I'm a vet and here are my 5 unpopular opinions about pet ownership
A British vet has revealed five opinions he has about pet ownership - and he says they may be unpopular.
Content creator @ben.the.vet shared the list in a video on TikTok, where he has more than 208,000 followers.
Diving straight into his opinions, he listed his first as disliking when people feed their animals raw meat, describing it as 'not a risk worth taking'.
Ben explained: 'When you prepare raw meat to eat yourself, if you're a meat eater, you're probably quite careful about washing your hands and avoiding cross contamination.
'If your dog eats raw meat, then they will get raw meat juice in and around their mouth, which contains bacteria, potentially spreading it all over your house, and on your face when they lick you.
Ben the Vet (pictured) has shared what he described as five 'unpopular' opinions he has about pet ownership
'If you have small children or anyone immunosuppressed in your house, just don't take the risk of making them sick.'
The second opinion was bound to get some people's backs up. According to Ben: 'Number two [is] people calling themselves pet parents.
'[It] makes me want to throw up just a little bit. I think we should be considering our dogs as part of the family. But you're not their parent and they're not your child. Sorry, just gives me the ick a little bit - surely I'm not the only one.'
His third point related specifically to people who have cats as companion animals. The vet said: 'Your cat is a loner and doesn't need any friends. I'm not just being mean, but it can be a disaster to introduce a new cat to our household.'
He explained that it can be 'quite hard for us to appreciate as a social species', but that cats are 'naturally solitary' - and they like being on their own.
'They can be picky and choose to form a social group with some cats in the household but not others,' said Ben.
'Some cats basically just hate other cats. The resulting stress, as well as being unpleasant for the cat, can lead to some health issues like cystitis and urinary obstructions.'
When it came to his fourth unpopular opinion, he said: 'Number four [is] adopting a stray dog from abroad. [This] can do more harm than good.
While he emphasised that it i just his opinion, Ben (pictured) said people calling themselves pet parents 'gives him the ick'
'The first consideration here is temperament. I've met many lovely ones. But a lot of these dogs have not had any social interaction with humans at a young age. And so they can find living in a household very stressful, and this can lead to problem behaviours and even aggression.
'The second consideration is the risk of introducing exotic infections. There are several to consider, but the one we're perhaps most concerned about at the moment in the UK is an infection called Brucella.
'It's being found more and more often in imported dogs. And if humans pick it up, it can cause serious health issues.
'If you want to help these dogs, it may be better to just donate to a charity that helps these dogs in their country of origin.'
And finally, moving onto his fifth and final opinion, Ben said: 'If you really want to keep your dog's teeth clean, please stop giving them dentistix, and just start brushing their teeth.
'The sticks are supposed to be clinically proven, so presumably they do something, but I think many dogs just inhale them practically. And they are very fattening.
'I think they're making people just feel like they're doing something proactive, but I don't think that they're that great. Again, just my opinion.'
Related articles
Saudi Arabia is going to sponsor the WTA women's tennis rankings under a new partnership
NEW YORK (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s move into tennis will now include a multiyear deal to sponsor the WTA2024-05-21Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti apologizes for forgetting German on his Bayern Munich return
MUNICH (AP) — Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has apologized upon his return to Bayern Munich for2024-05-21Politicians, dog experts vilify South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for killing her dog
Politicians and dog experts are criticizing South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem after she wrote in a new b2024-05-21A retired Roman Catholic bishop who tried to mediate between cartels in Mexico has been kidnapped
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A retired Roman Catholic bishop who was famous for trying to mediate between drug2024-05-21Xander Schauffele gets validation and records with one memorable putt at PGA Championship
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Xander Schauffele might have to watch the replay of his 6-foot putt to see ho2024-05-21Matt Ryan will join NFL Today, Simms and Esiason depart
NEW YORK (AP) — Matt Ryan, who retired last week after 15 years in the NFL, will join CBS Sports as2024-05-21
atest comment