Pets are people, too!

YOUR FAMILY'S HEALTH & WELLNESS

Barking in the new year with your pet

BY KIM BRADLEY, Paws 4 Safety

If your home is anything like mine, New Year’s goals and resolutions are tailored around having pets.

I figured out a very long time ago that I would love to be able to wake up and enjoy a few quiet moments. Maybe a few sips of hot coffee to start my day would be awesome, then reality hits.

My best day starts with boots on the ground: Two dogs want to go outside, one dog would rather stay behind and eat and by the way, just where is that cat? If I am lucky, I hit the brew button on the coffee pot, but I forgot to add water as the cat just ran by and wants his breakfast now. You get the picture. I would not know a HOT cup of coffee if it bit me.

So, I decided a long time ago to set my goals and resolutions with realistic expectations, and the truth is that this has made life so much more enjoyable at my house. If I want quiet time, I look for that to happen a bit later in the mornings after breakfast has been served. Nap time just seems to follow right in line. So, for me I schedule that time as my “quiet” time. I still do not push my luck. I settle for a cup of warm coffee. Nap time happens again just after dinner and before bed, so I reserve and treasure that block of time to ride my stationary bike, meditate and reflect on the day that is ending and look forward to the day ahead.

Including my pets in my daily plan helps me to avoid the disappointment that can come with an active household. So instead, I chose to embrace every minute of it and just be thankful that I can keep up. I was pondering on the aging process, and it dawned on me that we usually truly start visibly aging after our children grow up.

If you happen to be a pet parent, the good news to come from the chaos is pets seem to act as powerful motivators. They help us turn daily routines (sometimes unbeknownst to us) into opportunities for exercise and sometimes social engagement. This by default promotes a healthier, more active lifestyle.

It has been well documented in the past the positive health effects pets have on our vital signs such as lowering our heart rate, lowering our blood pressure, even lowering our cortisol levels—you know that nasty stress hormone that gathers around our belly. Pets boost our “happy, feel good” hormones. Studies now even suggest that having pets is linked to lowering our cholesterol and triglyceride levels! (Study done by the American Heart Association and Harvard Health). The results of that study were even after accounting for factors like diet and smoking. One review done by Heaven at Home Pet Hospice found that dog owners had a significantly lower risk of death from cardiovascular causes.

All in all, pets just tend to make us better humans. So, remember when planning for the new year to include your pet as part of your health routine. Paws 4 Safety wishes you and yours a HEALTHY, HAPPY, PROSPEROUS, TAIL WAGGING New Year!

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The best age for children to have pets and giving pets as gifts

This seems to be an age-old question and the answers vary from person to person. I thought with Christmas just around the corner and considering that there is an increase in animal abandonment and/or relinquishment following the holidays that this might be a great time to share some interesting statistics and thoughts on appropriate ages to receive pets and give pets as gifts. 

Interestingly enough, when a pet is received as a gift, statistics show that the rate of relinquishment is actually much lower than if the individual purchases a pet. I had never really thought much about that, but as it turns out there are some fascinating ideas surrounding this. Like for example, people tend to have more of an attachment to the animal that is “given/gifted” them by someone else. As a matter of fact, the stats provided by the Humane Society state that approximately 86% of these gifted pets are still in their homes. This study has been done several times with the same results.

That said, here are some suggested guidelines to follow when gifting a pet.

1.     Make sure the person receiving the pet has already expressed an interest or desire to own a pet. 

2.     The person receiving the pet can afford it. 

3.     They are physically able to care for the pet. 

4.     Please make sure everyone is aware that owning a pet is a 10–15-year commitment. 

On to the best age for children to have a pet. Ask 10 people, you’re likely to get 10 different answers. This is no surprise because everyone’s circumstances are quite different. Giving a child a pet can be an extremely rewarding and learning experience for the child and it can be beneficial for the pet, especially if the pet is obtained through a legitimate rescue. The animals coming from these rescue facilities are most often already spayed or neutered. They have also been temperament tested, and thoroughly checked by a veterinarian, up to date on all vaccinations and microchipped. This saves the new pet owner tons of time and money as opposed to having the added responsibility of doing these things themselves.

One of the first things to consider when giving a child a pet is who will be the primary caregiver for the pet? Who will be in charge of feeding, cleaning up after the pet and so on? This alone will sometimes help determine the appropriate age. It’s more of a case of demonstrated responsibility. Just because a child jumps with joy at the very thought of owning their very own pet doesn’t mean they are ready to take on the full-time responsibility of caring for a pet. This means you need to make sure YOU are ready to shoulder that responsibility yourself if the child is either not willing to or just doesn’t do it. It can all seem really fun until it’s time to clean up the poop!

Some say that as early as five years old is okay to gift a pet. You might consider all of the different types of pets available. Look at how much care is needed for each individual type of pet. Small children tend to do better with a hardier pet. Young children sometimes lack the amount of self-control to be left unsupervised with a pet. Note that most dog bites that are reported happen to young children.

