Puppy or Kitten: Gift of unconditional love

A cute puppy or kitten as gift will love your sweetheart unconditionally for the rest of their life so choose carefully.

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PET SOCIETY: Choosing a pet, A guide to getting a happy, healthy puppy or cat by Taling Chan Animal Hospital Veterinary Team

For many, Valentine's Day is perfect time to surprise their sweetie with romantic gifts. One of the gift ideas is "giving him/her a new friend" like a cute puppy or kitten - an amazing way of expressing one's love and affection.

In fact, the right pet can be a huge asset - a reliable, faithful companion who is always pleased to see you and offers unconditional love. It's a wonderful feeling to come home to a house that is never empty. On the other hand, getting a pet that does not fit your lifestyle or is simply badly bred can lead to heartache, health risks and financial disaster! With this in mind, there's a list of things to consider before owning a dog or cat.

First, do your research. Before committing to anything, make sure that the breed you are buying is compatible with specific needs and lifestyles. Ask yourself if you can realistically afford to bring up a pup. Do you want to find a buddy or just a watchdog? Then think carefully about which breed will best suit you and learn as much as you can about your chosen breed. Next, be sure to buy from a reputable breeder rather than a "puppy dealer" or uncertified pet shop. This will ensure you are buying a healthy, happy pet.

Places you can find the prospective pup can be Chatuchak Weekend Market, Sanam Luang 2, or other reliable outlets. When it comes to identifying a healthy animal, follow these simple guidelines.

Spend some time examining the overall health of each dog (or cat) to detect possible health problems and physical abnormalities. A healthy pup should be energetic and not too passive. Its movement should be normal without a slight uncoordinated gait, or moving like it is drunk. Eyes and nose must be bright and clean without signs of teardrops, mucus or excessive excretions. The pet's ears should also be clean and have no excessive earwax. Don't ever take a pup that appears to be unwell - a small sniffle or cough now may become a much more serious health condition later

Different breeds have different personalities, so research which breed would best suit you. Check with the breeder if any necessary tests have been carried out e.g. hip scoring for German Shepherds, straight and erect ears for Bangkaew or small, down-folding ears of Scottish Fold cats.

Grope through the pet's body to find tumours or abnormal pimples and lumps. Its overall skin and hair must be consistently smooth without traces of ring worms.

Examine the soles of its feet to ensure smoothness or unreasonably thickness and toughness. Flakes, if any, probably signal specific health problems.

Check out areas around its buttock and reproductive organ. These should be clean without stains of faeces.

Examine inside its mouth, teeth and gums. The edges of healthy gums fit tightly around the teeth. Also ask if the pup has been wormed, flea treated, inoculated, etc. Also, a skinny pet is not a good choice.

Do choose a pup that has been weaned from its mother, generally at six to eight weeks of age.

Do question your prospective breeder. Any responsible breeder should be open to your questions and be able to provide solid answers. If possible, ask to see the pedigree papers and ensure the breeder's name is on the certificate.

Remember: Do take your new pup or kitten to the vets for a check-up as soon as possible after getting it home. Give it all essential vaccinations against diseases such as rabies at the age of two months, and do this again once every week for another two weeks.

Dogs and cats also have needs and emotions. Pet ownership is a big responsibility requiring time, patience and money. They need your care every day, no matter how busy you are. So, don't get it until you're sure you have the resources and time to care for this creature for the rest of his or her life. In return, you will be rewarded with unconditional love.

Happy Valentine's Day

Taling Chan Animal Hospital Veterinary Team

(Source: Bangkok Post, PET SOCIETY, Choosing a pet, A guide to getting a happy, healthy puppy or cat, 1/02/2012, Taling Chan Animal Hospital Veterinary Team, link) 

Pet-Buying Vocabulary
 
breeds - different types of animals สายพันธุ์

breed - 1. (noun) one kind of dog; 2. (verb) raise animals for the purpose of producing more animals เพาะเลี้ยง
bred (verb, past tense)
badly bred - not raised well (so bad habits, personality or characteristics)

disaster - something very bad that happens and causes a lot of damage ความหายนะ
financial disaster - something bad that happens that makes you lose a lot of money

on the other hand, getting a pet that does not fit your lifestyle or is simply badly bred can lead to heartache, health risks and financial disaster

think carefully about which breed will best suit you and learn as much as you can about your chosen breed.

be sure to buy from a reputable breeder rather than a "puppy dealer" or uncertified pet shop.

personalities -  บุคลิกลักษณะ, ลักษณะเฉพาะตัว
research - การวิจัย

suit - suitable  เหมาะสม, สมควร
best suit you  

different breeds have different personalities, so research which breed would best suit you.

