One of the more routine and comparatively mundane tasks that vets face daily is the new puppy check, but it is an excellent break from the horrors that often fill my days. It is a nice change to be faced with a normal animal with 'happy to see you' owners.
I can't imagine what being a dentist would be like, faced with the constant barrage of people who don't really want to see you. In this situation, the owners are looking forward to you making sure that their new family member is healthy and fit. I have willing owners who are keen to learn and I try take advantage of this enthusiasm as much as I can.
The initial puppy consultation tends to take more time and I take it very seriously, as it is also the start of a long relationship between myself and these owners during the life of their new pet. Introductions and first impressions are as important as in any interview.
So it breaks my heart when I see new owners fall so quickly into the pitfalls of new dog ownership. I usually assess the type of owner I have in front of me. Good owners have done their research on their pet and ask intelligent questions. Potentially bad owners have no idea and ask about everything, but worst is the owner who pushes the children forward and tells them to listen to what the vet has to say then turn around to make a phone call. This really happens.
There are parents who don't care about their new pet from the start, thinking of it as a toy for the children. This is the attitude I have to change in a 15-minute consultation. It would be an understatement to say this is a challenge.
First, I stop talking and patiently wait until I have everyone's attention. The silence usually gets the parent off the phone. Then I gently, but in no uncertain terms, remind them that it is they, not the children, who will be looking after the new dog, now and for the rest of its life. By the time the dog has grown old, the children will have long lost interest. Having become adolescents they usually have other interests, the least of which will be the family pet. This usually gets their undivided attention and it is often amusing to see the regretful look in their eyes.
Another common pitfall is when owners spend a small fortune in supplemental products. It amazes me sometimes how much stuff they buy. Even more silly is more than 70 per cent of the stuff is useless or even harmful. This week I saw an owner who had bought HK$4,000 worth of pet-related merchandise, most of which I threw straight in the bin - with their permission, of course. He had spent thousands on mineral and vitamin supplements that is contained in a good, regular puppy food. A good dog food not only meets the minimal nutritional requirements of your new pet, but does not have excess nutrients that could be harmful to your pet. Normally, to further supplement a good pet food is to imbalance the diet.