With the holidays rapidly approaching, you may consider giving your friend, partner or children a pet as a gift. At Churchland Animal Clinic, our veterinary clinic in Portsmouth, Virginia, we recommend against giving pets as gifts. While a dog or cat may be great fun at first, after a few weeks or months, the novelty will wear off and the new pet owner may not be prepared for the responsibility. New pet owners may not be prepared to schedule appointments with the veterinarian, feed the pet, or pay for the necessary vaccinations.

Pet's Health Comes First, Says the Veterinarian

Our Portsmouth veterinarian would like to remind you that the health of the pet should be your primary concern. When you give a pet as a gift, especially as a surprise gift, you may not be considering the pet's overall health and wellness, but rather the joy on the potential pet owner's face when he discovers the gift.

If you give a pet, such as a large dog or a finicky cat to a person who is ill-prepared to care for her, you put the pet at risk. A child may neglect to feed or walk his new dog while an elderly person may struggle to keep the dog under control. Many gifted pets end up in shelters after the holidays because their new owners were unable to care for them. Worse still, some pets end up abandoned.

Even if you pick out a shelter pet, the costs of keeping the pet may be too expensive for the receiver. He'll have to pay for trips to the veterinary clinic as well as to spay and neuter the pet if that hasn't already occurred. In addition to visits to the animal vet clinic if the pet becomes ills, the owner will have to pay for food and grooming for his new pet.

At Churchland Animal Clinic, we are truly ‘committed to caring for your companions,’ and we want to help you make good choices for your pets. If you have any questions about pet care or pet health in general, please give us a call.

Instead of giving a pet as a gift this holiday season, what alternatives can you think of?