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Pet Care Tips | Secrets Every Cat or Dog Owner Should Know | Interview with Veterinarian
9K views
Jul 19, 2023
Is it expensive to keep a dog or a cat today? What should a pet owner know about a pet's health and care before taking one to home? In this interview with @drlindsaybutzer we talk about pet care mistakes that some owners make, share tips to a healthy life for your pet, talk about insurance policies and pet food manufacturers. 00:00 - Intro 00:32 - About Dr. Lindsay Butzer 01:18 - Is it expensive to keep a dog or a cat today? 03:05 Cats or dogs? 03:56 - Pet care tips 05:17 - Is pet insurance worth the cost? 06:06 - Pet insurance claims 06:57 - Most common health issues with cats and dogs 11:04 - Pet food 12:17 - Impact of pet food on the health of the animal 13:49 - How can pet owners protect their loved ones from poor-quality food? 15:42 - Pet food brands recommendations 18:20 - Pet care tips More pet care tips from the veterinarian: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBvlURdNKSJ2oRbzUB1_JQw #pets #doglover #catlover #veterinary #PissedConsumer
View Video Transcript
0:00
Hello everyone! My name is Pauline and you're watching the Piss Consumer Channel. Here we
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discuss real stories of consumers who have encountered injustice and unfairness. Today
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our topic of discussion will be pets and the common problems their owners often face
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my guest for today is a pet expert dr lindsey butzer oh he's a good girl elsa lindsey please
0:36
tell us a few words about your expertise so my name is dr lindsey butzer i'm a small animal
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veterinarian um i've been practicing six years i work in boca raton florida and i mainly see
0:51
cats and dogs. I can see like pocket pets, like hamsters, rabbits, any pigs, things like that
0:59
that come in occasionally. But mostly we deal with people's dogs and their cats, which are like
1:05
their pets at home, their family members. So we mostly take care of those animals at our clinic
1:15
Lindsay, what do you think? Is it expensive to keep a cat or a dog today
1:20
Keeping a pet, I don't think it's that expensive to feed them, give them water, have them live in the house with you
1:29
It's not terribly expensive keeping a pet. Probably $50 a month, I would say, for a cat and around $100 a month for a dog
1:42
With food and toys and caring for them and cleaning up after them
1:49
I would say those are like the rough price ranges. That is like the cheapest dollar amount is what I mentioned, like 50 for a cat, 100 for a dog
1:59
It can get out of hand. You could definitely buy these new dog food brands that are out there and it can get really expensive
2:08
So food is one topic. And then health care is another because taking care of your pet is going to be expensive, too, for vaccines
2:17
just their flea and tick medications and heartworm prevention. And then if they get hurt or you're worried about something and then their health
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Yeah. You can spend a lot of money at the veterinarian hospital. Like with me
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I see patients all the time. So it depends on the owner and how much they want to take care of their pet or
2:39
how observant they are. Like if their cat is straining to pee a lot and they come in and they catch
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their urinary tract infections, we're going to treat them and then that animal's going
2:52
to live longer and be more comfortable. So pets that aren't treated a lot, their lifespan might be shorter than an animal that the owners
3:02
really take care of them well. Guys, do you have a pet at home
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If it's a cat or a dog, please hit the like button on this video
3:13
If it's another animal, please tell us about it in the comments. And mainly, you spend more when they turn like eight years old
3:21
Let's say a pet after eight, they're getting old. And then after 10, they're geriatric
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So you're going to spend more money on them, making sure they're healthy
3:34
getting them more comfortable beds even. And then they're going to get sick a little bit more often
3:41
It depends on the pet. But yeah, as they get older, your expenses are going to be more
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So I always tell people like, open up a savings account for your dog now
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And then in 10 years, you'll have the money for them and you won't be stressed out
3:55
Lindsay, what a pet owner should know about pet house and care before taking one at home
4:02
Yeah, you need to know the basics. Like you're going to have to feed them, give them water, take them on walks
4:09
You're going to have to give them time. It's like a baby. I tell people it's like taking care of a baby. So pretend like this little animal is your baby
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because it is. And you just have to be prepared for that. And then, yeah, financially now
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veterinary medicine is so expensive more than it's ever been, which I think is unfair. Honestly
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we own a private practice. So I'm really lucky that we get to set our own prices and our own
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rules but now with corporate medicine and all of these corporate companies they
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charge people so much it it really it sad to see how medicine has gone for animals Because my dad the owner of our hospital and he just does everything from the goodness of his heart
4:56
Plus, we have to run a business with 70 employees. But it's like an animal that came in, a dog with worms or something, like he charges them like, you know, nothing, like 20 bucks
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And then deworms the pet and they leave. We're private practice versus another place
5:10
Oh, that's a whole appointment. That's this. they could leave with a bill $250 for a new puppy
5:16
Lindsay, can you please tell us what pet insurance is? Is it worth the cost
5:22
Pet insurance? I think it's worth it. In the beginning, I was skeptical of it
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And there were so many new companies and a lot of scam companies
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But there are some pretty good big companies that really help cover medical costs for people
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And I think it's worth it now. I think like four years ago, I was kind of like, I don't know, just start saving for your pet
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But now they're making it pretty good that it's worth it. And it could be $25 a month up to $100 a month, depending on the breed of the dog
5:59
So they have veterinarians working at these pet insurance companies. They assess each dog and what health issues they can get
6:05
What are the types of pet insurance and how to choose the one that's suitable for your pets
6:13
You just need to research your plan. So that's the thing is like, I'm looking, there's a million
