Do your pets and all of us a big favor: Take care of them
My son's girlfriend is a veterinarian. After talking with her and getting to know something about her career over the last couple of years, I would be willing to bet that I can tell you the Number One most distressing problem faced by veterinarians, at least by small animal vets like her: Too many people are too cheap and/or too stupid to own pets.
Because of the carelessness, stupidity, and sometimes just plain poverty of many pet owners, Doc (as I call her) ends up seeing wonderful cats, dogs, and other animals suffer and die needlessly.
She works in an emergency vet clinic, so the pets she treats, sadly, are often very sick or very injured and she's unable to save many of them. But what really hurts her is to see a pet that was injured and/or became seriously ill when it could have been helped if only the owners had treated it sooner. Not only could she have saved some such pets -- the pet owners would've spent less of their worry, tears, time, and MONEY if they had gotten the animal treatment sooner.
I could go into more detail about the sad cases of pets who have died on her operating table. I could tell of the pets brought in and abandoned. I could tell of the multiple cats and dogs starting to overtax her and her home simply because she can't find other homes for them.
But I won't do all that. I'll simply say this: If you own a pet, or if you're thinking of becoming a pet owner, please love and care for your pet(s). If you can't, then find someone who can -- or simply don't get a pet(s).
My son, my wife, Doc, and I all thank you.
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