The following article focusing on the emotions of losing a family pet was written by Diana Arnold, who kindly offered to share this piece with our clients. The article was published in Feline Focus, the newsletter of the Feline Control Council of Victoria Inc, of which Diana has been a member since 1962 and a judge since 1964.

Companion animals have assumed an elevated status in the lives of so many people. There is an intrinsic bond between animal owners and their pets which can often be stronger and more enduring than many human relationships. Our pets are a part of our family, and often become our surrogate children. Thus the subject of a pet’s impending death is something none of us wants to think about, and it doesn’t get any easier as the time inevitably approaches.

For children, a beloved pet’s passing is often their first experience with significant loss. The powerful feelings of sadness and aloneness that frequently occur after the death of a pet can be difficult for a young person to process. For adults, the grief can seem almost unbearable. Many of us don’t anticipate how devastating it can be to lose a non-human family member. Pet owners are often embarrassed by how overwhelmed they feel at their loss – especially in the presence of people who’ve never shared a special connection with an animal. If you or someone you know is mourning the death of a pet, understand that whatever you are feeling, to whatever degree, is normal and expected. These painful feelings are not meant to be avoided – acknowledging and allowing them is the only healthy way to progress through your grief. Ultimately you will come to accept your loss and find the strength to move on from it.

Denial is a stage many owners travel through after their pet has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Denial is your mind’s way of temporarily protecting you from information that is simply too painful to accept at the moment you hear it. In the short term, denial can help you steel yourself to gradually acknowledge the fact your beloved animal is reaching the end of his life. However, if denial persists, it can rob you of the ability to prepare emotionally for the inevitable. Taken to extremes, denial can prevent you from seeking medical help for your sick pet. It can also prompt you to prolong the suffering of a dying animal, which is not something you want to look back on with regret for the rest of your own life.

Since animals can’t tell us when they hurt, it’s up to each of us as guardians of our pets to be observant and proactive in ensuring their quality of life is as comfortable as possible as they near the end. You also need to be informed about the options of surgery, extended treatment, no treatment, end of life palliative care, or euthanasia for aged pets or those with cancer and other terminal diseases. The final chapter in a beloved pet’s life is just as meaningful as the rest of its life, and the dying process can be experienced with dignity and acceptance. The most important thing you can give your aged pet is security, loving care and understanding.

A crisis is not a good time to meet a new vet. Hopefully you and your vet already have established a good professional relationship and he/she has already built up a history on your cat/dog while it is still healthy. If visiting a vet for the first time, he/she will conduct a physical exam and certain tests. He will talk to family members about the prognosis, then put together a care plan that might include prescriptions, physical therapy or other treatments. The goal is to make the pet patient physically comfortable and pain-free to ensure the best quality of life during its remaining days.

For some pets, pain management may only last for a few days prior to death or euthanasia; others may enjoy several more months of good quality life. Serious illness impacts profoundly not only on the patient, but on the owner and family as well. Vets take a compassionate and positive approach to terminal illness and work with owners to support the emotions of family members while providing treatment for their animal friends.

Naturally you want to keep your companion with you for as long as possible. As difficult as it is to think about losing your furry family friend, you would not want to subject it to prolonged pain or discomfort, so it is important to be realistic and compassionate when facing end of life issues.

When life becomes a burden, the greatest thing you can do for the one who has given you so much pleasure and companionship during its lifetime is to fulfil your last obligation to end its suffering. A lethal injection is quick, painless and stress free. To help an animal end its life in comfort and with dignity, veterinarians can provide euthanasia services in your home.

Do not leave your old friend to die with strangers because you ‘can’t bear to watch’. Hold him in your arms, talk to him, comfort and reassure him while the merciful needle is given and he peacefully goes to sleep forever. This has the advantage of upsetting both of you far less than a trip to the surgery, and can save you the embarrassment of crying your eyes out in front of a waiting room full of strangers. Your vet can arrange for disposal of the body. You may prefer cremation, or burial in the home garden marked by a special plant or plaque; but the best place to preserve your best friend is always in your heart.

Our beloved pets are only lent to us for a relatively short time, and hopefully they will enjoy a long and happy life, but we must face the fact that death is a normal part of life, and eventually the time will come when accident, old age, or terminal illness will oblige us to make the difficult and heartbreaking decision to end their suffering. Certain very special animals enrich our lives, and while we will never forget them, often the acquisition of a new furperson can help to ease the pain of separation and grief.

