veterinarian prior to sale, and have received age-appropriate vaccinations. You should receive a sales contract upon purchase that outlines any guarantees, as well as health records and registration papers. If you decide to acquire a mixed-breed or rescue, locate a facility that is clean and in which the animals have been cared for properly. Your new puppy should be at least 8-10 weeks of age, active, and have no discharge from the eyes or nose. It should be clean and appear healthy. Before you pick up your new puppy, make an appointment with your veterinarian to examine the puppy immediately to ensure that no obvious health problems exist. If you have other pets, introduce the new puppy slowly after your veterinarian has deemed it to be healthy. Your other pets may not be thrilled with the newest member of the family and you certainly don't want an altercation to occur. Lastly, teach young children how to properly handle a new puppy. Too often, a new pet is easily injured when it is dropped by an excited youngster.

Size - Size may be the product of necessity or may simply be personal preference. If you have the space and would like a bigger dog, there are some things of which you should be aware. Large dogs generally do not live as long as small dogs. Large dogs are more expensive to maintain. They eat more and grooming and bathing may be more difficult or more expensive. Veterinary care and medicine may be more costly due to their size.

Activity Level - Some dogs require much more exercise than others and much will depend on the individual dog and their temperament and breed. Terriers, both large and small, are active dogs and, due to their original purpose, are often very focused and thus more difficult to train. Borders Collies require an immense amount of attention. They are working dogs and are happiest when they have something to do. While they are considered to be one of the smartest breeds due to their ease of trainability, they do require training and you must be willing to spend the time with your pet. If there are toddlers in the family, it is important that activity level be considered.

Labradors and Golden Retrievers are easy going and affable family members, but they are also energetic and, as puppies, can easily knock a toddler to the ground, creating an unpleasant situation for many children. If you are an older adult looking for companionship, a quieter puppy or adult rescue dog may make the ideal companion.

Grooming Requirements - This is often a personal decision and for fastidious housekeepers, grooming requirements may be important. It is a fallacy that short-haired dogs shed less than long-haired dogs. Most long-haired dogs have double coats and when they shed - and all dogs shed - the loose hair gets caught and forms a mat which is then groomed out. If you find hair in the house, it is less frequent and involves a clump of hair and not short, individual hairs. Regular grooming will help control the amount of hair in the house regardless of whether your chosen pet has long hair or short hair. If you choose a long-haired pet, there will be the expense of maintenance, unless you learn to groom the pet yourself.

Training - Training is a must if you are going to have a pet that is a good companion. Puppies should be socialized either by the breeder or the new owner and should learn to experience new situations at an early age. It has been shown that the window of learning new experiences closes at 4 months of age and puppies who are not socialized properly before that time may be more fearful of new experiences. Here at WSVH, our excellent trainer Hannelore Orkis utilizes positive training methods. Hannelore makes training your new pet fun. She teaches you how to communicate with your puppy or adult dog and helps you train your pet to be a wonderful companion and family member.

Spay/Neuter - All dogs make better pets if they are altered. Female dogs have heat cycles every 6 months. These cycles are messy and attract unaltered males to your home. Male dogs that are not neutered will mark territory, making housebreaking a much more difficult task. Research has shown that spaying female dogs at an early age results in a greatly decreased risk of mammary gland tumors and eliminates the risk of pyometra (uterine infection), which is common in older, unspayed females. Neutering male dogs markedly decreases prostate problems as well as tumors whose growth is affected by male hormones.

Cats

Pros:

Do not need to be walked daily.
Easily take to the use of a litter box.
In general, require less exercise than a dog.
Can take care of themselves while you are away for a weekend, if left with sufficient food and water.
Unless they have very long, thick hair, they do not require the amount of grooming and bathing that a dog may require.

Cons:

Have a natural tendency to "sharpen their claws" and like high places.
As they age, they have a tendency to be more stressed in changed situations.
Have an independent nature. (This can also be a pro!)
In general, do not travel well.

Acquiring Your Kitten

Choosing your new kitten requires as much research as when choosing a new puppy. Wonderful cats that need your love and attention can be found at neighborhood shelters and area rescue groups. Purebred kittens are more readily available today than ever before, if you are looking for specific features or personalities in your new kitten. For example: specific color (cats such as the Siamese, Himalayan, Birman, Occicats); size (such as the Maine Coon or the diminutive Singapura); physical features (the tailess Manx or ear anomalies found in the Scottish Fold or American Curl) and much more.

