Does chemicals help the dog?

Because of our work, we deal with so many dog owners, so we naturally experience all sorts of things and situations involving dogs and their owners. I'm convinced that every dog owner wants the best for their dog in their own way. Unfortunately, as everywhere, there's a lot of ignorance or simply incorrect information. The range of options is enormous; how can anyone possibly keep track? Ultimately, though, it's always the dog owner who decides what happens with their dog.

Many people want an unneutered dog, and I'm no exception. Because an unneutered dog is undoubtedly the most natural dog! But then he reaches sexual maturity and exhibits natural behaviors, which I could certainly control with proper training. Unfortunately, that involves work, and since I'd rather get annoyed with the dog, I quickly search the internet or the vet for other options. Of course, there's no shortage of advice; we could try chemical castration to see if it makes a difference. Logically, the dog's natural hormone balance changes, that's obvious. Now he doesn't react to all the smells as much anymore, which is great! Because it works, I repeat the procedure as soon as the effect wears off. Perhaps the dose can be increased to make it last longer, surely no problem. With so many benefits, I don't really think twice about what happens to all the chemicals I keep subjecting my dog to. Why should I? It's all harmless, otherwise they wouldn't sell it. For years, they told us unneutered dogs get cancer; that can be true, too. But today we know that neutered dogs are at a much higher risk of cancer. For example, cruciate ligament ruptures occur mainly in neutered dogs. Of course, there can still be good reasons to neuter a dog.

I'm also in favor of deworming, but only if the dog actually has worms. I don't believe in preventative deworming every three months. Worming medications are neurotoxins; they weaken the dog's organism and immune system. This makes him more susceptible to illness, not healthier. Instead of training my dog not to eat everything in sight, I just give him these tablets. Why not? The vet sells them, after all, so I'm off the hook.

Then there are those annoying little creatures, called ticks, fleas, or lice. Just thinking about them makes me feel quite uneasy, but no problem, there are readily available chemical treatments I can use immediately. Why should I hesitate? They're advertised, so they must be safe. What does it matter to me that they contain highly concentrated, long-acting neurotoxins that the dog can barely eliminate from its body? Of course, I could be careful where I walk him and make sure he doesn't run around in every patch of grass or undergrowth. But it's exhausting to train a dog to stay on the path. So, during tick season (March-June), I'd rather give him the safe chemical treatment that keeps these creatures away. I don't even bother checking if it works, but I'm sure it does. Since I give him these treatments every three months, I'm just doing it preventively all year round. If my dog suddenly develops a bad coat or even skin problems, I naturally blame the food immediately and switch to a different product as a precaution – it's impossible that anything else could be the cause. If that doesn't help either, the vet diagnoses an allergy, but of course, to everything but those specific products – naturally, since the dog isn't tested for that. Your wallet will thank you, because it will get lighter and lighter.

Do you also believe that no one can really blame you for not using every preventative chemical treatment available for your dog? If the dog then develops cancer or organ damage at a young age, I can always ask the breeder if anything like that has ever happened in their breeding program. It's possible they don't breed healthy dogs. There's always someone to blame; the only question is where to look.