1. You should let a dog have a season before you have it spayed/neutered.
You used to hear people recommending letting every dog have a litter before you contemplated neutering but, thankfully, that advice has largely disappeared. However, I still regularly hear people telling me they have been told to let their dog have its first season. The theory goes that it allows some sort of better physical development of the dog, yet studies have failed to show any such benefit.

There are, however, two significant advantages to spaying at or around six months. Firstly, the operation is generally much more straight forward for the pet who is normally smaller and has less abdominal fat to negotiate. Secondly, and most importantly, we know statistically that neutering before the first season almost entirely eliminates any risk of breast cancer later in life. The more seasons a dog has, the greater the risk. Add in the benefits of also eliminating ovarian and uterine cancer, lower reproductive tract cancer, uterine infections and unwanted pregnancies and puppies – it’s a no-brainer to get your dog spayed.

2. Cats should enjoy a saucer of milk.
Most cats and dogs are actually lactose intolerant and a saucer of milk is a good way to give many of them diarrhoea! Commercially available cat milk is lactose free, although if you are feeding them a good quality diet they don’t really need the extra milk.

3. A wet nose is a sign of good health.
The nose and paws are the only areas on a dog or cat’s body that have sweat glands, which is the main reason they pant to lose heat. However, plenty of unwell dogs have wet noses and plenty of very healthy dogs can have a very dry nose. It has a poor correlation to general health despite the theory.

4. A pet licking its wound is cleaning it and doing it some good.
A small amount of licking might superficially clean a minor wound but dogs’ and cats’ mouths are full of bacteria and cats’ tongues are incredibly rough (almost like sandpaper). If they excessively lick a wound or surgical site they will do it a lot more harm than good. They will chew out stitches quickly and spread bacteria to deeper layers of a wound. It is much better to clean a wound with disinfectant or saline than let a pet lick at an open wound. It’s also not true that a dog’s mouth is ‘cleaner’ than a human’s mouth, so don’t let them lick you! I’ve seen what my dog eats and licks – I wouldn’t want that smeared over my face!

5. It takes longer to train to be a vet than a doctor.
I always like hearing this one! Actually, most vet courses are five years compared to medicine, which is six. There are a few exceptions – Cambridge has a six-year vet degree and London now offers a post-graduate course, which is seven years – but for the most part it is quicker to train to be a vet. You also hear people saying how hard it must be to diagnose a pet illness, as they can’t tell you what is wrong with them – true, but they can‘t lie either!