Need to Knows for First Time Pet Owners “by Holly”

Hi and happy holidays everyone! My name is Holly. I’m the current resident of Mountain Road Animal Hospital.  I love it here but sadly my life didn’t start out so great. My 1st owners decided, when I was merely knee-high to a leprechaun, that I was too much responsibility.  They weren’t so nice to me at all and I was eventually abandoned into a dumpster and left to perish.  Luckily for me some great samaritans happened along and heard my pitiful pleas for help. They found me cold, wet, starving and with clear evidence of physical trauma. They immediately rushed me to the Mountain Road Animal Hospital for treatment. It was decided that since I had no place else to go and that I deserved a second chance that I would reside here at the hospital. Yayyyy me!

I wanted to touch on the topic of being a 1st time pet owner since many families have acquired new pets over the holidays.  Many pet owners get caught up in the idea of the newness of a pet. While we ARE very cute, cuddly and fun, we DO grow up and we DO require a lot of care.

The 1st year is often the most financially difficult. Vaccinations are INCREDIBLY important to keep us healthy. The next big financial need is spaying or neutering. Please remember that there are already enough unwanted pets in this world so I beg you to not add to it! Please have us fixed! We will thank you for this and we will be a lot happier and healthier in the end. This is a one-time cost event. Not only will it help control the pet population but it will also help to prevent certain cancers and other ailments that are often quite common with pets who are still intact.

Once you’ve made it through the 1st year, assuming we’ve inherited great genes, we’re well cared for and with a bit of luck we will stay general healthy and will only require a visit to the doctor once per year for a wellness exam (unless sickness develops).  The veterinary visits often increase as we grow older.

Something else to keep in mind, we are not born with a manual on how to live in your world. We are animals, therefore, we live life by instinct. We need to be taught how to live in your world. We do not understand that it’s generally not permitted to scratch the living room sofa or pee on the kitchen table. We’re not deliberately trying to upset you. We’re simply doing what nature instinctively tells us to do.  Please understand that we are very similar to human babies. We need to be taught everything and we need A LOT of patience and consistency.  What we do want is to please you!

If you do everything right when we’re young I promise you a lifetime of love and devotion.

Much love,

Holly