sweetie - girlfriend
romantic (adjective) - เกี่ยวกับเรื่องรักใคร่และการผจญภัย
gift - ของขวัญ
romantic gifts

Valentine's Day is the perfect time to surprise their sweetie with romantic gifts.

puppy - a small baby dog 
kitten - a small baby cat
affection - a feeling of liking and caring about someone or something ความรักและห่วงใย
expressing one's love and affection - showing someone that you love them

One of the gift ideas is "giving him/her a new friend" like a cute puppy or kitten - an amazing way of expressing one's love and affection.

asset - something valuable that a person has or owns, particularly money and property ทรัพย์สิน
can be a huge asset - something very valuable and useful that you have

companion - a close friend (that you spend a lot of time with)
companion animal - another word for pet (usually meaning dogs and cats)

reliable - dependable, can be trusted to work well, that way you want it to work works and behaves the way you expect เชื่อถือได้, ไว้ใจได้ ที่น่าเชื่อถือ ที่เชื่อถือได้
faithful - will always be there for you, never leave you; loyal, steadfast เชื่อถือได้, เชื่อใจได้, ควรค่าแก่การไว้วางใจ, ไว้ใจได้
a reliable, faithful companion -

pleased to see you - happy to see you

unconditional - without limits or requirements that something must be done อย่างไม่มีเงื่อนไข
unconditional love - love without any limits or conditions

In fact, the right pet can be a huge asset - a reliable, faithful companion who is always pleased to see you and offers unconditional love.

empty - having nothing inside ว่างเปล่า
It's a wonderful feeling to come home to a house that is never empty.

lifestyle - the living conditions and things people do everyday (fashion, home decoration, pets, cooking, music, tv, movies, garden, etc) รูปแบบการดำเนินชีวิต
fit your lifestyle - matches the way you live 

with this in mind, ... - thinking in this way

With this in mind, there's a list of things to consider before owning a dog or cat.

committing - making a promise, making an agreement

First, do your research. Before committing to anything, make sure that the breed you are buying is compatible with specific needs and lifestyles.

afford - to have enough money to be able to pay for something มีเงินพอจับจ่าย ซื้อหา

Ask yourself if you can realistically afford to bring up a pup.

buddy - a close and good friend
watchdog - a dog trained to protect a place สุนัขเฝ้าบ้าน

Do you want to find a buddy or just a watchdog?

ensure - to make certain that something happens or is done รับรอง ให้ความมั่นใจ ให้การยืนยัน

This will ensure you are buying a healthy, happy pet.

prospective - possible choice
pup - puppy, baby dog

outlets - stores, places to sell products ร้านค้า
reliable outlets - stores that you know that you can trust (will not cheat you or sell you low quality products)

Places you can find the prospective pup can be Chatuchak Weekend Market, Sanam Luang 2, or other reliable outlets.

identifying - can name the person, know who the person is ระบุชื่อ
simple - easy to understand; not complicated ง่าย,ไม่ยุ่งยาก, ไม่ซับซ้อน
guidelines - rules to help guide action; directions and instructions on how to do something แนวทาง นโยบาย

when it comes to identifying a healthy animal, follow these simple guidelines.

detect - to notice, to discover or find out พบได้, สังเกต
physical - real things that can be touched and seen (not just an idea or legal right)

normal (adjective) -  ภาวะปกติ, ปกติ,  ธรรมดา, ประจำ
abnormal (adjective) - not normal
abnormalities (noun) - things that are not normal about something

spend some time examining the overall health of each dog (or cat) to detect possible health problems and physical abnormalities.

energetic - having or involving a lot of energy กระตือรือร้น, กระฉับกระเฉง
passive -  not active, inactive อยู่เฉยๆ

a healthy pup should be energetic and not too passive.

movement - a group of people who share the same aim and work together to achieve it การเคลื่อนไหวเพื่อวัตถุประสงค์ทางการเมือง

uncoordinated - not working together smoothly ไม่ประสานกัน
gait - the speed and way it walks ท่าเดิน
uncoordinated gait - walking unsmoothly

its movement should be normal without a slight uncoordinated gait, or moving like it is drunk.

teardrops - water from tears from the eyes 
mucus - a liquid produced in some parts of your body, for example, the inside of your nose เมือก น้ำมูก
excessive - much greater than is usual; too much of something มากเกินปริมาณที่พอดี
excretions - liquids passing from the body

eyes and nose must be bright and clean without signs of teardrops, mucus or excessive excretions.

earwax - ขี้ห

the pet's ears should also be clean and have no excessive earwax.

