Pets
50 Secrets Your Veterinarian Won’t Tell You
We asked veterinarians and vet technicians to reveal pet vet tips and cautionary tales, which can save time, trouble, and trauma for everyone in the family.
The dogs that scare me most are the little Chihuahuas
“People always ask, ‘How do you handle pit bulls and rottweilers and big German shepherds?’ The truth is, the dogs that scare me most are the little Chihuahuas. They’re much more likely to bite.” —Mark Howes, DVM, owner and medical director of Berglund Animal Hospital in Evanston, Illinois. Don’t miss these 60 adorable pet photos that will make you want to get one of your own.
If you are aggressive to the staff, you will be treated differently
“Most hospitals keep comprehensive records of behavior—of both your pet and you! If you are aggressive to the staff, you will be treated differently.” —Oscar Chavez, DVM, program director for the vet tech program at California Polytechnic State University in Pomona, California
Looking for a way to say thank you to your vet?
“Last year, one pet owner gave us a check for $100, saying we could use it at our discretion for an animal in need. That was a wonderful gift.” —Patty Khuly, VMD, a vet in Miami, Florida
The reason your pet is fat is because you are too
“I would never say that to someone in an exam room, but the fact of the matter is, if you have an owner who overeats and is inactive, they are very likely to have an obese pet.” —Oscar Chavez, DVM. These are the scientific benefits of having a pet.
We’re a vet hospital, not a dog hotel
“People will get upset because their dog got a sheet instead of two fluffy blankets or because their dog didn’t get hand-fed. We’re just trying to get your dog better so he can come home and you can spoil him.” —Jessica Stout-Harris, a vet tech who runs confessionsfromtheanimalshelter.com
We know when you’re twisting the facts
“If your dog has a five-pound tumor hanging from his skin, please don’t tell me it wasn’t there yesterday.” —Phil Zeltzman, DVM, a traveling veterinary surgeon in Allentown, Pennsylvania,and the author of Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound.
Don’t blame me if you’re frugal
“Here’s a pet peeve: Owners who don’t want to pay for diagnostic tests but then cop an attitude because you don’t know what’s wrong with the animal. Since you wouldn’t let me do the blood work or X-rays, how the heck do you expect me to know?” —A vet in South Carolina. These are the secrets your pet groomer won’t tell you.
Please respect that we’re trying to work
“If you’re visiting your pet in the hospital, and we say something along the lines of ‘OK, it’s time to let Fluffy sleep now,’ often what we really mean is that you’re in our way, and we’re trying to treat other patients.” —Jessica Stout-Harris
I personally wouldn’t take my dog to a dog park
“I understand the value of dog parks, but I personally wouldn’t take my dog there. We see a lot of dogs who were injured at dog parks.” —Rachel Simpson, a vet tech at Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Altos, California. These are the things you do that your dog actually hates.
Every time I save a life, every time I fix a patient, that makes everything worth it
“I love it when a client says, ‘I wish my physician would treat me as nice as you treat my pets.’” —Phil Zeltzman, DVM.