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What Does it Mean to be a ‘Senior’ Pet?

In Veterinary medicine a “senior” is commonly used to describe an older pet. Cats and dogs are considered to be senior when they are in the last 25 percent of their life span; depending on species and breed. Most pets at 7 years of age are considered to be senior, where as larger breeds have a shorter life and usually are geriatric by 6 years. If you think of it this way, a 7 year old cat would be 45 in human years. However, a 7 year old dog can range from 44 – 56 in human years, depending on breed and size.

How to Care for Senior Pets.

Generally our aging pets do need to have more frequent vet visits. This is due to older pets changing quickly and developing healthcare problems faster. Ideally an older pet should see the veterinarian every 6 months. Frequently older pets will have changes in appetite, drinking, and urination; all of which a vet examination can be helpful. A lot of owners just accept the fact that they have a senior pet and that its quality of life will decrease; this is not the case for the Mitchell Veterinary team. We want your pet to feel comfortable for as long as possible. For example, if a senior pet has arthritis, it doesn’t mean that he should stop playing and running. It just means that he may need pain meds, needs to lose weight, or to modify exercise to help them return to their playful “puppy” state.

Talk to one of our team members at Coventry Animal Hospital if you have questions about your senior pet.

Halloween is fun for everyone, but did you know that you could be risking your pet’s health in the process? Listed below are a few things to avoid this Halloween.

• Watch out for those curious noses and paws.
  • Dogs and Cats are very curious by nature. Keep them away from lit Jack – O-lanterns (especially if they are lit by candles), candy wrappers, and any party favors that could be a choking hazard (balloons and streamers, etc).
• Keep candy away from pets
  • Candy, especially chocolate, can make your furry friends very sick. It’s best to keep this toxic food away from your pet, remind your children to not give any candy to your pets, even if they beg for a treat.
• Keep pets away from the Trick –or- Treaters
  • Throughout the night your door will be constantly opening and closing. There will also be strangers dressed in unusual costumes. This can be very scary for our four-legged friends. Some dogs can get territorial and may get anxious or even start to growl. If your furry friends are allowed to stay in a secure room away from the door, this will prevent them from bolting out the door and keep them stress free!
• Costumes
  • Only dress your pets in a costume if you know they are okay with it. Check that the costume isn’t too tight in any areas, it doesn’t restrict movement, hearing, or the ability to breathe or bark and meow. Watch out for costumes with rubber bands, these can cut off circulation and/or burrow into your pets skin.
• Don’t leave pets outside
  • Some pranksters have been known to tease, steal, and even harm pets on Halloween. This is a horrible thing that can happen, but it is preventable.
• Taking your dog trick or treating
  • It is not always a good idea to take your dog with you when you go out to collect your candy. They can be easily scared by children passing by in costumes, and even frightened by loud noises. If you do take your pet with you, walk them on a short leash and have them wear a reflective collar or flashing light to make them more visible.

Happy Halloween from all the staff at Coventry Animal Hospital.

Here are some suggestions that Dr. Justine has explored with her own pets:

Play a game of “find it” – hide a favourite toy or treat somewhere in the house and ask your pet to find it

– If this sounds too hard, let you pet watch you hide a large toy somewhere very easy, like under a blanket or in a low cardboard box.

– If this sounds too easy, you can start hiding it on vertical surfaces (like scratching posts or book shelves) for cats or on different floors in the home or the yard.

– Make sure to lavish your pet with praise when he is successful; if you’re using a toy, play with your pet once he find it, or reward him with something delicious.

Play a foraging game – this allows your pet to fulfill its instinct to find its own food by using its nose.  This game can be very satisfying for your pet mentally and helps to tire her out.

a) Use a “snuffle mat”, which is basically a rug with lots of hiding spots to place kibble or treats

– You can buy one or make one using DIY videos on YouTube.

b) Throw kibble (or place pieces strategically) on the floor or on the lawn.

c) There are also commercial puzzle games on the market, with compartments to hide food.

– Kong brand offers lots of food toy options, as does Nina Ottosson  .

Clicker Training

This is an animal training method that involves marking desirable behaviours and rewarding them (with a click sound, followed by a treat).
Over time, you can use this technique to teach your pet to do a variety of tricks, from asking your cat to sit to asking your dog to dance. It seems that the sky’s the limit!

Canine Conditioning

– Stretching and improving flexibility is important for all ages of dogs to limit risk of injury.

– Check out these 5 basic exercises essential to building core strength

– If you are going to explore using fitness equipment, such as FitPaws, please seek the guidance of a Canine Rehab professional.

