Dog Owners Have Healthier Hearts
In the metro-Detroit area the temperature is supposed to be near 80F tomorrow. It's time to get those walking shoes dusted off and take your best friend with you! Just be sure it isn't too long of a walk. Short walks often to build up strength and endurance, otherwise you and your dog will be aching on Monday.
Bunnies? Make mine chocolate - Times-Standard Online
Those bunnies and chicks are cute, but each one requires care for the rest of their lives. If you would like to consider a rabbit as a family pet, there is a rabbit rescue in the Ann Arbor area. At our hospital, we have some lovely 'Easter cats ' that need homes.
Just say no to the rabbit, adopt an Easter Cat!
Last weekend, due to the effort of one of our friends, Debbie, Roscoe found his forever home. He now lives with two young girls and their parents. They visited him last Saturday and they were so enamored that they took him home for the weekend.
I spoke to Karen, on Monday, and she just kept saying how lucky they were to have such a great dog given to them. Her daughters changed his name to Luigi. I think Luigi also feels quite fortunate to have a new home, fenced yard, two girls to play with and some very kind adults to care for him.
Thank you to every one who helped to find him a home!
I think we all can agree, for anyone, dog, human, cat, or horse, it is healthiest to be thin, to eat well and exercise regularly. Unfortunately, regardless of this universal agreement, I and some of my pets, are not exercising regularly and are a ‘little’ over weight. In my case, I know this is because I have made certain choices. I have chosen to stay inside, not use my exercise equipment and I have not made the best diet choices .
The frustrating thing about pet obesity is that we have made choices for our pets. We must recognize that, under most circumstances, our pets weight issue is a problem of our making. Our pets depend on us for their food and the quality of that food. If they eat treats it is because they were given to them. If they remain sedentary and don’t go for a walk, it is because we did not take them.
We humans are responsible for the domestication of these animals. We wanted them in our houses, not free roaming and responsible for their own meals. Growing up, I was always told that we were responsible for the care for any pet we adopted, no matter what. I was always challenged with that responsibility each time I asked to adopt a new pet. Back then it meant cleaning cages and stalls and regular feeding. Playing with them and exercising them was part of the fun of living with them. Now, with a slightly different vantage point, I know the responsibility of ownership goes further. It includes regular activity, regular interaction, denying them foods that may make them fat or sick , and providing good quality foods and, of course, regular medical care. Remember, they are completely dependent on you.
Let’s consider the ramifications of a pet being overweight, they are really the same as an overweight person, but again the big difference is that the choice of being overweight or thin has been taken away. They have been ‘made’ fat by the very people that are supposed to care for them.
· 1. Being overweight shortens your pet’s life expectancy.
· 2. Overweight pets are more likely to develop orthopedic injuries – torn anterior cruciates , tendon injuries and soft tissue strains for few examples. It can also aide in creating back problems and slow recovery .
· 3. Over weight animals can develop sleep apnea and exercise intolerance.
· 4. Being overweight can make a recovery from a major illness more difficult or the overweight pet may be more likely to die.
· 5. Being overweight adds stresses to the heart, kidney and liver.
· 6. Eating a poor quality diet will directly affect the teeth, stomach, intestines, pancreas and liver.
· 7. As pets get older, being overweight will aide in accelerating their decline and worsen the course of typical geriatric conditions.
The recently published statistic, 50% of all U.S. dogs and cats are overweight, really illustrates how serious this problem has become. Compounding the issue is the increasing number of geriatric pets. 75% of all US households that have pets have at least one geriatric pet. We certainly cannot expect to be successful in managing the care of this increasingly large geriatric population if they are overweight.
There are some basic things that we can do for our charges. The first is to take ownership of your ultimate responsibility for the pets that our ancestors so effectively domesticated. Next, do things; just that, get up and get you and your pet moving. A dog needs a minimum of 30-40 minutes of aerobic exercise daily. That exercise does not just aide in making them physically healthy, but mentally healthy as well. Dogs and cats that just lay around the house can become depressed, develop compulsive behaviors and become destructive and generally no fun to be around. Cats can be exercised as well, for example, they can chase toys and laser lights. Again, it’s not just the exercise, it is the social interaction. Once you make this a habit, you will be able to more quickly recognize changes in your pet’s behavior that may be an early indication of illness. Addressing illnesses early will help keep your pet healthier longer and may avoid costly hospital stays.
