PETS // T H E B AROS S A MAG | 45
Age is not a disease
As our ability to care for our older pets
gets better, through good nutrition,
advanced veterinary care and their place
in our families, we are seeing many older
animals in our community.
Obviously, age is relative to the size,
breed and species of the animal, but
where we used to consider a 20+ kg dog
old at 10, we would now consider them to
only be on the later edge of middle age,
with them often living to 13 or 14.
To work out your pet’s age in human
years, the traditional calculation is to
times your pet’s age by 7.
We regularly hear comments like,
“I don’t want my pet to have an
anaesthetic, they are too old”, “It is just
arthritis, they don’t need any treatment
for that” or “He doesn’t have much
longer left and we know his teeth are bad,
but we just don’t want to do anything”.
As vets, we do understand that these
animals carry a slightly higher risk
when considering surgery on long term
disease management, but by not treating
them and using age as an excuse, we are
WORDS BY CATHERINE HARPER
BAROSSA VETERINARY CLINIC
condemning these pets to some degree
of suffering and often shortening their
lives.
That is not to say that we do not consider
these risks, but with careful planning
and a few minor changes to protocols,
these animals can successfully receive
treatment that alleviates suffering and
prolongs their life.
So rather than thinking of age as a disease,
let's celebrate it and help our pets live to
their full potential, being happy and pain
free for as long as possible.
Consider that when your veterinarian
makes a suggestion, that they are looking
to ensure the best possible care and
outcomes for your pet and that if we can
identify disease early, there is lots we can
do to prevent it being an issue as your
pet ages.
Additionally,
if
they
are
old,
congratulations for getting them this far.
Please consider that this means they
need even more care and that there is
much we can do to help.
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