Online Courses and Videos

In this age of the internet, courses that teach pet owners are available online, whether you are looking for obedience or dog sports: https://fenzidogsportsacademy.com/
Here are some tricks that you can teach your dog:
https://mccanndogs.com/videos
https://dogmantics.com/dog-tricks/
If all else fails and it’s a really hot day, maybe just consider freezing a large ice cube for your pet to lick and play with.

So, from Coventry Animal Hospital, have fun staying cool with your furry pals!

Cats in the wild are both predator and prey species. They rest a lot in hiding spots or elevated places between hunting for multiple mouse-sized meals throughout the day and night.  Domestic cats still have these traits; indoor cats need to hunt and have an enriched environment.  The good news is you don’t have to let your cat outside to meet these needs.

• Cats like new toys – they are attracted to novelty

• Plan on rotating your kitty’s toys

• 3 toys per cat per day
• They normally play for 1-5 minutes at a time (they are sprinters, not endurance athletes)
• Hide kibble around the house or in containers for the cat to work out like a puzzle
  • Egg carton containers and food-dispensing balls are great for this purpose
• Put a string under a piece of tissue paper or towel and pull string out or cut holes in a box and put a ball inside
• Clicker training
  • This is a training tool that involves pairing an action that you teach your pet to do (like sitting on command) with the sound of a click, which is followed by a treat
  • Your pet learns that the click means that a reward is coming J
  • YouTube has lots of excellent examples of clicker training for cats
• Most cats really like elevated heights
  • This allows them to feel safe when there is commotion in their home
  • You can have options that are as simple as a ledge with window access or a DYI “catio” (outdoor cat enclosure)
• It is also really important for your cats to have a room or area that they can retreat to if they are overwhelmed or need some undisturbed alone time

We all have busy schedules, but just a few minutes of daily play routine can mean a world of difference to have a well-adjusted cat that tolerates change in the home (such as a new pet or newborn). Behavioural problems can sometimes be avoided or managed by providing your cat with outlets to act on its instincts.

Here is a website with a checklist of tools that you can easily incorporate into your cat’s home: https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats.

Happy (toy) hunting!

Here is a recent heart-warming story of a cat being reunited with its owner 4 years after they became separated. The unlikely reunion was possible thanks to the microchip implant that the cat had: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/california-family-s-missing-cat-booboo-found-in-guelph-ont-1.3346157

Microchip implants are a safe, permanent way to identify your pet in case he or she becomes lost. A microchip is a tiny device about the size of a grain of rice that is placed just under the loose skin at the back of the pet’s neck.  The placement of the microchip can be done without anesthesia.  When a lost dog or cat without an ID tag is found, a handheld microchip scanner can be used to check for a chip.  If the pet has one, it will transmit its ID number to the scanner via a low-frequency radio wave.  The veterinary hospital or shelter then calls the microchip company that has a registry, retrieves the pet owner’s contact information and calls the owner.

Here is some additional information on how microchipping works: http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/pet-microchip1.htm

We recommend that you use a microchip, along with a collar and ID tag, to identify your pet. However, collars and ID tags are not permanent and can be removed (overnight or for grooming); pets can also lose them.  Even the most responsible pet owners can’t always guarantee their pet won’t get lost.  A leash could break or slip out of your hand, a pet could push through a screen door or window, or a neighbour might accidentally leave a gate open.  With a microchip, your pet will have a much better chance of being identified and returned to you.  Pets without microchips are more likely to end up in shelters and then adopted by another family or even euthanized.

Important tip: if you move to a new address, make sure to contact your microchip company provider to update your phone number on file. This will decrease confusion when trying to reunite the pet with its owner quickly.

Please contact Coventry Animal Hospital to schedule an appointment to microchip your pet.  Although we hope your pet never becomes lost, we want you to be prepared.

Heartworm prevention is far safer and cost-effective than treating a dog that is ill from a high burden of heartworm. Treatment of heartworm is potentially dangerous and painful for a dog.

Heartworm disease can be prevented by giving your dog a monthly heartworm preventive medication. When used as directed, these medications kill the heartworm larvae and clear infections from the dog’s bloodstream.  Heartworm medications can have other benefits, such as deworming, and preventing or treating fleas.

Monthly heartworm products are available in both topical and oral form. The product that would best suit your individual dog is based on their lifestyle, as well as other factors can be discussed with your veterinarian. If you have any questions or concerns about your pets heartworm medication talk to one of our team members at Coventry Animal Hospital.

If you missed Part 1 of this blog here is the link:

Coventry Animal Hospital Discusses Heartworm – Part 1

Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in dogs according to surveillance in Ontario.

