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Are You The Overly Attached Owner?

January 24, 2015 By Sunny Lim

Does the thought of losing your pet cause your mood to go into a downward spiral and ruin an otherwise perfectly good day? Do you spend more time thinking and taking care of your pet than yourself?

Or is this you?

If you’ve answered ‘Yes’, good news is that you’re not Tin Man, but the not so good news is that you might be overly attached to your pet.

No, there’s nothing wrong with it. We all grieve when they’re gone, we all pamper them while they’re here. It’s natural. It’s what they do, and what they have that’s rare in humans that fills the emotional void and make us fall in love with them so deeply. Their unconditional love, no matter how little time we spend with them, how we look when we put on extra weight, their affection (except Mari-kun), their willingness to listen our complaints makes them the perfect companion.

Animals And Their Wizardry

However, it’s also their almost perfect character (‘almost’ because they have the innate ability to do the dumbest things) which led many into a trap.

Although a pet can bring about great therapeutic healing as seen in therapy dogs, we need to be honest with ourselves if we can deal with the fact that most animals will leave this place before we do. It can even be a dangerous event if someone is already suffering from mental illness. Even to most people, a pet is more than just a furry companion – they can even mean more than a significant other or family members.

Too Much Of A Good Thing Makes Me Sick, Especially If The Good Thing Is Chocolate

Most people I know take the loss of their pet in stride, especially pets who died of old age. But life, not only is it fragile, the outcomes of daily events – big and small, is beyond our control. How many times have you bought someone a gift but only to get an awkward smile when they opened it up?

It’s not about being indifferent, but knowing where to draw the line. Water and nutrients are essential for the growth of a plant, give it too much, it dies. Same goes for many things in life.

Pets are readily conditioned by positive things, they’ll soon know that all they need to do to get more treats and attention is to beg for it. Not only does it create obesity, anxiety and stress issues, having an unhealthy body and mind will manifest into in turn create more problems.

It’s A Matter Of Personal Reflection

It’s difficult finding the balance as most pet owners are either overly attached or nonchalant, both of which will create the same behavioral and health issues.

So in my opinion, only when we understand boundaries, of what’s expected of our pets (e.g. rules they need to abide), but also what’s expected of us – logically evaluating our pet’s best interests, will we be able to enjoy a healthy relationship.

Anesthesia free dental cleaning: The danger that runs deep

November 24, 2013 By Sunny Lim

The assumption that putting elder pets under general anesthesia would a high risk of death has been long-held. As pet owners, we are all afraid that we might become the accomplice in causing our pet’s premature death and vets don’t want to either. As a result, many have chosen to let establishments that boast anesthesia free dental scaling handle their pets teeth cleaning.

Imaging the difficulty some of you are already having when cleaning your pet’s teeth with a normal toothbrush. Fact is, grooming like cutting nails, teeth brushing is a very unnatural and invasive process for animals. Nothing in the wild would give them the same feeling that would make teeth brushing feel natural, and pets let us brush their teeth only because of trust.

Recall the last time you went for your regular dental checkup. Even when we brush our teeth twice daily and your teeth looks healthy, there’s still the need to remove calculus and plague from under your gumline; a procedure that many would agree, far from comfortable and soothing. So imagine a grooming salon using the same ultrasonic teeth scalers for your pet. Although they might be able to get rid of obvious tartar, it would be hard to imagine how does one do a thorough cleaning below the gumline without the use of anesthesia on our pets.

As saliva loses its antibacterial properties as your pet ages, or as the tooth becomes rough from tartar buildup, you might find that calculus can build up even with daily brushing. Take a small dog for example, it’s considered geriatric beyond 7 years old and I’ve seen a lot of dogs who are 17. But to be reasonable, lets say it lives till 13, are you going to deny your dog dental treatment for 6 years? You see, poor dental health doesn’t just cause bad breath. Especially at old age, tartar and decaying tooth can cause a myriad of problems. When I just adopted my Maltese, the nose and eyes had yellow discharge and diagnosis by the vet said it was a result of the poor state the whole set of teeth was in. Even in old age, giving your pet a dental overhaul, if it needs one, will do more good than harm.

“A more serious danger is the bacterial infection and resultant inflammation in the gums, which can send bacteria through the dog’s bloodstream, where it can wreak havoc with the heart, lungs, kidney, and liver. Dogs with chronic health problems that affect these organs and dogs with immune-mediated disease are at special risk of experiencing complications due to periodontal disease. For this reason alone, owners of these dogs should be the most proactive in keeping their dogs’ teeth clean.” – Nancy Kerns, Whole Dog Journal

Unless the animal have existing health problems, there are so many aged animals rescued from pet farms and their new owners would bring their adopted pets to have them sterilized and have their teeth cleaned and extracted if necessary without any complications. I believe that if the clinic is responsible, ethical and proper tests and screening are done prior, it’s relatively safe to put your pets under anesthesia.

Here are some professional opinion that’s able to address this matter in further detail:
Anesthesia-Free Pet Dentistry – By Animal Dental Care and Oral Surgery
Nonprofessional Dental Scaling – By Mercola.com
Anesthesia-Free Teeth Cleaning For Your Dog – By The Whole Dog Journal

How buying a pet is funding barbaric acts

November 16, 2013 By Sunny Lim

China putting live animals in a bag for sale — Her smile makes me sick

You might have heard about irresponsible vendors in China putting live animals in air tight bags and selling them as trinkets. >If you haven’t, read about them here.<

The reason this barbaric act exists, together with illegal pet trade, poaching and irresponsible pet farming, all boils down to consumer demand.

