Pet Tip Tuesday- Picking a Pet for your Family

Dr. Megan Okes joins us live in the studio to help you decide how to pick the perfect pet for your family.

Picking a new pet for your family

What needs to be taken into consideration when getting a new pet?

Many questions you need to ask yourself before your bring a new friend home

Why do you want a pet?

Companionship, entertainment, teaching responsibility to kids

How much time do you have for a pet? Who will take care of it?

Each type and breed of pet requires different levels of time and care. With too little attention we can see behavioral problems develop.

How much space do you have?

Dogs need room to exercise- lack of exercise can lead to health and behavior issues.

What is your lifestyle?

Do you have an active life, are you gone a lot

Does anyone in the family have allergies?

NO HYPOALLERGENIC PETS, some are LESS likely to make allergies worse

How do I choose?

Need to know your options; pets are not just dogs, cats and horses, but fish, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals

Do some research BEFORE you go looking at pets…don’t buy or adopt on a whim!