In Praise of Pet Owners
As I write this, it is still October and still National Adopt a Shelter Pet Month. I think that every month should be Adopt a Shelter Pet Month, but that’s not my focus today.
I wanted to praise and salute all the good things that owners do with and for their pets. As veterinarians, we tend to sometimes get caught up in all the things that are not being done for a pet patient. No one is perfect. But, on a daily basis, we get to work with owners who not just love their pets, but adore them, see them as family and strive to take the best care they can of each individual pet. It is a special relationship we hold with our pets – treasure it.
It’s a forward-thinking pet owner that lead to the development of many programs that now are mainstream – regular therapy visits to schools and nursing homes, reading programs with children and dogs and much, much more.
Did you know that there are special service dogs that can help alert when a child may be about to have a seizure? This has become an essential for children with severe seizure disorders where stopping a seizure can be life-saving.
I’m sure we’ll discover over the next decade alone many more amazing ways service dogs can support parents and other caretakers with alerts for more medical conditions.
And, as odd as it sounds, pet-loving owners help keep our economy bubbling – only in the US do we see more than $60 billion spent annually on pets, of which only $13.5 billion is on veterinary healthcare. I hope that we’ll see that portion of the pie creep up for veterinarians because it means that we’re doing good things for our patients – particularly in preventive care to add years of good health.
So keep buying special food and bowls as well as that cute leash, bed and sweater, but remember that your pet needs their veterinary preventive care exams once yearly under age 7 and twice yearly after age 7 as they become senior pets.
And, lastly, I’ll salute the many small steps that many of my patient’s owners are doing to help with their pet’s health both physically and mentally:
• Taking to heart that calories can be controlled and that a pet will be healthier with a little weight loss … and seeing positive results.
• Brushing teeth or starting any home dental care to keep the teeth and mouth healthier … smelling fresher breath and being able to have longer time between professional veterinary dental cleanings.
• Training and behavior modification … obedience training and good socialization keep our pups in homes and out of shelters. It’s even led to a few of our owners discovering that their pet has amazing skills at nose work, agility or fly ball.
• Building the most amazing protected access to the outdoors for their kitties … enriching their cat’s life with increased activity and bird watching without bird catching.
Dr. Margot can be reached at parkhillvet.com