A Pet's View / November 2006
In Sickness and In Health
According to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the average annual cost of keeping a dog is $1,000 and its $800 for a cat. That’s less than $2.75 cents a day for dogs, and just $2.20 a day for a cat. It’s the best bargain of their lives for most pet owners, who often provide better health care for their animals than they do themselves. But, a serious one-time illness can be quite expensive, and sometimes the cost comes all at once, or at a time when it is least affordable. And, when animals begin to decline, pet owners may find no expense is too much to postpone the inevitable. But, there are ways to save before vet bills start piling up.
Diane Levitan, VMD, founder of the Center for Specialized Veterinary Care says, “Prevention is the best way to save and still get the best treatment for your pet. There are some very easy preventive steps that everyone can take to give their pets a healthier lifestyle and save money in the long run.”
The first, she says, is vaccinations. “Get pets the proper vaccinations according to age and lifestyle. This will help avoid diseases that are simple to prevent but costly to treat.” Next is heart worm prevention. “Heartworm can be prevented by medication but it is costly to treat once your pet has the disease. The American Heartworm Society estimates that only 55% of dogs in the U.S. are currently on a heart worm preventive, leaving 27 million dogs at risk.”
Dental care is another important way pet owners can spend a little to save a lot. “Have your pet checked regularly and use at-home kits to prevent costly treatment in the future.” Tooth brushing and special tartar control fluids can make a big difference in an animals mouth, improving breath and contributing to general health.
Doctors tell their patients all the time to stay trim and eat right. Diane says, “That’s right, the words aren’t just for pet owners anymore, pets should follow these rules too. This will help prevent obesity and other related diseases in pets.”
Since pets age, get sick and develop disease even with the best of care, fortunately, advances in medicine and patient care has not been limited to people. Veterinary medicine has come a long way since James Herriott roamed the English moors armed with little more than first aid and vile smelling tinctures. Today, veterinary surgical and medical procedures are as specialized and as effective as those done on humans and help sick or injured animals get back to health. Some are for diagnosis to find out what is exactly ailing a pet; sometimes an operation is necessary for a cure; others are post-surgery and rehabilitation procedures, and still others are routine maintenance to keep pets on all fours.
Just like people with heart problems, pets experiencing symptoms of heart failure can receive an electrocardiograms (EKG’s) to monitor the heart. Heart conditions can be carefully monitored and proper medications prescribed based on the pet’s EKG results.
Pets diagnosed with cancer may benefit from radiation therapy which helps reduce the size of a tumor and from chemotherapy destroys dividing cancer cells in the pet’s body.
Like athletes who undergo specialized orthopedic procedures, pets too can benefit from “sports medicine”. They can have their patellar luxation or dislocation of the kneecap, corrected or receive treatment to correct a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament, a ligament in the knee that can tear over time leading to destabilization of the joint and arthritis.
Ultrasounds are a non-invasive method of providing a window into the pet’s major organs and can be used to obtain tissue samples for tissue biopsies.
So many animals have skin and allergy issues, veterinarians often provide dermatology care in treatment of the skin, ears, hair, and nails, along with allergy testing and management.
The relationship between dental health and pets overall health is inescapable. Veterinarians perform dentistry to keep cats and dogs teeth healthy. Root canal, oral surgery, restorations are performed on animals, too.
Veterinary specialists in ophthalmology offer cataract surgery and laser repair of detached retinas for pets. Other specialists provide video endoscopy and laparoscopy to view major internal organs with a telescoping lens.
Some veterinarians provide acupuncture to decrease pain, increase blood flow and stimulate nerves.
Just like people, older animals should have their blood pressure checked regularly and may benefit from physical therapy to rehabilitate or reduce the pain from surgery or arthritis.
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