Avoid a Valentine heartache - choose the right pet

This Valentines Day, veterinary charity PDSA is asking pet owners: are you and your pet well matched?

Owning a dog or cat can mean a relationship of 15 years or more – considerably longer than many human partnerships. So in some ways, choosing the right pet is just as important a decision as choosing your partner, says PDSA.

“We take time to get to know a partner before making a lifetime commitment,” said Sean Wensley, Senior Veterinary Surgeon. “With pets we should take time to find out what they will need for a healthy, happy life. Unlike a partner, you can’t just dump a pet if you reach the seven-year itch!

“Every day, vets see the results of unwise pet choices, so we urge people to think carefully to avoid making mistakes which can prove very costly, both emotionally and financially.”

To help would-be pet owners make the right choice, PDSA has devised a four-part formula, ‘PETS’, comprising Place, Exercise, Time and Spend. All of these factors need considering to ensure owners and their pets are well matched:
 

• Place – which type of pet is appropriate for where you live?
• Exercise – can you provide the type and amount of daily exercise required?
• Time – can you devote enough time to your pet?
• Spend – can you afford the lifetime expense of your preferred pet?
   

“If people choose the wrong pet for their lifestyle, it can be disastrous for them and the animal, resulting in poor care or in the pet being added to the thousands already unwanted in rehoming centres” added Sean Wensley. “But our online tool, Your Right Pet, provides checklists with advice on estimated costs and average lifespans of different pets as well as more detailed information including exercise and grooming requirements and health problems affecting certain breeds.”

As well as considering ‘PETS’, owners need to be aware that under the Animal Welfare Act, five needs must be met for any pets that they keep:
 

• A suitable environment
• A suitable diet
• To be able to perform normal behaviour
• To live with, or apart from, other animals (depending on the type of animal)
• To be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease
   

As a working vet, Sean Wensley has seen many examples of inappropriate pet ownership: “It’s not just dogs and cats that need careful consideration, small animals such as rabbits also have very specific needs. Despite being the UK’s third most popular pet, the welfare needs of domestic rabbits are widely misunderstood. Rabbits need a large hutch and exercise run, company from another rabbit and to be fed at least their body size in hay every day.”

For more information on choosing the right pet, visit Your Right Pet.

To celebrate the love many of us have for our pets and to make a donation to help PDSA provide free veterinary treatment for 350,000 pet patients this year, visit www.pdsa.org.uk/love.
 

10/02/2010