Regardless of where you acquire your kitten, choose one that is friendly and has no discharge from the eyes or nose. Ideally, your kitten should be acquired from a site that is clean and free of offensive odors, is at least 8-10 weeks of age, and should have received age-appropriate vaccinations and deworming. Introducing a new kitten/cat to an established cat or dog in the household can take several days - or even weeks - for the transition to be complete. Do not expect "love at first sight"! Expect some slight confrontations. Care should be taken with the introduction, especially if you are introducing a kitten to a dog with little or no experience with felines. Allow your new charge to explore on its own in your home. Instruct young children in the correct way to handle a new kitten. A frightened kitten can scratch a young child, making its introduction into the household an unpleasant one both for the kitten and for family members.

Activity Level - As a general rule, short-hair cats are more active than long-hair cats. Different breeds of cats also have different activity levels. The Persian is of the distinguished variety, often a couch potato, and expects his owner to cater to his every need. The Abysinian and Russian Blue are inquisitive, active and playful, and will entertain themselves for hours on end. For the owner who relishes treasures displayed throughout the home, selecting a cat that will not rearrange their collection may become a challenge.

Grooming Requirements - Although cats are known for their personal grooming, long-haired cats do need to be brushed to avoid matting and to keep down excessive shedding. Even short-haired cats benefit from routine brushing to help distribute natural oils throughout the coat, making it healthy and shiny.

Training - One advantage of selecting a cat as a pet is the ease with which they are litter box trained. Most kittens are fastidious and take easily to using the litter box. However, keeping the litter box clean is a must if one is to avoid inappropriate elimination in the home.

Cats can be trained to do "tricks", but it often takes some imagination on the part of the owner. Since the cat's natural tendency is to work apart from humans, rewards and repetition are a must in training the finicky feline.

Spay/Neuter - Most female cats start their reproductive cycle at approximately 6 months of age. Unlike dogs, unaltered female cats will cycle every 3 weeks until bred. In order to avoid the annoying symptoms associated with heat cycles in cats, it is important to have them spayed prior to beginning their reproductive cycle. Male cats who are not altered, as well as unaltered female cats, will anoint vertical areas with urine (this is called "spraying") and the result is an especially offensive odor, as well as a big mess. As with dogs, it is always in the best medical interest of your pet to have it neutered or spayed.

Declawing - The cat's natural tendency is to scratch various surfaces in order to remove the old layers of their or claws. In doing so, they may destroy the surface on which they scratch, including furniture, walls, and flooring. Providing your cat with a surface on which to scratch may decrease or eliminate this damage. Appropriate surfaces may include carpeted scratching posts, sisal scratching posts, and cardboard scratching surfaces, which may be purchased at most pet supply stores. This may initially require some training on your part to teach your cat the appropriate surface on which to scratch.

Should you choose to eliminate the damage your cat can do, we offer declawing using a laser procedure. Using laser equipment for this procedure results in less bleeding and pain than traditional methods. Because of this, we do not offer traditional methods of declawing.

Indoor vs. Outdoor Cats - Cats that are housed inside have a much greater life expectancy than cats who are allowed to roam freely outside the home. The average age of an indoor-only cat is 12 years of age. The average age of an outdoor cat is 2 years of age. It is in the best interest of our cats to keep them safely inside. Loose dogs and automobiles are simply not cat-friendly. Outdoor cats that are not altered will fight, often resulting in wounds that become infected and cause needless veterinary expense (not to mention the pain inflicted on the cats themselves). In addition, cats that roam freely are exposed to diseases such as feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus (feline AIDS or FIV). If contracted, these diseases can be passed on to other cats in the family through common food and water containers and common litter boxes.

Regardless of which type of pet you choose, it is important to start off on the right foot with a thorough physical exam. Your new pet will be examined for both internal and external parasites, started on heartworm preventative, and updated with age-appropriate vaccinations. It is the desire of the doctors and staff at Woodland Springs Veterinary Hospital to make your experience with your new pet a pleasant one and to ensure that you are informed in all aspects of your pet's care.