The last thing you can do is to take responsibility for what goes into your pet. Try to feed a high quality diet, ask your veterinarian for guidance. Put your pet on a schedule of feedings. We do twice daily feedings at our house. Don’t free feed dogs and with cats it is best to give them access to a fixed amount of food daily, recognizing that a feeding schedule doesn’t always work with our mercurial feline friends. Having food constantly available, with no regulation, can lead to over eating and it makes it difficult for you to accurately monitor food intake. Whether or not your pet is eating and how much they are eating is one of the first techniques that I teach owners to use to assess their pets well being. Sick animals usually have a decreased appetite before they are overtly ill.
If you really, really, must give your pet the same food you are eating consider feeding treats with their meals and cutting down the amount of their regular food to balance out the caloric intake. Giving treats while you are eating creates a problem in controlling the amount that pet is eating daily and becomes more problematic than a controlled treat with each meal.
If you want to prepare your pet’s food from scratch talk to your veterinarian or consult with a veterinary nutritionist to be sure that you are preparing a balanced meal that does not exceed your pets caloric needs. In the words of my mother-in-law, ‘everything in moderation, including moderation’. Everyone enjoys a little extra treat once in a while, just not every day. One of my clients, who is training a young dog, uses Cherios as a treat. She uses the Cherios as a reward for good behavior. Since the dog is being trained he’s eating Cherios like a kid with a Pez dispenser! However, they are small, given one at a time and are less calories than the more conventional dog treats.
So what am I doing to make myself and our pet’s more svelte? Darwin and Zelda are going for more walks on the weekend and their dog food is being more carefully measured. And the cats? We are trying to increase the younger ones activity and we will be switching to a calorie restricted prescription diet. Baby steps……..
Read more...The passing of a pet is one of the most difficult things we can experience. Both as the medical professionals and as the owner and care giver. Coping with a terminally ill pet or a geriatric pet that is failing can also be a very stressful and sad time.
Recently, our hospital has been fortunate to be given the opportunity to add some extra-ordinary people to our already exceptional staff. One of these new comers is Lisabeth Adams, our new ER Administrator. Lisabeth is a veterinary technician as well as holding a masters degree in social work. She received her Master's degree in Social Work from Wayne State University and began working closely with families in their times of need. She later attended the National Institute for Trauma and Loss and became certified specialist in the field. After spending years in the counseling profession, Lisabeth turned her attention to working with Veterinary Hospitals and Animal Shelters. She now focuses on the relationships that exist between people and their pets. Her unique combination of backgrounds allows her to work closely with owners, families and children as they cope with the loss of a pet, are dealing with a terminally ill pet, coping with a geriatric animal, or are forced to consider euthanasia as a humane final decision. She is currently serving as the Administrator of Emergency Services for Veterinary Care Specialists and actively promotes animal related issues throughout the community.
Lisabeth is offering to provide support to area pet owners that are struggling with the loss or illness of their pet . She will be available for appointments on Tuesday's in the evening and she is starting off with a workshop next Saturday. These events and office hours are free to whom ever would like to attend. Please call to reserve a seat.
Saturday February 26, 2011 at 12 noon
205 Rowe Road Milford, MI
The loss of a pet is one of the most difficult experiences we and our families may face. We at VCS recognize the difficulty of this loss and are offering an introductory discussion on pet bereavement analysis and how to cope with the passing of your pet. Lisabeth Adams, MSW will be holding a workshop to discuss some of these topics as well as offer the most compassionate means of assisting you and your family through your grieving process.
Seating is limited, please call for reservations:
248.684.0468
Additional Date offered: 12 noon Saturday April 9th
Lisabeth will be available for group and individual consultations each Tuesday evening, please visit our web site or call for additional information : www.vcsmilford.com or call the hospital.
This is Roscoe. He is the most awesome of awesome dogs . He likes people, kids, cats and other dogs. He is just a year old and neutered, heartworm negative and vaccinated. He is strong and energetic and needs a busy home and people that will spend time with him. We will all miss him at VCS, but we need to find him a forever home. Call the clinic, 248.684.0468, for more information and to set up a time to visit him. Prospective owners will need to fill out an information sheet and answer a few questions before he can be adopted.
Our friend George Hayden of Snowbird Drivers visited the office this week for Pet CPR training. His company moves cars and pets across the country. I developed this list in response to an experience he had at the airport recently. TSA insisted that the cats that he was carrying on board had to be removed from their carriers to go through the metal detector. One of the cats had extremely long nails and freaked out, scratched George (severely) and ran away. Fortunately, the cat was rounded up and got to her destination safely. We started talking about how all the pets traveling should get nails trimmed for everyone's safety.
Traveling Pet Check List
Before your pet embarks on a trip, be sure that you both are prepared!
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