Senior
Care Guidelines:
Recommendations To Deal With A Nation of Aging Pets
By
Steve Dale
We live
in a nation filled with aging baby boomers, who also happen to
have aging pets. In part, that’s because our pets are living
longer than ever before.
To deal
with a myriad of issues involving aging pets, the American Animal
Hospital Association (AAHA) just released Senior Care Guidelines
for Dogs and Cats.
Dr. Mark
Epstein, a private practicing veterinarian in Gastonia and Charlotte,
NC chaired the task force of veterinarians who created the guidelines.
He says when he began practicing medicine about 20 years ago,
even small dogs typically didn’t live more than 12-years
and cats rarely made it their 15th birthday. Today, due to better
nutrition, more frequent vet checks and advances in medicine,
small dogs usually often enjoy quality life into their middle
teens, and many indoor only cats into their late teens.
“It’s
very much about quality of life,” Epstein says. One advent
to help enhance the quality of life are pain relief medications
for pets, which are far more advanced today than 20 years ago.
Dr. Daniel
Aja, who has a private practice in Traverse City, MI, is also
the president of AAHA; he says, “There is never an excuse
for an animal to be in prolonged pain. Being old doesn’t
mean an animal has to suffer. And the task force believes veterinarians
should strongly consider what the owner says. They know their
pets best, and if they say the pet is in pain, the answer is clearly
to do something about helping that pet to feel comfortable.”
The Senior
Care Guidelines even suggest adding pain to the list of vital
signs, often known at TPR (temperature, pulse and respiration)
which veterinarians are trained to pay most attention to.
Clearly
relieving pain is a real humane issue. What’s more, research
shows that as pain increases so might an animals’ stress,
and both the pain and associated anxiety could inhibit healing.
When an
animal can no longer heal, and end of life is inevitable the authors
of the guidelines have taken a bold stand, and have challenged
their profession by encouraging veterinarians to offer in-home
euthanasia. Today, this is a service offered by only a minuscule
per cent of veterinarians.
“There’s
no doubt in my mind that euthanasia at home is the most preferred
course for many owners, and it’s a service we feel far more
veterinarians should offer,” Epstein says.
The reality
is that some veterinarians may not want to leave the confines
of their practices to offer euthanasia because they’ll lose
time seeing other patients. There’s the economic issue of
not seeing other patients. But also at many busy practices, one
could argue it’s unfair to a client with a pet who can be
healed who might not get in as quickly to see a vet who is also
busy euthanizing pets at homes.
“This
isn’t an easy recommendation to make; after all we’re
calling for a fundamental change in the practice of veterinary
medicine” Aja says.
“I’m
absolutely convinced at-home euthanasia’s are the right
thing for pets who are obviously ill, and probably far more comfortable
in their own homes,” says Epstein. “After visiting
our clinic for a lifetime, I think an animal deserve to end his
or her life in dignity.”
An underlying
theme written throughout the Guidelines is open communication
between the veterinarian and the pet owner. Obviously, a vet can’t
offer an opinion about a pet with seeing the pet. As also encouraged
by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the AAHA guidelines
also support regular exams.
Veterinary
oncologist Dr. Barbara Kitchell, director of the Center for Comparative
Oncology at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI says,
“Cancer can hit any pet of any age, but certainly we see
it most often with older pets. And frequent exams do matter.”
For example,
Kitchell tells the story of an older cat whose owner happened
to mention that her cat sometimes drooled. Being an new behavior
for this cat, the veterinarian took that tidbit of information
seriously, and as a result detected Squamos cell carcinoma in
the cat’s mouth. Early detection meant a successful prognosis.
However, if the cancer was discovered only a few months later,
the outcome would likely not have been favorable.
Kitchell
adds, “For pure bred animals know what kinds of cancer,
or what any likely genetic illnesses are most likely to occur
in your breed. Of course, it doesn’t mean it will happen.
But being watchful is wise.”
Dr. Gary
Landsberg, a veterinary behaviorist based in Thornhill, Ontario,
Canada is also an author of the Guidelines. “Observing any
change in behavior in older pets is key,” he says. “For
example, if an older dog is acting just out of it, we typically
say, ‘Well, he’s old,’ and that’s the
end of it. But there is likely an underlying reason that probably
can be treated. The dog may have the onset of early kidney disease,
or diabetes, or cancer, or perhaps cognitive dysfunction.”
Cancer
isn’t the only disease than tends to impact older pets most
often, two additional examples are canine or feline cognitive
dysfunction syndrome – which is a fancy way of describing
a disease that’s much like Alzheimer’s. Landsberg
says that a change in diet and medication does help many pets
to significantly improve their quality of life.
Unfortunately,
the Task Force Guidelines don’t suggest a cure for old age
or find a fountain of youth. But they do offer suggestions for
helping our pets to age more gracefully while maintaining their
dignity. For further details about the AAHA Senior Care Guidelines,
check out, www.healthypet.com.
