Little by little, but we'll get there

It is springtime and people are getting puppies. A couple of people I know recently have gotten puppies and somehow I have been referred to them as someone who knows a lot of doggy info. I am surprised, yet delighted at the same time. This is my hobby. Some people enjoy gardening, others golfing, others knitting. In my free time, I research animal nutrition and health. This is something I have spent a lot of time reading up on, and continue to educate myself on because the health for my furkids is important to me. This is what I love to talk about. I don't think I really know that much and who knows exactly if what I know is correct, but I love to learn about it and share it with others. Besides my own enjoyment in this topic, there is an ultimate goal. I may have a lot of advice to give but how do I do it in a way that is condusive to people finding healthier ways to raise their pet?

Well, first of all, I'm pretty sure nobody wants to listen to me rant. Good thing I have this blog. Oftentimes, I catch myself talking too much and I see the looks on people's faces. They look at me like I'm some animal radical and that's when I stop. Until the next question, that is. But people do keep asking questions. It seems, people what to know and yet they don't want to know. People want to know because it is human nature to ask friends for recommendations and advice. People want to know what everyone else does and feel confident that if all these people are doing it, it must be okay. But there are a lot of things people don't want to know. In my mind, a few basic guidelines go a long way.

Not all veterinarians are created equal. We certainly know that rings true for our own health professionals, we go to get second opinions all the time. We ask questions, we question new drugs, we read about side effects, and we have to trust our doctors. When it comes to our animals, we tend to forget that vets work for us, not the other way around. But you're either a pill-popper hyperchondriac that goes to the doctor for everything or you try acupuncture and Chinese herbs and refuse to see a doctor until you're coughing up a lung. I'm somewhere inbetween there. You've gotta appreciate both Western (or conventional) and non-Western (or alternative) medicine. We need them both, in my own humble opinion (IMOHO)

We are all victims of a highly commercialized society. There are highly appealing commercials on tv selling dog food with fruits and vegetables. There are adorable puppies writing letters home to ask for more tick prevention. There are cute little dogs playing happily flea-free. All these commercials play into our fear of being "bad" pet owners. If we don't buy these wonderful things to protect them then something bad will happen to our pets, right? Wrong. We should know by now that there is no quick fix or miracle cure for anything.

Have we forgotten the most basic fundamentals of good health? Have we forgotten how to be educated consumers? Or are family pets just animals, not important enough to put that much energy and effort into? My know my own learning curve is very different from others. But if I can help other pet owners, a little at a time, to make more educated decisions about their pets' health, then I feel like I am doing the right thing. So bring it on and let's learn a little bit from each other. I love a good discussion about animals!