I'd like to apologize in advance if this column is a little less articulate than my previous ones, as I'm currently at home recovering from a tonsillectomy. I'm hoping to be done with this recovery from hell soon enough; then I can get back to feeling normal again.
This week's column topic, however, is completely unrelated to my tonsils — or lack thereof. I have chosen to address the issue of pets; namely, the issue posed by people who own pets but cannot afford them. Having worked as a veterinary technician for six consecutive summers, I've seen my fair share of both responsible — and irresponsible — pet owners. The responsible owners come in annually to get their pets vaccinated, spay and/or neuter their new pets as needed and don't whine endlessly about the cost of medications like Frontline and Heartgard. The irresponsible owners do just the opposite.
My main argument can be summed up in one sentence: if you can't afford to vaccinate an animal, feed it, neuter or spay it and protect it against fleas and ticks, you shouldn't be allowed to own a pet. It's unfair both to you and your furry friend. I can't count the number of times I've seen someone walk into the vet's office I worked at with a dog — and, consequently, a house and car — completely infested with fleas, only to have the owner either refuse to believe that the infestation is really that bad, or refuse to pay for treatment.
Flea and tick prevention is extremely important for your animal. A small animal can actually die from flea anemia. I once helped treat a cat whose white fur had turned pink because it had so many fleas. In addition, parasites like fleas, ticks and ear mites feed on humans as well as animals. By not treating your animal, you are basically inviting a whole host of parasites into your home — and these things nest everywhere.
Heartworm prevention is equally important for your pet. Heartworm disease is transferred via mosquito bite, so unless you're giving your animal some kind of heartworm prevention pill every month, you are literally taking a shot in the dark as to whether or not your pet might get infected.
Heartworms are dangerous — albeit really cool to look at under a microscope — and recovery is definitely not fun for your dog — crate confinement and very little exercise until the worms are gone, which can take months.
Perhaps my biggest gripe here is people not spaying or neutering their pets.
I think there should be a law mandating that, unless you are a certified breeder, you must spay or neuter your cat or dog. The problem of pet overpopulation connects directly to the problem of people wanting their pet to have "just one litter." What happens when you can't sell the puppies or kittens in that litter? They end up in a shelter.
Shelters are overcrowded for this very reason — if you want a new puppy or kitten, please go to a shelter. And please spay it or neuter it. Having a pet go through a pregnancy is an extremely expensive process — if you go through it the right way — and unless you are a breeder, chances are half of the puppies or kittens are going to end up in a shelter anyway.
Do the right thing, and wait until you can afford a pet before you make the commitment to that new puppy or kitten. That animal depends on you to take care of it, and if you can't provide for it, who else does your furry friend have to turn to?
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Kacey Rayder is a junior majoring in English. She can be reached at Kacey.Rayder@tufts.edu.
