Dangerous Pet Trends To Avoid
Dangerous Pet Trends To Avoid
One of the challenges that any pet owner has is to research and find out what is and what is not safe and healthy for their pets. Unfortunately, not everyone does this, and it often results in dangerous trends in caring for dogs that are likely to cause serious harm to the animal. 
Most of the dangerous trends in pet ownership just require a bit of common sense to see the risks involved. By being aware of these issues, and talking to children in the family, exposing your pets to these issues should never be a concern.
Decorative Tattoos and Any Type of Piercings
For many years, purebred dogs have been identified by specific numbers and letters tattooed under the ear or in the groin area. These are unique identifiers and are applied by a vet. The tattoo is registered, permanently identifying the puppy as part of a litter. Dog owners may also choose to have a puppy tattooed by the vet for identification purposes.
Decorative tattoos are a different matter. These tattoos are done for the pleasure of the owners, and they can be very large and cover most of the dog’s body. These tattoos are usually done with the dog or the pet sedated, and there is always the risk of infection and injury to the skin if the dog licks or bites at the area during the healing process.
Piercings are also a trending thing in some areas. Usually, this is done by the owner, and it can include piercing the ears, nose, upper lip, and the tail. Aside from the pain for the pet, the piercing can easily be caught on an object or become infected. It can also easily be pulled out if the dog panics or pulls away when this happens. This can result in the loss of a small to large-sized piece of flesh, which is always a terrifying and painful experienced for the pet.
Both of these practices are banned in several areas, but they are not in many others.
Vegan Foods for Cats and Dogs
While dogs are omnivores and can survive without meat, cats are obligate carnivores and have to have meat or the correct supplements to produce the amino acid taurine in their bodies. Without this amino acid, cats can lose their sight, and they develop life-threatening heart conditions.
Dogs, and to a lesser extent a cat, can eat a largely vegetable-based diet, but only with the correct supplements and careful monitoring of the diet. As most people do not have the money or the time to manage these types of diets, pets raised without animal-based proteins are often sick, malnourished, lack energy and have a range of health issues ranging from chronic digestive problems to malnutrition that leads to an early death.
If you do want to consider dietary options for your pets, always talk to your vet. Blogs and articles online written by “experts” with no experience or education in animal nutrition are providing potentially dangerous and deadly advice.