Last week, during a moment of distress, a young client made a heartfelt plea. I could tell she was really worried about Kitty that was in a very bad way.
A beneficial thing to learn early on is how to recognise the body condition of your pet
Between one explanation and another about what had happened to her cat, she said: “Please save her! I really love her and I’m not used to having a cat that lived for so long.”
This time round, I can lay no claim to Kitty’s longevity, as it was the first time that I was seeing this patient. Kitty is a 14-year-old white and ginger, female cat that was brought to the clinic extremely thin and dehydrated.
The case proved to be complicated, with kidney failure playing a strong role in the situation. Though each recovery stage was not certain, she’s slowly improving. They don’t all come easy.
It’s very touching when you see 18-year-olds come in with their sick pet of about the same ageand you realise that they literally grew up together and that your client does not know life without their pet.
Possibly due to better awareness, preventative medicine, improved veterinary treatment and standard of living, the life expectancy of our pets has become longer.
It is always satisfying to see cats that are approaching 20 years, and just as satisfying to see dogs of 16 years or older; such as one of my old patients Bully, a Doberman that lived to the ripe old age of 17, when the average age for this breed is 12.
I’m sure that every owner wishes that their pet lives the longest possible good-quality life. Loving your pet plays a big role in extending their life, but it is not enough.
The preventative care and medicine you can and should provide favours this happening.
From feeding pets the best-quality food, to ensuring the best possible veterinary treatment when problems arise, as well as following your veterinarian’s advice with regard to preventative medicine, the important thing is to adhere to best practices from a pet’s young age. This gives them the best possible start in life.
It’s particularly important that any medication you administer to your pet is prescribed preferably by the veterinary surgeon you trust and who is familiar with the history of your dog or cat.
Any routine advice given to you by your vet with regard to feeding regimes, vaccinations, internal or external parasite treatment, skin, ear or teeth care will always be intended to give your pet a good and healthy long life.
We are what we eat, and the same applies to our pets. Irrespective of whether we feed our pet home-made or commercial food, we should make sure this is of good quality and well-adapted to the type and age of our pet.
Much of the feeding habits our pets develop depend on how we bring them up as puppies or kittens. Quantity, quality and feeding times are important factors inthis respect.
A beneficial thing to learn early on is how to recognise the body condition of your pet. This would make it easier for you to know whether you should increase or decrease the quantity of food you are feeding.
One important thing is to get kittens used to wet food from an early age so that they are not dry-food dependent, which is such a common cause of urinary problems in tomcats. Older pets need a different diet, which is based on a lower protein level to safeguard against kidney disease, our pets’ greatest enemy during old age.
Having learnt how to look at your pet to be able to keep their weight in check, it is also important to note unexplained changes. Apart from the obvious symptoms of vomiting or changes to feeding or pooing habits, you should also take note of water intake and any unexplained weight gain or loss, as these may be an early symptom of some underlying medical condition. Any changes should be reported to your vet without delay.
Your vet will also advise you on the number of medical check-ups your pet should get; normally a minimum of once every six months, or more often, depending on age and current medical condition.
During these visits, you may be given advice based on urine analyses or blood tests, again depending on the age and condition of your pet. You will be advisedas to which vaccinations are necessary for your dog according to its lifestyle and environment;similarly for your cat, depending on whether it is house-boundor comes in direct contactwith strays.
Make sure you get advice on worming treatment and tick, flea and sandfly prevention during these visits – it’s all too easyto underestimate the serious consequences of these parasitesand insects.
Spaying is the single most effective way you can prevent a whole range of problems in both dogs and cats, so it deserves special mention. In females, this operation often prevents mammary tumours and pyometra (infection of the uterus) occurring later in life, while in males, it prevents prostate and testicular problems as well as reducing aggression.
Again, the decision whether and when to perform this operation should be discussed in detail with your vet to make sure you areneutering your pet at the right time and for the right reasons, as well as to make sure your pet is in good health to undertake suchan operation.
If finances are a problem because you are living on a pension or receiving some form of social benefit, or perhaps you own a large number of dogs, asis usually the case in the farming community, you can obtainhelp directly from your veterinary surgeon in collaboration with the Dogs Trust Foundation. Together, they subsidise theneutering of dogs and cats for people who qualify, according to financial criteria.
I’m looking forward to examining Kitty during her next visit. I hope she will overcome her present crisis and live on for another good number of years.
thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com
Dr Martin Debattista is aveterinary surgeon.