The moment someone carries that cute little puppy home from behind the glass case of the pet shop, it’s encouraging breeders to churn out puppies, as many as they can, at the lowest cost they can manage. What if there are syndicates who are forcing women to give birth over and over just to sell their babies? Worse still, to maximize profits, the women are forced to live in inhumane conditions. Heinous? So what makes the pet industry different? Just because they are animals?

But that’s not all. Who could resist infant mammals? Even baby turtles are cute. Everyone wants to bring them home, giving rise to impulse buying. As a result, many pets are not well taken care of beyond their infant stage. Why? Because it suddenly occurred to the owners that taking care of a living thing is hard work. Because that puppy isn’t cute anymore. Because it has developed behavioral problems and has gotten out of hand. And the most frustrating reason of them all, “Because Fido is old and we don’t want to see him die.” Bollocks.

Every month, SCPA Singapore alone takes in 300 animals which are unwanted by their owners.

From this culture of irresponsible buying and breeding, created the need for another undesirable activity: Euthanasia.

Even with all the rescue efforts going on and kindhearted people doing what they can to give pets a second chance, there’s still more strays, abandoned animals and animals scheduled to be euthanized than what rescue groups can handle.

There are animals being put down everyday, healthy, unhealthy, their lives forcefully taken against their will. And I’d rather lose my job as a groomer because there isn’t enough furry dogs for me to groom, than to see breeders churn out puppies without a care in the world and irresponsible owners leaving their pets in a terrible state. The same pet who has given the perpetrators 100% of their love.

Seriously though, there’s so much advantages to adopting. First, it feels good giving animals a second chance to live. Secondly, because most of them have not experienced excessive pampering, they’re usually much calmer and well-behaved. And since most animals up for adoption is in their adulthood, what you see is what you get. Plus so much more!

If long-term commitment is not for you, why not try fostering? It’s the practice of temporarily taking care of the animals before they find a permanent home.

Of course, the government too need to understand and allow larger breed of dogs in HDB flats.

There is much work to be done so please help to share this around and encourage people to adopt. The animals need your help. Even if you can’t adopt, your help in disseminating this message may have already help an animal on death row.

Finally, let’s take one last moment to digest this picture from the video above. This puppy was being put down right after the photo shoot was done. Look them in the eye. Do they deserve this?

Kittens and puppies in a pet shop didn’t come from a flying stork

October 4, 2013 By [email protected]

When you bought your pet from a pet shop did you assume that at the back of the shop there’s this one cozy corner with warm lights, soft cushions, a cute dog nursing its newborn puppies?

In reality, it’s more like this:

These are not photos of irresponsible pet owners.

To be brutally honest, if you have ever bought your pet dog or cat online, from a pet shop or Pasir Ris Farmway, YOU might have been the direct cause of these animals’ suffering. YOU have encouraged pet farms to continue breeding, to supply because of YOUR demand.

Why aren’t they properly taken care of?

To put it simply, pet farming is a business that involves high risks and operating costs.

Bitches are able to give birth only once to twice a year and usually give birth to no more than 4-5 puppies, usually lesser, for smaller breeds. Furthermore, it’s common to have bitches which are late, dogs that are past their fertile age and early death in puppies. Therefore, the breeder usually holds a large pool of dogs for breeding in a limited space, to increase chances of puppy births, to minimize financial risks.

As a result, who’s the one who’d suffer from irresponsible breeders whose aim is to keep costs as low as possible? Your puppy’s birth parents of course, but have you considered that you might be a victim as well?

How does it concern you?

Poor living standards, diets and breeding with close relatives causes poor genetics in offspring are reasons for improper breed standards, poor immune systems, genetic problems, causing a myriad of medical problems for your beloved pet, a ton of vet bills and heartaches for you.

“But my dog has a pedigree cert leh…”

I know some of you, even with much persuasion, would still want to get a puppy or a kitten. But a liar wouldn’t tell you he’s one would he? Firstly, the area where the pet is sold isn’t the place where the breeding stocks are kept, so even if the retail area are kept clean, it doesn’t mean that the rest of the area are kept the same.

Secondly, if the puppy has papers to show that it’s a pedigree or champion blood lines even, to be honest, it says nothing about the living conditions. A pedigree is just a term for a certified pure bred dog, that’s all.

As for champion bloodlines, breeders ain’t going to worship your puppy’s mommy and daddy high on a pedestal isn’t it? Furthermore, many champion are also bought, even if they aren’t, many show dogs’ lives are only marginally better, being confined for long hours just so that they’d look happy when they’re let out.

Finally, just because your pet is imported from Australia or any foreign countries doesn’t mean that they’re cared under the wings of an angel.

This is reality

I admit much news nowadays are sensationalized but ask if you were to ask animal rescuers, volunteers, adopters, honest vets, vet assistants, groomers, pet shop staffs, the photos you’vee seen are really a common sight. They all looked like that when they’re freshly rescued from pet farms.

I hope you would do a little bit more than to take my word for it. How about spending a few moments just researching on this topic? Add some of the organizations helping out farm animals in Singapore on Facebook. Let all of your friends know, because they might decide to buy a pet someday. Help your furry best friends, share this article.

Further reading:

Article in CNN Travel on puppy mills in Singapore

What do we mean by a ‘Reputable Breeder’

Foods safe for us but are deadly to your pets

September 21, 2013 By [email protected]

A man’s poison could be another man’s meat. Most probably you’ve heard from fellow pet owners about some of the dangerous food that pets aren’t allowed to consume. But how about the rest of the stuff we eat everyday? Here’s a rather comprehensive list, organized properly that makes it easy to remember:

Are You The Overly Attached Owner?

Anesthesia free dental cleaning: The danger that runs deep

How buying a pet is funding barbaric acts

Kittens and puppies in a pet shop didn’t come from a flying stork

Foods safe for us but are deadly to your pets

>>Toxic Food For Pets<<

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