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ASPCA, Fetch Pet Insurance, Wagmo, Embrace. So all of these, you just have to call them and see what they cover for each pet
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and you want to get it right when you get your pet as like a kitten or if you get him as a cat
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you go to the vet you have a physical exam done and they they put what are pre-existing health
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issues so it's a hard thing with pet insurance because they can deny you for anything
6:55
Lindsay what are the most common claims for pet insurance? Let's say like a disease that's
7:01
common in cats would be kidney disease um they get sick they need fluids um a cat with like an
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outdoor cat with fiv or feline leukemia virus um these are viruses they check for at the shelters
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they're super common and those cats are gonna have low immune systems so i don't know the exact um
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what they cover pet insurance companies for those types of dogs or cats and then dogs like let's say
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a dog had parvovirus or distemper virus, these things we vaccinate for, or kennel cough
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I don't know how many times we're going to cover it, like if they get sick with just a cough
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And that can cost someone $400 at the vet for an appointment, chest x-rays
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just from boarding at daycare, they can get kennel cough. So there's little things like that where
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dogs get sick and they need to be treated or they can get pneumonia and then die so but now
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medicine is so great with veterinarians that that doesn't happen anymore is it worse to ensure an
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old cat or an old dog i would say for now like start with your puppy and kittens um if you have
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like an old cat and it gets diagnosed with something they could deny you so i know this
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is for like the pissed consumer so i think like if you have a cat that just gets sick and you
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there's records of it those companies might not um insure you so you have to be really careful with
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that what are the signs your pet should be taken to the clinic like coughing again that's a common
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one for puppies. If they have diarrhea, bloody stool, so things going on with their bowels and
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their stomachs, you want to take them to the vet because it could be anything. An older pet
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again, coughing can be heart disease and not just chemical. Older pets with diarrhea
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any of that fluid loss that can lead to dehydration, lethargy, if they're not wanting to
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walk as much or play as much and they're like a middle-aged dog
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You want to get them checked for tumors or abdominal cancers. Yeah, a cat straining to pee
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These are really common things that we see all week long. Lindsay could you please tell us about pet food When people like getting into the food stuff when they want their pet to live the longest life or live to 20 so they want to feed them a real human food diet
9:47
This might not make your dog live to 20 if it's a bulldog. Bulldogs live 10 to 12 years old
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And then some of them can live 14, 15, the rare cases
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But certain breeds, too, have a maximum lifespan. and and that's like people yeah they personalize them or humanize them and want them to be like
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humans and like if they eat like this certain way they're gonna live a long time but they might not
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live longer they might just live a healthier life and these are people with more money feeding them
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like human foods and stuff that maybe makes their stomach sensitive so we don't have enough data to
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know is maybe these people aren't feeding them just normal dog food and they're getting these
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human grade foods that is like chicken cooked with some fat and these new companies that we
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don't exactly know what's in these foods um so I'm all the time seeing appointments for diarrhea
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with doodles and fancy dogs and they're they're having sensitive stomachs and I'm having to tell
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them to go on a regular diet kibble just dog food that's easier on their stomach
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um so that might be like a connection we're not making yet what is about balanced food for a cat
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or a dog so that goes a lot into nutrition and things but they have formulas for like a balanced
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diet um and like the companies so I'm a veterinarian so we recommend veterinary diets
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that are studied by veterinary professionals and veterinary nutritionists. And those brands are going to be like Science Diet, Royal Canine, Purina
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So those companies have been around for 50 years or more. And they formulate a diet that's for dogs that makes sure they develop well through all life stages
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and they basically test it on dogs to make sure that they're all doing healthy on them
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But a lot of people don't like dog foods or kibbles. They say there's fillers in them, but these fillers can just be fiber
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and it's actually okay for them and their stomachs. And I've had dogs my whole life only eat kibble and canned food
12:06
One of my dogs lived to 18 and another one to 15
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Like all my dogs have lived really long on just kibble and dog food
12:15
Lindsay, what do you think? Can some pet food impact the animal's health
12:20
For example, one of his consumer users complains about the fresh pet killing his dog
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I think there is a link between fresh pet and something called Addison's disease and dogs
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And I want to let the consumer know or be aware of this issue so that they can discuss it with their vet and probably save the life of their dog
