By George Messenger For the Monitor


I've pretty much given up on New Year's resolutions. Instead, this year I have come up with a bunch of ideas that can be incorporated into your life for the benefit of your pets. See if you can adopt a few of them - or all of them.

1. I am going to pay close attention to my pet. Whenever he is showing signs of illness, I will take him to the vet.

2. I am going to look at my budget for the year and determine how much I can afford on pet care.

3. I will not get any other pets unless I know that I can properly care for them. I will research into the needs of that type of pet before I get one.

4. I will donate my time or money to a pet-worthy cause.

5. I will do everything I can (with the help of my vet) to prevent diseases that are preventable - through annual exams, vaccinations, parasite control and dental care.

6. I will feed my pet the best pet food that I can afford.

7. I will make sure that my pet is never allowed to suffer.

8. I will take my dog out for more walks.

9. If I see an animal that is suffering, I will do what I can to get help.

10. I will never abuse an animal - mine or any other.

In the past few months at my practice, many people have brought in animals because of illness as opposed to "wellness" visits. Some of these pets have been in a surprisingly advanced state of disease, and certainly some of them had been suffering for some time prior to their presentation.

This really does make me sad. All I can do is ask you to do what you can to prevent this. Our pets are dependent on us, their owners. We must learn to recognize illness and then do something about it once we recognize it. That doesn't mean going on the internet and figuring it out for yourself.

I am often surprised when owners ask me what to look for, that is, how will they know when their pet is sick? It really just takes a connection between the owner and the pet and a basic level of awareness. You don't need to really know anything - just notice it, and leave it up to the experts to figure it out. Examples of signs of illness: a pet is eating less or crying more or coughing, sneezing, vomiting, having diarrhea, eating more than usual, having skin or ear problems, drooling, limping, losing weight, twitching, behavioral changes - those are just a few of many symptoms.

A few weeks ago a client brought in an elderly beagle to be put to sleep. We had diagnosed her with a heart problem over a year ago but had not seen her since. By now the poor dog could no longer walk. Her abdomen was severely distended with over a gallon of fluid in it. She was having difficulty breathing. I felt so sorry for her. I know that the owner could not afford to bring her in for a proper workup and long-term treatment, but it would not have taken a whole lot of medicine to at least help to keep the fluid from building up.