Aging
Dr Jules Wilson MRCVS of the Maunu Rd branch of the Northland Veterinary Group HAS THIS SAY...
I know that the policemen always look younger but the rest of us are just getting older by the day.
Aging is a process that none of us can avoid, no matter how hard we try with fabulous diets, glamorous clothing, plastic surgery and Botox.
The art I suspect is to grow old gracefully and to minimize the deleterious effects that life has upon us.
As you can guess, the same principle applies to our pets: The aging process is an accumulation of 'wear & tear' from ordinary living, injuries picked up along the way and the gradual impairment of body cell reproduction.
So how can we look after our pets better and give them longer and happier lives?
1. We can try to reduce the daily wear and tear problems of normal life by keeping our pets at a healthy lean body weight and condition, keeping them groomed and clipped, teeth cleaned and ears checked each week. Just like cars regular maintenance will prevent most of the expensive bills that may turn up later. In this way the heart and joints and internal organs are all kept in fine fettle for longer.
2. Injuries can be reduced or lessened by neutering both males and females. This will reduce the ‘wandering' behaviour so often responsible for our pets being hit by cars fighting with each other over such trivial things as territory, power and females. Good training of dogs and curtailing some feline nocturnal activities also help along the way.
3.Normal cell activity and replication can be supported by giving your pet good nutrition at the start of their lives, continuing it through into adulthood and altering it again as they reach their twilight years. As I say so often 'you are what you eat' so consume with care and knowledge. If you are not sure what is a good diet for your pet then pop into the vet clinic and ask one of the nurses or the vets for their sound advice.
Alright, I hear you say, we selected our pet carefully and appropriately with good veterinary advice. We fed them well through their youth, kept their vaccinations up to date, their coats groomed and glossy and teeth cleaned on a regular basis. Kept them slim in their adult years, with good food and company, along with gym membership and regular holidays…..but now in their dotage what do we do……??
As you can see from all the above, the life of your pet is very little different from your own. As they become older their joints become more stiff perhaps with a little arthritis. They may need softer, warmer places to sleep, fewer steps to climb and a diet that supports their bone and cartilage function. Keeping them slim has helped their heart last longer with the constant muscle beating activity that keeps us all alive, their liver and kidneys have not been packed with stifling fat and their digestive tracts have been kept elastic and active with good fibre and protein.
Despite all of this you know that the aging process will arrive and so you will need to choose a good 'senior' diet for your older pet, use some arthritis treatments from the vet when needed and also treatment to support the inevitable onset of organ failure of the heart, liver and kidneys.
Your veterinary practice is there brimming with knowledge and advice as to how to help these older pets. They have good food, good medicines and good pet healthcare products to support all their needs in the autumn of their lives.
So if your pet is over 7 years old (equivalent to 49 human years ),it’s time to collect a urine sample (from your pet) and book an appointment with your local vet to have your beloved cat or dog checked over (even sometimes a prostate check is in order….) and now is the time to make those changes that will add length and quality to their lives. Don’t forget that taking your pet once a year to the vet is only the same as you visiting your dentist, optician or doctor once every 7 years…..
We are ALL getting older, the difference is in how we manage the process and slow down the remorseless march of time to a rate that we can feel happy with. Help your pets to grow old gracefully, they give so much back to you in company and unconditional love. The most interesting fact is that pet owners on average live longer than those people who have never experienced that deep bond between man and animal.
Your pets is one way of you living a longer and more fulfilled life.
Winter is almost over, look forward to the Spring, to a new life and the celebration of the rich, ongoing lives of us more senior citizens.
Jules
Issue Apr 2007
Back to top