My personal recommendation to determine if the time is right is to take the child to a pet rescue/adoption center. Let them take their time to observe the pets available for adoption. Watch closely and ask questions like, can you imagine what games you would play with your pet? Is it okay to not feed the pet every day? These are some quick, little questions that might seem unimportant, but if you listen carefully, your child will tell you the answer you’re looking for!

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The importance of preventive care for pets

Even seemingly healthy pets need preventive care. With proper care and close health monitoring, you may be able to ward off future emergency trips to the vet. This applies to all domestic animals/pets. I always suggest, at a minimum, a monthly home check-up for your pet(s). It can be a fun and bonding experience for you and your pet. It is essential to know your pet's baseline in case of an emergency. Cats in particular, are masters at hiding illness, making it even more important to monitor their health.

Cancer, the number one killer of our pets, is almost always more treatable when caught in its early stages. Even small fluctuations in weight for our canine and especially our feline friends can be an early warning sign of illness. Both weight gain and weight loss are causes for concern. Weight changes can be early indicators of diseases and other problems like parasites, diabetes, arthritis, kidney disease, fatty liver disease and, of course, some cancers. 

I have found that weighing Merlin (my cat) on a baby scale works best for an accurate weight, while with my Pugs, I just use my regular scales and weigh myself, then hop back on with Pug in hand and subtract the difference. I make habit of monitoring my pet's weight myself to get “ahead” of any underlying problems. It’s even more important in instances of furry pets. Sometimes, weight gain or loss can’t be seen as easily. 

While you're taking the time to weigh in your pet, this is also the prime time to assess vital signs. Just have a quick look at eyes and nose: clear, bright and free of gunk. Are the gums bubble gum pink, and if you're really into it, have a look and check CRT (capillary refill time). Make a quick press on the gums with your index finger and release. It should take one-two seconds to turn back to the original pink color. Anything under one second or over two seconds is cause for immediate concern.

A fast sniff of the ear will usually alert you to problems there. There shouldn’t be any smell or debris. Yes, cats can get smelly ears, so check theirs as well. I have a thorough feel all over to look for lumps, bumps, or any area that feels tender. I check between the toes; this is a favorite hiding place for foxtails, ticks, etc., because it's warm, dark and low to the ground, making it a perfect place to go undetected.

I keep a watch with a second hand for measuring the respiratory rate. The easiest way to take this measurement is when your pet is resting. Watch and count the number of times their chest rises and falls in a 60-second period. Dogs should be 15-34 and cats 16-40. Note, the breaths per minute vary, making it even more important to know what’s normal for your pet. Anytime the BPM is consistently 20% higher than normal for your pet, contact your vet immediately. To ensure the most accurate baseline for your pet(s), be sure to measure daily for a week while your pet is healthy.   

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The interesting link between animal abuse and human abuse

There are more than ample articles, opinions and studies on this subject. This article is based on my own research and opinion. I hope you will find this subject as interesting as I have, and if you haven’t already, be in some small way moved to take a stand, even if it’s just in your own home. 

This link is so profound and well-established that even the FBI has been tracking animal abuse cases since 2016.  Interestingly, the behavior of animal abuse can be an early indicator of behavior to come. It can be an indicator of psychological issues and even an abusive home life. After doing a bit of research on the subject, it turns out there is quite an impressive list of such documented behavior by some pretty well-known, notorious, violent killers. You can likely recognize ones like Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Albert DeSalvo (The Boston Strangler), David Berkowitz (Son of Sam), and the list goes on. All of these people had a documented history of pet abuse. Neighbors and, in some cases, teachers noticed such behavior. What are we as a society missing here? 

The really scary thing is that most of this form of abuse was learned by watching a parent (usually the father) torture and abuse animals. Some reports note that the abusive parent forced the child to watch and or participate. Dogs are most often the animal of choice when it comes to abuse, with over 10 million animals dying from abuse each year just in the U.S. alone. That number doesn’t count the ones that survive or die and go unreported. Believe it or not, there are still countries that have NO animal rights. Nothing at all to protect animals in place, making animal abuse and cruelty totally legal, and even more concerning is that it’s acceptable. Even though it is now held as an unofficial event, there are still dog-eating festivals held in some cities in China and Asia. 

Cruelty to animals is a serious thing. While we do have both federal and local laws in the United States to prosecute animal abuse cases, that by itself still isn’t enough to prevent it from happening. We must take a proactive approach and educate our children about the importance of kindness and compassion to animals. One study I read stated that 43% of active school shooters have a history of animal cruelty and or abuse. Animal abuse is thought to be one of the most significant factors in someone becoming a domestic abuser. 

Our children can learn so many great things from being raised around animals, like empathy, caring for others, having compassion, patience, responsibility and even developing language skills through communication with animals. Why not take advantage of this beautiful opportunity to bond with and also teach our children if they see something, say something. The world and communities in which we live can never change if we continue to be silent. 

If we don’t take a hard stand against this kind of violent behavior, well, we’ve really, by our silence, already voiced our opinion.  While we can’t be held responsible for everything going on around us, we can certainly stand up and be the change we want to see. Remember the quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”