How to choose the right pet for your family

Kim Carvalho, DVM Veterinarian, shares advice for parents on what factors are important to consider when choosing the right pet for your family
How To Choose The Right Pet For Your Family
KidsInTheHouse the Ultimate Parenting Resource
Kids in the House Tour

How to choose the right pet for your family

Comment
80
Like
80
Transcription: 
Choosing the right pet for your family will ensure a long and successful relationship between the animal and the human. It´s important rather than to decide what age is appropriate for a pet is to sit down as a family and determine what your lifestyle is like. If you have a busy schedule, are constantly traveling and have a tiny apartment, it´s probably wise to get a cat that is lower maintenance and not a dog that requires hiking every day and a lot of space. You should also look at your budget. If you don´t have the resources to care for your pet if they get sick, then you should probably get a pet that is less expensive and that requires very low veterinary care. By doing this, you will ensure a long lasting relationship with your pet.
ALL PARENTS, Family Life, Family Pets

Kim Carvalho, DVM Veterinarian, shares advice for parents on what factors are important to consider when choosing the right pet for your family

Related Videos

Transcript

Expert Bio

More from Expert

Kim Carvalho, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr. Kimberly Carvalho attended the University of California at Davis for her undergraduate studies, then went on to graduate from Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in 1992. She completed a small animal medicine and surgical internship at California Animal Hospital in 1993 and went on to become a partner at Brentwood Animal Hospital in West Los Angeles. Dr. Carvalho became a Board-Certified Diplomat of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in 2002 and is a Clinical Associate Professor at Western University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Pomona, California.

Dr. Carvalho has served on the Medical Advisory Board of PetDrx Corporation, is currently serving as a member of the Medical Advisory Board of Veterinary Centers of America (VCA corporation), and donates a lot of her time and resources to the Friends of Animals Foundation. She also currently serves on the board of The John Thomas Dye School Parent's Association.

Dr. Carvalho is a native of Hawaii and resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. When not working in the office or at her children's schools, she enjoys the outdoors, traveling and golfing.

More Parenting Videos from Kim Carvalho, DVM >
Enter your email to
download & subscribe
to our newsletter
  Listen or Watch
Must See First Year Videos
Three important rules about your baby's first foods
First year milestones
Postnatal depression and loneliness advice
Baby losing interest in nursing
The importance of spending quality time during early childhood
Narrating an infant's environment
Research based benefits of co-sleeping
Bonding versus attachment
Bonding with your baby after a less-than-perfect birth
Preventing postpartum depression
Play All 34 Videos
Featured Experts: Alan Greene, MD, Lawrence Kagan, MD, Barbara Olinger, MSW
More Playlists >
Transcription: 
Choosing the right pet for your family will ensure a long and successful relationship between the animal and the human. It´s important rather than to decide what age is appropriate for a pet is to sit down as a family and determine what your lifestyle is like. If you have a busy schedule, are constantly traveling and have a tiny apartment, it´s probably wise to get a cat that is lower maintenance and not a dog that requires hiking every day and a lot of space. You should also look at your budget. If you don´t have the resources to care for your pet if they get sick, then you should probably get a pet that is less expensive and that requires very low veterinary care. By doing this, you will ensure a long lasting relationship with your pet.
ALL PARENTS, Family Life, Family Pets