Starting out on the right 'paw'

I often feel sorry for people visiting the vet hospital with their new puppy for the first time. Their lives – and households – have already been turned upside-down by the arrival of a yelping, pooing, wriggly being which bears little resemblance to the tidily groomed and endearingly posed puppies we buy on calendars and greeting cards. They’ve been woken throughout the night, cleaned up more puddles than they ever imagined, and have more than likely already said farewell to some belongings or plants. They gather up the puppy (no small challenge in itself), collar, lead, scattered wits and kids and make their way to the vet hospital, where a barrage of information and advice awaits.

We vet nurses lurk behind the counter, pre-armed with samples of food, pamphlets and handouts, waiting to pounce on the exhausted owner as they make their way through the door.
“What are you feeding Roxy?”
“Have you heard about our puppy parties?”
“How’s Max’s toilet training going?”
Puppy owners, I would not blame you if you turned and ran. Fortunately, most don’t run. Puppy packs in hand, they’re ushered into the consult room, where the vet stands ready to discuss nutrition, worming, fleas, grooming, socialisation, training, microchipping, vaccinations and desexing – and that’s just the basics.

It’s an overwhelming experience for the puppy, too: the waiting room is jam-packed with exciting smells, other animals, new people, bags of food and all kinds of enticements. Naturally, they want to explore (or hide under a chair), but instead they have to sit nicely on the scales, refrain from jumping on the clinic cat and submit to a physical examination which doesn’t allow much room for dignity. We try our best, through cuddles, gentleness and treats, to make it a positive experience for the pup – we don’t want to be the ‘bad guys’!

So why does everyone – puppy owner, puppy, vet nurse, vet – make the effort? I guess it’s because, all going well, that squirmy little bundle of fun is going to delight and disrupt its family for the next 10 to 15 years, and we all want those years to go as well as possible. We want the puppy to grow safely to adulthood. We want her to learn good manners and basic obedience, so she’s a pleasure to live with and handle. We want to ensure he doesn’t suffer due to preventable illnesses. We want her to have a long and truly happy life.

Virtually all of the puppy owners I meet want to do the best for their new friend. Helping them start out on the best ‘paw’ is one of the real joys of my job, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.