Vet reveals 5 things he would never do with his dog: 'Won't take him to any dog parks'

An emergency veterinarian, Dr. Marcus, has some advice for dog owners. He goes by @thefriendlyvet on TikTok and has made a lot of videos on how to take the best care of our furry friends. From cleaning dogs' ears to safety precautions to keep in mind for a medical emergency, he has discussed it all. However, in his latest video, he discussed the five things he avoids with his own dog, Charlie. And some of these are quite surprising.

The veterinarian starts by talking about taking his dog Charlie to a dog park. He reveals that although it is popular to bring one's dog to the dog park, there are disadvantages to it as well. “Can he catch a ball? Maybe,” he says. “But you know what he can catch? Parvovirus, Giardia, these hands from another dog.” Other than viruses and colds, Dr. Marcus explained that he avoids the dog park because he treats people with “way too many bite wounds” from dogs who fight at social gatherings.

Then, he came to point number 2, which is, a "no-no" to letting Charlie have bones or bully sticks to chew on. In his emergency surgeries on dogs, he found that many dogs had swallowed treats and toys. These dogs also ended up having fractured teeth sometimes. In number 3, he said he would never walk Charlie without a leash. “All it takes is one squirrel, one tennis ball,” says Dr. Marcus in his video. “Now he’s in the middle of the streets of Oakland and he got hit by a car — or, as we call it in the hospital, an HBC.”

Dr. Marcus swears by number 4 and will never stop doing it: ensuring his dog gets all long-term medications, vaccines and other preventative medicines to make him stay in his best health. He also gave a reason for this. “It’s way easier to prevent disease than it is to treat it,” he said. As for point number 5, although he loves Charlie with all his heart, he said, he does not spoil him by over-feeding him. “As much as he would like to eat everything, all day, every day, I like to control how much he eats and keep him on a consistent schedule,” the vet elaborated.

This video quickly went viral on TikTok. It has amassed 2.3 million views, almost 199K likes and several thousand comments. Many TikTok users shared interesting comments on the video. @Violetta Gutierezz wrote, “Thank god am not the only one not taking my dog to the dog park. I always feel guilty, but I know is for his own protection."

“We never go to dog parks!” added @Ckimsch. “Our dog trainer always calls them ‘disease-infested fight clubs.'”

Meanwhile, some others shared their disagreements. “Free-feeding works for us cause our dogs are the biggest grazers and sometimes won’t touch food for a full day,” commented @EmmaCoreyBlue+Titan. “Depends on the dog!”

Some also added to the vet's list, “Another important thing, please get dog insurance. It’s sooo worth it," wrote @Samnicolle. These are some great pieces of advice for those who love their furry pals!