- © Diana F Arnold 2012

International All Breeds Judge with the Feline Control Council of Victoria Inc

Adapted with permission from an article by Dr Karen Becker DVM online at http//healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/default.aspx

To read more about dental care for your pets click here.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Dental Anatomy

Dogs and cats develop deciduous or “baby” teeth at 2-3 weeks of age and permanent teeth which start to appear at 3 months of age. Adult cats will end up with a set of 30 permanent teeth, and dogs up to 42 teeth. Lost deciduous teeth are not usually seen as they are often lost or swallowed. Dog and cats teeth are made up of a set of incisors, canine teeth, pre-molars and molars.

Identifying Dental Disease

Halitosis or bad breath is a common finding with many forms of dental disease in our pets. Tooth pain is another symptom, but is not as easily recognisable. Some pets will have trouble eating or be completely off their food if they are in pain, others will just appear “off colour” or even become “grumpy”. Some of the visual signs to look out for are:

Tartar and gingivitis

Fractured teeth

Discoloured teeth

Caries or tooth decay

Furcations (exposed gap between the tooth roots)

Appearance of gum growing into a cat’s tooth is suggestive of feline odontoclastic resporptive lesions (FORL).

If you notice any of the above signs or symptoms, it is recommended that you have your pet check by your Veterinarian as soon as possible.

Caring For Your Pet’s Teeth

There are multiple things you can do at home to help prevent dental diseases. One of the most effective methods of keeping your pets teeth clean is by brushing. Brushing should begin early, between six and eight weeks of age, to get your pet used to it. Try starting with your bare finger, then upgrading to a finger brush and finally a proper tooth brush. You can then introduce pet toothpaste, which is designed to be swallowed, so never use human toothpaste. Try brushing your pets teeth as frequently as possible, but is most effective if done daily. You only need to brush the outside of the teeth as the tongue usually keeps the inside surfaces very clean. A Veterinarian may also recommend an antiseptic dental gel to apply to the gums after brushing.

There are also a number of chewable toys and treats which can not only help keep your pet’s teeth clean, but also keep them occupied for hours. Bones also work very well in removing plaque, but they should always be fed raw and in rare occasions they can result in a fractured tooth. Dry foods are a lot less likely to cause tartar build up compared to wet food. There are also a number of specially designed dry food available which work extremely well in preventing plaque and tartar build-up, and are very useful for those pets that are prone to dental disease. If you feed your pet fresh meat, it may help to feed it diced or in strips, rather than minced to promote chewing.

Watch the following videos by Dr Mike Ontiveros for a demonstration on how to brush dog’s and cat’s teeth.

Veterinary Dental Care

An important part of your pet’s annual health check is a dental exam. This should be performed at least yearly and will allow the early detection and prevention of dental disease or more serious painful conditions which may not be immediately obvious. If early plaque or gingivitis is discovered, your Veterinarian may reassess your pet’s diet or discuss other oral hygiene measures. For more serious tartar, a dental clean under general anaesthetic may be necessary. Fractured teeth, periodontal disease and FORLs may lead to extractions of the effected teeth to prevent pain and other consequent conditions. Root canal and filling treatments can also be performed on certain damaged teeth to avoid extraction. This can be discussed further with your Veterinarian.

Dominant and aggressive dogs will approach a potential conflict situation with an upright tail that may be wagged slowly. This is a totally different wag to the exuberant wag of a happy dog. Unfortunately some dogs’ relentless happiness can lead to a medical condition commonly known as “happy tail”. This occurs when repetitive smashing against hard surfaces chronically damages the wagging tail tip. Some of these animals end up requiring amputation of the damaged tail tip.

Shy and submissive dogs use a low quick wag as they crawl along whilst really frightened dogs stop wagging all together and tuck their tail firmly between their legs.

Who needs language when you have a tail!

Just a reminder that Rescue a Cat Inc. still have three lovely kittens, Blossum, Bailey and Minnie and their mother Gemma who are looking for a caring home.

If you are interested or know someone who is, please call us at the clinic or contact Rescue a Cat directly. Their website is: http://www.rescueacat.org.au

Encouraging foraging behaviour helps prevent obesity and boredom. In the wild, birds must constantly forage for food. This natural behaviour provides a varied diet and exercise. In captivity, a food bowl is hardly a workout and the bird can quickly gorge until full and then has nothing to do to fill the day.

