First time dog owner advice

momsquad
Tue, 10 Jan 2017 21:29:18 +0000

A friend who had never owned a pet of any kind adopted two adult chihuahuas two years ago when she was going through a painful divorce. They have been wonderful pets and are very loving. She is able to visit them over her lunch break to let them out, but small dogs can also be trained to use indoor “potty areas” such as absorbent pads and litter boxes. Small dogs are much easier to travel with since most hotels, airlines etc. have weight restrictions on dogs. Be forewarned that the cost of veterinary care can approach the cost of medical care since many of the same treatments developed for humans are also available for dogs. You need to be mentally prepared to say goodbye to your pet if a catastrophic illness arises and the expense of treatment would cause you financial hardship. Some vets will level with you about the prognosis for treatment but others will continue to offer expensive interventions even when the dog is close to its natural life expectancy.