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I've actually done YouTube videos for Fresh Pet. I fed their food to my dogs
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They love it because it's like fresh food. It comes in packages
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You put it in the fridge. It's basically like they love the food. um so I read that review and the thing is we don't know how old that dog is in his review
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and we don't know any history of that dog so he could be upset and blaming this food
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but we don't know anything else about the dog or his medical um history or the age or the breed even
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um so it could be prone to kidney failure is actually what the dog has and um a diet really
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it's not going to cause kidney failure that acutely um any diet is not going to cause kidney
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failure in a dog um it can happen from old age um they can develop it themselves just their genetics
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Lindsay, how pet owners can protect their loved ones from a poor quality food
13:54
So the new fad is feeding dogs these prepackaged meals that are human grade instead of kibble
14:02
People for some reason don't like kibble anymore. Things you need to be careful of is for any of these companies is it's just like our food, right
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So we need to treat their food like our food and it's more expensive
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so um all these pre foods are like 30 for one little bag that lasts maybe three to four days and then it goes bad if you don properly refrigerate it or if you leave it out or if you doing these things So for the average person who is a working citizen to keep up with a diet like this
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it's hard. Whereas a kibble, you put it just in a container, somewhere in your pantry or your garage, and
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you feed your dog the kibble from there, and you can keep it fresh in a sealed thing. It doesn't need to be refrigerated or anything, and it doesn't build up bacteria and stuff
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and it keeps for the whole month. So there are things dogs can get
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like upset stomachs, overgrown bacteria, things like that from those prepackaged foods
15:03
Because I've even had them and tried them. And it's hard for me
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I have a busy life. And after two days, I'm smelling it. I'm like, this smells terrible
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I'm not feeding this to my dog. But imagine the regular person
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maybe they spend a lot of money on it. They're like, I'm going to feed it to my dog, right? so there's like using these diets i think there's a problem with that um just with with the owners
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in their own homes it might not be a bad food you might get perfectly fresh food delivered to you
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but the the way they're feeding and giving to their dog like and how long it lasts can be the
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problem lindsay would you recommend any cat or dog food pad brands otherwise which ones to avoid
15:49
I think for dogs that have sensitive stomachs, I would say a way for stuff sold in your grocery store
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Like Little Caesars, even though they really love it. A dog past eight years old who's a little dog that gets pancreatitis, they really shouldn't be eating those diets
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Like Benafol, these are ones that are just cheaper diets sold over the counter
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They're not terrible diets. So your dog's going to be fine. Your dog is going to live fine
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But they might have upset stomachs. And will it cause cancer? I don't think so
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I don't think any of these foods are going to cause cancer. I think cancers can be genetics
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And they can be environmental, too, with chemicals in the environment. Just the way humans get cancers
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You know, there's people who eat McDonald's every day and live until 100
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Like these old grandmas. So we can't say exactly what food is causing what
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But I think for like a stomach standpoint and to reduce health issues at a certain age, you're going to want to switch your pet to a prescription diet
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And that's what I talk to my clients about. Like if their dog is constantly getting sick on one diet, I'm like, okay, it's time to switch your diet to like Hills Science Diet is my favorite
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And then Royal Canine and then Purina. So those three are my top veterinary brands
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And they're not even that expensive compared to Fresh Pet and Farmer's Dog and all these fresh foods and Primal
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I was looking up the prices. It's insane. how much you're paying for a small little bag versus just going and getting
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kibble that lasts all month. It's the same amount, maybe 10 bucks more
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Actually it's cheaper. I like if you compare it with the food going bad
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So yeah, I would say stay away from the stuff that's in your grocery stores
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That it just depends like kibble. You're mostly safer with kibble. but some of the cheaper brands of dog food are going to have more salts and more sugar
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just like junk food. Lindsay what is your key message to the pet owners? Could you please
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provide some tips on how to keep your pet's house and make your animal happy? Exercise with your
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pets give them a lot of love your pet might even live longer if you love them more they want to
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stay alive for you. So just treating them like they're your baby. These are all things that are
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going to keep your pet living long. Thank you for the insightful conversation, Lindsay. Bye
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have a good one. I want to remind you that we've recently featured a user story on our channel
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about an unexpected issue they encountered while visiting a pet store. Next week, we will discuss
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19:00
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