Provide a stimulating and varied diet with lots of fresh vegetables, some fruit and complete pelleted ration. Try things such as corncobs, capsicum strips, carrot tops and wheat grass that can be hidden inside things or strung on a leather strip. Place a vase in or next to the cage and fill it with small branches and natural vegetation. Keep in mind however that the dietary requirements vary between different species and make sure you know what your bird requires, otherwise ask your veterinarian or local bird professional for advise.

Toys can also help to create a stimulating environment for your pet bird. Provide a variety of toys and rotate them. Include ‘destructible’ toys, such as wooden cloths pegs and leather strips that can be chewed. You can also hide food inside toys to encourage play.

Interaction with toys can provide hours of fun, and activity provided by toys is essential for good physical and emotional well-being in a captive environment. However, care should be taken to ensure that your pet bird is not swallowing pieces of indigestible toys.

Hyperthyroid cats usually have an increased appetite and thirst. However, despite eating more, they lose weight and condition. They often exhibit changes in behaviour and may become more cranky and agitated. Owners can be woken up at night to a loudly vocalising feline demanding a snack RIGHT NOW! Many hyperthyroid cats have intermittent vomiting and diarrhoea. As thyroid hormone also affects the heart, an increase in thyroid hormone levels will increase the heart rate and blood pressure. Left unchecked, hyperthyroidism can eventually result in heart and/or kidney failure.

Hyperthyroidism is diagnosed by blood tests. There are several treatment options that your vet will discuss with you. Affected animals may be managed on oral or topical medication. Affected cats may also undergo treatment with radioiodine. This involves the injection of a radioisotope of iodine that concentrates in and destroys abnormal thyroid tissue, while leaving normal thyroid tissue unharmed.

Treatment of hyperthyroidism may make underlying kidney problems worse. Therefore, your vet will need to monitor your cat’s progress and occasionally may even elect not to treat the condition.

It is possible for any bitch that has not been spayed to exhibit symptoms of pregnancy without actually being pregnant. Some bitches can completely fool their owners with convincing displays of maternal behaviour. Just like a real pregnancy, false-pregnant bitches gain weight, produce milk and make nests. They may be listless, off their food and will often “mother” toys.

It is unclear as to why some bitches experience false pregnancies, but we do know that any bitch that ovulates, whether pregnant or not, will experience the same blood levels of a hormone called progesterone. Around two months after ovulation, the progesterone levels drop and the “milk” hormone prolactin starts to increase in concentration. It is prolactin that is responsible for milk production and maternal behaviour.

False pregnancies generally run a course of 2-3 weeks and treatment is not usually required. In severe cases, where large amounts of milk are being produced, a reduction in daily food intake may help the milk supply to drop. The bitch must not be allowed to lick at her nipples as any stimulation of the mammary glands promotes milk production.

False pregnancies are a normal phenomenon and are not associated with fertility problems. They frequently recur but can be prevented with sterilisation. If the bitch is intended for breeding then she should be bred from at her next season and then sterilised once her breeding days are over.

Diagnosis usually relies on the detection of antibodies to the virus in the cat’s blood sample. It is rare to get a“false-positive” result, however nursing kittens of FIV-positive mums may test positive for some time. They may not be truly infected with the virus but have antibodies from the mother’s milk.

If your cat has been in a fight, it is wise to wait at least 60 days before testing for FIV in order to minimise the risk of a falsely negative result.While a positive test result usually indicates infection, a negative result could indicate that either the cat is not infected, or it has been exposed but is not yet producing antibodies. A negative result may also occur if the cat has been immunosuppressed by the virus and cannot produce antibodies, or if the test itself is faulty.

Management of cats with FIV requires some adjustments to their lifestyle. These cats should be kept indoors to minimise spread to other cats and to decrease exposure to disease. Ideally, infected cats will have a full clinical examination twice a year. Your vet will usually spend time examining the mouth, lymph nodes and eyes, as these are all areas that can be affected by the disease. Your cat will often be weighed as weight loss can be an early warning sign of clinical disease.  Somevets will also recommend an annual blood profile, and occasionally urine or faeces tests. Generally, vaccination programs for FIV-infected cats should be similar to those for uninfected cats, however vets will often use a ‘killed’ vaccine where available.

When a cat is diagnosed with FIV related disease, treatment decisions (including euthanasia) should not bemade solely on the grounds of the cathaving FIV. Similarly, diseases in catsinfected with FIV may not necessarilybe a result of that infection, but mayhave occurred independently. Overall,many FIV infected cats, will live longand happy lives regardless of theirinfection status.

If you wish to vaccinate your cat against FIV, or for more information regarding FIV, please call the clinic on 5975 3811.