VET’S VIEW: Please, please, think before you get a pet this Christmas

And hear we are again, another December has come upon us. How did that year go by so fast?
This article may to some, sound like, ‘Oh no, the same old story’, but I’m sorry, it’s such an important topic for discussion, that I have to address it once again this Christmas season. The old adage, that a pet is not just for Christmas has never been truer nor more important a message to try to get out there.
We see year on year, the level of heartbreak and unnecessary misery in pounds and rescue centres each and every January and February, following on from poor decisions made regarding getting a pet for Christmas.
There are so so many considerations to think about when getting a pet, which you may well have for more than a decade – let alone at Christmas, one of the busiest times of the year for families.
Puppies in particular need lots of attention, both in terms of training and behaviour. So often, this is not thought about. Furthermore, the small, cuddly golden Labrador pup in the Kleenex ad does not remain a small, cuddly, easily manageable puppy for long. It grows into a large, strong dog that will demand much more attention and handling, not to mention food and appropriate housing, in a very short period of time.
This goes for lots of dog breeds. They do not necessarily have to grow into big animals physically to become a handful, or for that matter, unmanageable. Some smaller breeds will develop behavioural problems, like destructiveness or aggression, unless attended to appropriately as they grow.
Christmas is a busy season in most houses with potential dangers aplenty for a new puppy or kitten. Often this is the reason why vets are called out on Christmas Day or in the days following it – tending to choking, injured or poisoned newly arrived pets. Christmas decorations, lights, candles, chocolates and other potential hazards are all around, and nobody can be expected to govern a new arrival 24 seven, and so accidents DO happen.
If you have made the decision to get a pet for the family this time of year, please, oh please, do your research in terms of the long-term consequences of such a decision. Please do not add to the year-on-year ever-growing January problem of owners having to surrender a pet because they have not thought things through. Remember also that the commitment to a pet means a commitment for a long time, potentially fifteen years or more.
Nobody wants to be a kill-joy this festive time of year, but what I am saying and will continue to say, animals are a big and long-term commitment that require attention and time, as well as love, so consider all the implications of getting a pet, not just at Christmas but at any time of the year.
I’ll finish by wishing the team at the Mayo News a very happy Christmas and continued success to this fantastic publication, and of course to you the readers. Some of you I hope both enjoyed and perhaps got some valuable information from my articles during the year. To you all, a happy Christmas and the very best of good fortune for 2025.

Veterinarian Conal Finnerty MRCVS practises at the Skeldale Vet Clinic in Ballinrobe and Belmullet. Follow the clinic on Facebook, or call 094 9541980 or 087 9185350 to make an appointment.