Deer ticks may be carriers of Lyme bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi in our geographic area.  A carrier tick bites a human or dog and transmits Lyme bacteria through its saliva.  Symptoms of Lyme disease in a person are different from those in dogs.  Dogs do not get a bull’s eye rash the way that people do.

A dog’s exposure to Lyme can be tested with a blood test. A cat’s exposure for Lyme is not screened, since cats do not get a clinical form of the disease.

The majority of dogs that are exposed to Lyme bacteria do not develop symptoms, but a small number of dogs become ill and require treatment. In early stages (4-6 weeks after a bite) symptoms can include fever, decreased energy, swollen lymph nodes, decrease of appetite and limping.  Dogs that get sick generally respond to a course of antibiotics – after treatment, they continue to harbor the infection without feeling ill.  One possible long-term consequence of being infected with Lyme is glomerular kidney disease.  In certain dogs, the production of antibodies to Lyme infection causes immune complexes to be deposited in the kidneys, leading to kidney damage over time.  It has been recommended that Lyme positive dogs be regularly screened for significant protein loss in their urine.

For dogs traveling to a high risk region for Lyme disease, there is a Lyme vaccine available. The purpose of the vaccine is to prevent infection in dogs vaccinated before any exposure to Lyme bacteria.  At Coventry Animal Hospital, we strongly recommend using tick prevention, even for dogs that are vaccinated.

Human Over the Counter Medications

Over the counter medications consistently rank at the top of the ASPCA’s list of most commonly ingested toxins by pets. While these medications may be safe for humans to take without a prescription, they can be deadly in animals. For example, cats cannot tolerate any amount of acetaminophen (Tylenol), as it is highly toxic for them because their liver is not able to process it. Other medications, like ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve) have very narrow safety margins and cause stomach ulcers or kidney damage.

Make sure to keep these medications in an area that your pet cannot access. Always contact your veterinarian before giving any over the counter medication to your pet to make sure it is safe. If you pet ingests any medication, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Food

Food is also a very common toxin ingestion, and depending on the breed you have, may be a constant battle! The foods of most concern include chocolate, onions, garlic, grapes, dough and bones. More recently, xylitol has also become a concern. Xylitol is found in many products including gum, toothpaste and some nut butters. Xylitol can cause life threatening low blood sugar values.

Keep food off counters and out of reach for your pet. Make sure to never offer them any xylitol or chocolate containing products. If your pet ingests anything that you aren’t sure about, contact your veterinarian immediately to discuss whether the food is toxic and what the next steps should be.

Plants

There are many plants that are toxic and can even be lethal to your pets. For example, lilies are extremely deadly for cats. Even ingesting just small amounts of it, or just drinking the water from where the lily is placed, can cause acute kidney disease and death. Lilies should not be kept in a house with a cat. Other plants that are toxic for pets include azalea, daffodils, and tulip bulbs.
Before bringing any plant home, it would be best to make sure it is safe to have around your pet by contacting your veterinarian.

Human Prescription Medications

Human prescription medications have now made it on the list of common pet toxins. The common medications ingested by pets are the common medications taken by owners. These include heart medications and anti-depressants. Because all of these medications are very different, they have many different ways in which they are dangerous if ingested by your dog or cat.

All medications should be kept in areas that are not accessible by your pet. If your pet ingests a medication, contact your veterinarian immediately and have the medication with you so that your veterinarian can know exactly what your pet has swallowed.

If you ever have any questions about anything your pet has eaten or come into contact with, always contact your veterinarian. They are happy to answer any questions to help keep your pet safe and healthy!

Related articles:

Pets and Houseplants

Xylitol Toxicity in Dogs

It is best to prevent tick bites through avoidance or removing ticks right away before they have time to transmit disease. The process of disease transmission requires a minimum length of time for the tick to feed, which means that if the tick is removed promptly, then the host will not get the disease.

You can keep your pet on a trimmed lawn and on-leash when in the woods. It is recommended to look for ticks by combing through your pet’s fur when he/she comes back from playing in wooded areas or areas with long grass.  A tick can be removed at home with tweezers or by a technician at our clinic.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has some strategies to reduce risk for pets and humans alike. {Link https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/lyme-disease/prevention-lyme-disease.html

There are several veterinary products that kill and repel ticks:

• There are spot-on and oral products available for dogs and spot-on products for cats that are available by veterinary prescription.
• All tick products should still be combined with tick avoidance strategies.

Coventry Animal Hospital tests for tick-borne diseases at the time we perform a yearly blood test to screen for exposure to heartworm. Tick prevention is safe to use even in the event that a dog’s blood sample shows that it has been exposed to a tick-borne disease.