sniffle - the sound of a person's nose when they have cold and a stuffed nose เสียงสูดจมูกบ่อยๆ
cough - การไอ

cough - to force air up through your throat with a sudden noise, especially when you have a cold การไอ
health condition - disease, sickness, health problem

don't ever take a pup that appears to be unwell - a small sniffle or cough now may become a much more serious health condition later

hip scoring for German Shepherds - a procedure used to determine the degree of hip dysplasia in dogs, a common problem with the legs of larger dogs (See Wikipedia)

erect - stand up
erect ears - ears that stand up

check with the breeder if any necessary tests have been carried out e.g. hip scoring for German Shepherds, straight and erect ears for Bangkaew or small, down-folding ears of Scottish Fold cats.

grope - grab and hold with your hand
tumour - a solid object under the skin การบวม

abnormal - not usual or typical ผิดปกติ ไม่ธรรมดา

pimple - acne, a hair follicle blocked by oil and swollen สิว
lump - a raised area under the skin  ก้อน

grope through the pet's body to find tumours or abnormal pimples and lumps.

consistently - continuously; happening again and again in the same way อย่างต่อเนื่อง
consistently smooth - smooth everywhere (without a break, without stopping)

traces - very small amounts of a substance ร่องรอย

ringworm - tinea; a common fungal disease in animals and humans (See Wikipedia) ขี้กลาก

Its overall skin and hair must be consistently smooth without traces of ring worms.

soles of its feet - the bottom of its feet
smoothness 
toughness  

examine the soles of its feet to ensure smoothness or unreasonably thickness and toughness.

flake - a small thin piece that has fallen off of something ชิ้นย่อยที่แตกออกมา,  ชิ้นเล็กๆ

flakes, if any, probably signal specific health problems.

buttock - butt, the fatty backside that people sit on สะโพก,ก้น,ส่วนท้าย, บั้นท้าย,  ตะโพก

reproductive organs - the penis (male) or vagina (female) used to make babies

check out areas around its buttock and reproductive organ.

stain - a dirty mark คราบ, รอยเปื้อน, รอยเลอะ
faeces -  human waste (passed out the back side in the toilet) อุจจาระ, มูล
stains of faeces

clean without stains of faeces.

gums - the pink skin that holds the teeth in place

examine inside its mouth, teeth and gums.

The edges of healthy gums fit tightly around the teeth.

wormed - dewormed, given medicine to get rid of worms the dog might have (See Wikipedia)
flea treated - given powder or some medicine to get rid of fleas in its coat or fur (See Wikipedia)
inoculated - given vaccination or injections 
vaccination - given medicine to prevent from getting a disease (See Wikipedia)

ask if the pup has been wormed, flea treated, inoculated, etc.

skinny - thin, underweight
a skinny pet is not a good choice.

weaned from its mother - no longer drinking its mother's milk
Do choose a pup that has been weaned from its mother, generally at six to eight weeks of age.

prospective - possible choice in the future
prospective breeder - possible breeder that you might buy a dog from in the future

Do question your prospective breeder?

provide - to give someone something that they want or need

Any responsible breeder should be open to your questions and be able to provide solid answers.

certificate - an official document or record stating that particular facts are true ประกาศนียบัตร เกียรติบัตร
pedigree papers - documents that show that your dog is of a certain breed

If possible, ask to see the pedigree papers and ensure the breeder's name is on the certificate.

vet - vweterinarian, an animal doctor (See Wikipedia)
check-up - a health examination by the veterinarian

Remember: Do take your new pup or kitten to the vets for a check-up as soon as possible after getting it home.

essential - necessary and important ที่จำเป็น ที่สำคัญ
rabies - a neurological disease that leads to a dangerous out of control biting animal that quickly dies (See Wikipedia)

Give it all essential vaccinations against diseases such as rabies at the age of two months, and do this again once every week for another two weeks.

emotions - feelings ความรู้สึก

Dogs and cats also have needs and emotions.

responsibility - 1. being blamed for something that goes wrong, 2. having to take care of some task as part of your job
patience - able to stay calm waiting for changes or work that you want; the ability to wait for a long time without becoming angry or upset ความอดทน
Pet ownership is a big responsibility requiring time, patience and money.

no matter how busy you are - even if you are very busy

They need your care every day, no matter how busy you are.

resources - things needed for proper functioning, to get a job done; to help you achieve your goals ทรัพยากร   ทรัพยากรที่มีอยู่
rewarded - be given something good as a result of what you did (as a reward)

So, don't get it until you're sure you have the resources and time to care for this creature for the rest of his or her life. In return, you will be rewarded with unconditional love.