A vet has revealed five things he would never do to his own dog, potentially putting the animal – and sometimes the people around him – in danger.
UK-based content creator @ben.the.vetwho has more than 210,000 followers on TikTok, recently shared his tips in a video.
Many of Ben’s videos cover animal welfare topics and provide viewers with information on how to care for pets responsibly.
He also regularly discusses the various health challenges faced by different species and breeds, often delving into the physiological properties of animals that can cause health problems, using both scientific literature and his own professional experience to inform and educate his followers to lead.
In his recent clip describing what not to do when caring for a dog, he shared a range of reasons including everyday activities and overall long-term health.
British vet and TikTok creator Ben the Vet (pictured) revealed five things he would never do with his own dog
1. ‘I would never let my dog run loose on the road’
According to Ben, the first thing on his list was that he would ‘never let it happen’ [his] dog running loose on a road’.
He explained why, saying: ‘I have a very clear memory [from] when I was 16, when I saw this Shih Tzu run over by a van tire. Miraculously, the dog was fine and none of the passengers were injured.
‘But annoyingly, a few weeks later I saw those same owners walking that dog in the same place. It’s just so dangerous, and it’s really not worth taking the risk. No matter how obedient or well-trained my dog might be, I could never trust him not to be distracted by a squirrel or a backfiring engine.”
2. ‘I wouldn’t give them bones or antlers’
Speaking very specifically from his perspective as a veterinarian, Ben revealed that “if you spend half an hour performing an enema and removing bone fragments from a dog’s colon, you probably feel the same way.”
He added that it’s not just that: these bones and antlers are “just too hard to chew, and they break their teeth.”
The vet explained: ‘You often see many dogs with plate fractures of their carnassial teeth, which are their last premolar teeth on the top, and this is painful. It can lead to tooth root abscess formation and then they have to have the tooth extracted.’
One of the five things was that Ben the Vet (photo) did not let his dog eat raw meat and did not give his dog bones or antlers
3. ‘I would never leave my dog alone in a car’
Although most people are aware that leaving their dog in a car can be fatal, many still do it – perhaps unaware of the danger they are putting their dog in.
But as Ben explains: ‘It can get hot in a car extremely quickly, even if you open the windows, and it’s a particularly hot day.
‘So in my opinion it’s just not worth taking the risk. If I were going to run a few errands, I would just leave my dog at home where he has a little more space.”
4. ‘I would never feed my dog raw meat
According to the vet, in addition to the risk of infection for the dog, there is also a risk of infection for other family members, including E coli, Campylobacter and salmonella.
He said: ‘If I were cooking raw chicken, I would never rub raw meat juice from my hands on my children’s faces. But essentially, if you feed your dog raw meat and he or she licks you or the children in the family, you are doing the same thing.”
Ben added that in his opinion, it’s just not worth the risk.
5. ‘I wouldn’t let my dog get fat
Because “food is the way to a dog’s heart,” the vet says he understands why it’s so easy for your dog to become overweight.
In his experience it also happens quite often. However, the health risks for puppies are quite high.
“I would go as far as to say that the majority of dogs I see as a veterinarian are overweight or obese,” he said.
‘And so I would do my best to keep them nice and slim so that they are less likely to develop arthritis at a young age and hopefully live as long a life as possible, because we all want our dogs to live forever. .’