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MAIN CONCEPTS 3.10.3 Acquiring a Pet
ОглавлениеMost veterinary teams play little or no role in the acquisition of a pet, so clients often begin and complete this process without appropriate healthcare advice (see 5.6 Adoption Source Options). Veterinary staff might be amused when clients come in with a “purebred cockapoo” that they purchased for a considerable sum (with papers?) and evidence of ear mites, luxating patellas, and an umbilical hernia, but most would‐be pet owners have no idea how to do a better job with the process. Interestingly, these new pet owners rarely price‐shop for their new pets – they typically pay in full at time of acquisition, and they often make the purchase on impulse.
In a much better process, veterinarians or trained staff could interview would‐be pet owners and help them select an animal that would best fit their lifestyle (Table 3.10.1), and then counsel them on where they might find suitable animals, health guarantees that should be requested, and terms that include a no‐questions‐asked money‐back guarantee following veterinary examination [1]. Veterinarians could even provide adoption questionnaires that inquire about health issues in the animals or their parents, and genetic testing that might have been done to mitigate healthcare risks (Table 3.10.2). Recommended tests to consider on a breed basis are available for both dogs (www.ofa.org/browse‐by‐breed) and cats (https://icatcare.org/advice/cat‐breeds), and breed predisposition information is available (see 11.4 Heritable Health Conditions – By Breed).
Table 3.10.1 A sample of dog and cat breed selector tools found on the internet
| Organization | Website |
|---|---|
| Animal Planet (dog) | www.animalplanet.com/breed‐selector/dog‐breeds.html |
| Animal Planet (cat) | www.animalplanet.com/breedselector/catselectorindex.do |
| American Kennel Club (dog) | www.akc.org/dog‐breed‐selector |
| DogTime (dog) | http://dogtime.com/quiz/dog‐breed‐selector |
| Hills (cat) | www.hillspet.com/cat‐care/new‐pet‐parent/choosing‐right‐cat‐breeds |
| Iams | www.iams.com/breedselector |
| Optimum Pet (cat) | www.optimumpet.com.au/cat‐advice/cat‐selector |
| Pedigree (dog) | www.pedigree.com/getting‐a‐new‐dog/breed‐match |
| Puppyfinder (dog) | www.puppyfinder.com/dog‐breed‐selector |
| Purina (dog) | www.purina.com/dogs/dog‐breeds/dog‐breed‐selector |
| Purina (cat) | www.purina.com/cat‐breed‐selector |
| Select a Dog Breed | www.selectadogbreed.com |
| Select Smart (dog) | www.selectsmart.com/dog |
| Select Smart (cat) | http://selectsmart.com/CAT |
| Vetstreet | www.vetstreet.com/breed‐finder |
| Whiskas (cat) | www.whiskas.co.uk/breed‐selector |
Table 3.10.2 Golden retriever adoption questionnaire
| INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED BY SELLER | ||||
| Name of Business: Website:Address: Telephone:Name of Dog (Registered):Date of Birth: Weight: □ kg □ lb Color:Identification: Microchip __________ Tattoo ________________ Collar/Tag ____________Registration (e.g., AKC, UKC, CKC, etc.):□ Show Quality □ Pet Quality □ Breeding □ Nonbreeding | ||||
| Question | Yes | No | Don't know | Documents provided |
| Did parents have prebreeding health screening? | ||||
| Are parents' health screens in a public registry? | ||||
| Are this animal's health screens in a public registry? | ||||
| Has this animal had genetic health screening? | ||||
| Have parents had genetic health screening? | ||||
| Has this animal received regular veterinary evaluations? | ||||
| Any irregularities determined by veterinary evaluations? | ||||
| Are all vaccinations current? | ||||
| Any exposure to infectious diseases? | ||||
| Is recent parasite evaluation available? | ||||
| Is this animal currently free of parasites? | ||||
| Is this animal on integrated parasite control? | ||||
| Any evidence of problem behaviors in this animal? | ||||
| Is there a history of problem behaviors in the family? | ||||
| Any evidence of allergies in this animal? | ||||
| Is there a history of allergies in the family? | ||||
| Has this animal been evaluated for orthopedic disorders? | ||||
| Have parents been evaluated for orthopedic disorders? | ||||
| Is this animal free of congenital heart diseases? | ||||
| Are both parents free of heritable heart diseases? | ||||
| Is this animal free of heritable eye diseases? | ||||
| Are both parents free of heritable eye diseases? | ||||
| Any evidence of hypothyroidism in this animal? | ||||
| Is there any history of hypothyroidism in the family? | ||||
| Any evidence of diabetes mellitus in this animal? | ||||
| Any evidence of diabetes mellitus in the family? | ||||
| Any evidence of seizure disorders in this animal? | ||||
| Any evidence of seizure disorders in the family? | ||||
| Any evidence of bleeding disorders in this animal? | ||||
| Any evidence of bleeding disorders in the family? | ||||
| Any evidence of cancer in this animal? | ||||
| Any evidence of cancer in the family? | ||||
| Medical‐behavioral money‐back guarantee provided? | ||||
| Signature: Date: |
Unfortunately, this is not the way the situation typically evolves, so the veterinary team and client are sometimes engaged in an almost adversarial relationship in trying to determine how best to deal with the current situation. It is a much more positive relationship when the veterinary team acts as the client advocate, but for that to happen, such teams need to assume a much more proactive role in the acquisition of pets (see 5.7 Preadoption Counseling).
Preselection counseling is not only medically relevant, but it also makes good business sense. In the United States, more dogs and cats are euthanized for behavioral reasons than for all medical causes combined [2]. Accordingly, helping prospective pet owners understand the ramifications of pet ownership before they actually take on the responsibility of pet ownership is in everyone's best interest.
