Entries Tagged 'Pet Health' ↓

I remember so well the day Martus came into my life… In those days I was managing a vet clinic on Magnetic Island, and one of my less pleasant jobs was to euthenase feral cats trapped in the local rubbish dump. Then in came this huge black tomcat, with a baby possum clinging to him. I sedated him and removed the possum, and then we desexed him, and he moved in… And left several pound of dirt and fuzzy black hair on my bed end over the next 6 years!

Over the past few weeks, Martus started sneezing blood, and then one side of his face and head swelled out- most probably a tumour in his sinuses- and then, just the other day, I could see he was in distress, just not happy…

So… How do you know when it is time?

Sometimes it is easy, sometimes a little harder to know- animals don’t ’suffer’ with pain like we do- they just seem to accept it, and be. However- I know that (as long as you are not too attached to your pet- but more about that in a bit) you can nearly always tell when they reach that point- suddenly they will seem to be ‘not right’, or ‘not happy’. This can happen gradually, which may make it a bit harder to discern, or they may be going along ok one day, and then quite clearly NOT ok the next. Every pet is unique.

There are a few signs that it is definitely time though…

• When your pet stops eating altogether.
• When your pet can no longer get up to go to the toilet.
• When your pet is crying out in pain.
• Or… when you simply look at them and know it is time.

Take heed of these signs! And if you are not sure, please talk to your vet.

And now we will step back to the attachment issue…

Our pets have no fear of death- for them it is as natural as breathing.

It is usually us who have a fear of losing the unconditional love that our pets so freely bless us with. And sometimes this can make us keep our pets alive longer than perhaps we should. I also believe our pets love us so much that they will hang on through any amount of suffering for us.A good question to ask yourself is if you are willing to let your pet go. I encourage you to be willing to.

So- It’s time… What next?

Now you need to either take your pet to the vet, or have a vet come to your home, and gently put your good friend to rest. I prefer in home euthanasia, as it is so much less stressful for our good friends- since I started home visits, I have helped many a gallant old soul pass in the peace and love of their own home space.

Afterwards it is normal for you to be sad, and to grieve- our pets are members of our family! You may need to dig a grave, and bury your friend, or in some areas there is access to pet cremation and burial services. I find it is a lovely thing to have some sort of ritual or ceremony to celebrate the life of your good friend.

I also think it is a good idea to involve the whole family, kids if you have them. I believe that one of the greater reasons that pets share our lives is to teach us about life, and death. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the reality that we all must face one day. Some people avoid being there, or keep their children away… And whilst I honour their choice, my truth is that it is better to face, accept, and embrace the feelings of sadness, grief, and pain that come up- otherwise one tends to lock them inside, and this is not healthy.

What if I don’t believe in Euthanasia?

It’s ok to let old humans die naturally, so I can’t at all see how it can’t be alright for you to allow your old pet to do the same, as long as you make sure that adequate pain relief is provided. I actually think we are more compassionate with our pets, to be honest.

Life Goes on…

I always encourage people to consider getting another pet, especially if they only have one, and even more so if they are old and live alone. Who knows- if you believe in reincarnation, they might even come back again!

I hope you enjoy every minute of the time your pets share with you…

Until next time,

Dr Edward

You might notice that Bert looks a little bit bedraggled…

This morning he woke me up, yelling for HELP- I had left the toilet seat up, and he had fallen in! He did NOT look very happy- so I fished him out, and then gave him a small bath, and shut the lid-

So- Remember, if you have a kitten, always put the toilet lid down!

Until next time, Dr Edward

Say Hello to our new kittens- Tickle (hiding) and Fred…

What is the one simple, easy thing You can to to revolutionise Your pets health?

Cut out all processed foods, (But here is a loophole- as much as you possibly can…)

YES- it is that easy, and it’s the same for us as well…

You don’t see dogs and cats eating cereals in the wild! They eat Meat, and not just meat, but whole animals- bones, guts, everything. Their digestive systems are simply not designed to eat a whole lot of cereal products- and Guess what! Dry food is nearly all cereal products.

And as for what else they put in there, you really don’t want to know!

Let’s just be honest, and admit that there is only a very small portion of anything even remotely approaching what you and I would call meat.

Tinned food is even worse- cooked to death, and largely water and meat byproduct flavoured jelly, in the end. If your pet has a wind problem, tinned food will be making it far worse

I feed my cats and dog a special complete raw diet made up of meat, ground up bones, with some raw vegetables, and sprinkles of this and that to make up a complete and healthy diet- so all the minerals and vitamins that your pet need to be better than well are included as well (Cause I’m busy, I use the BARF diet- created by Dr Ian Billinghurst of Australia… I will place a link in down a bit. I highly recommend his books, as well.)

I still use some good quality commercial biscuits as well, but the raw food is the cornerstone. And to be honest, it makes life a little bit more convenient for me- though I am also sure that if I changed over to a totally raw diet, it would be better for them.

BUT! My pet won’t eat it…

Yep- I know, many are fussy- so if they won’t eat anything else, at least do your best to buy best quality food, or try mixing in just a little of the raw food, then gradually increase the amount or (shock, horror) - don’t give them anything else to eat for a coulpe of days, then hand feed them? (be warned- some pets WILL starve rather than eat something they don’t like, especially cats- so you may have to admit defeat in the very rare case.)

If they won’t eat it raw, the next best step is to cook their food, using good quality meats and vegetables- and to beef up the vitamins and minerals, I advise adding a small amount of Kelp meal, maybe a little LSA (ground Linseed, Soy and Almond meal) and a dollop of good quality cold pressed vegetable oil (after it has cooled). If you can afford it, go organic. (Please NEVER use onion in your pets food, it can make them very ill, and even cause death.)

Your table scraps are fine too- as long as you eat healthy, home cooked food, and don’t give your pet the fatty trimmings, and remembering to cut back on their other food in kind…

Raw, Meaty Bones are very important…

This is your pet’s toothbrush- from small chicken necks and wings for kittens/cats and small dogs, right up to a huge marrow bone for danes and so on- there is a risk of broken teeth with big bones, so be aware, - BUT- I feel the benefits outweigh the risk. I have seen too many pets with foul mouths, teeth coated in tartar. This is very painful, and also requires a General Anaesthetic every time they need a clean and polish!

Even if you change only to giving your pet meaty, raw bones twice a week, this will make a difference

***Never Give Your Pet Cooked Bones***

I can’t stress this enough. It makes them indigestible, and so can lead to a very painful, life threatening constipation.

So- All you have to do now is throw out all those tins and bags of processed food (Woops- NO, wait- give them to your local animal refuge instead!), and read Dr Ians books, or order some BARF, if there is a supplier near you, or make your own! You will see a difference in your pet…

Here is the link to Dr Ian Billinghurst’s website, and you have a great day with your pets!

The Home of the BARF Diet

Cheers for now, Dr Edward