Older pets get free medical checkup

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CHUBBUCK — Saturday’s free medical checkup in Chubbuck was for the dogs. And the cats, too.

Bannock Animal Medical Center sponsored the inaugural event, targeted at older pets, which suffer many of the same problems older humans do — big bellies, bad backs and poor teeth.

Medical Center owner Dr. Walter Rowntree said the event was an unqualified success.

“We didn’t know if we’d get 10 or 300 animals,” he said. “It’s been more like 300.”

The main problem in older pets, Rowntree said, is obesity, dental disease and back pain.

“Only five of those animals were at a normal weight out of 200,” he said, referring to the dogs.

He said that about 20 dogs had mild dental disease, four or five had no problems, and the rest had moderate to severe disease. Of the five animals with good teeth, three had their teeth brushed daily by their owners.

He said about 30 percent of the older dogs suffered from some form of back pain, and 15 of them had sciatica.

“Most owners aren’t aware of it,” he said, and they often think the animals are simply slowing down with age.

The culprit is often obesity, which amplifies the degeneration of aging spines. Diets can be recommended that will help slow the progression, and analgesics can be prescribed that will ease the suffering.

Rowntree cautioned that pet owners should not attempt to use medications meant for humans to numb their pets’ pain. Aspirin, for example, is much harder on dogs and cats and can cause ulcers.

As for obesity, Rowntree said there are four basic rules to follow. First, watch the portions.

“Owners control the calories that their dogs eat,” he said.

Second, you get what you pay for in dog food brands.

“If you’re thinking ‘How much for dog food?’ it’s probably a good one,” he said.

Third, watch the people food.

Finally, get the dog moving.

“You don’t want your dog to be a couch potato,” he said.

As for dental health, dry dog foods are better than canned. Although some advocate brushing a dog’s teeth, Rowntree admits it’s not practical for many owners to brush their canine’s, uh, canines. He did it with his own dog for a while, but found it too time consuming.

Besides, the dog is capable of doing most of the work itself. All it needs is something to chew for approximately 20 minutes a day.

“Rawhide, bones, digital cameras, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

Not sure if your dog has dental disease? Try the sniff test. If your dog’s breath reeks, it’s a good bet it’s got some problems. Rowntree said many dogs at Saturday’s checkup had good teeth in front, but their back teeth often had exposed roots and pus. He noted one 10-year-old canine patient had serious problems.

“(Of its) 18 teeth, 14 need to come out,” he said.

Although cats made up only about 10 percent of his clientele Saturday, they also suffer from many of the same problems as the dogs. The difficulty with cats is they tend to mask their problems better than dogs.

One of the more common problems with cats is dental disease. They often experience painful cavities, Rowntree said. A clue is when they don’t crunch their dry cat food readily. Rather, they roll it around in their mouths or only chew on one side.

Cats can also be exercised if owners think creatively. Rowntree said getting your cat to play with string you pull around the room for 20 minutes a day can make a difference.

Rowntree said no ticks were found in the examinations, but he couldn’t resist showing a collage his office made recently. A half-grown collie was brought to his office. He and his staff pulled 105 ticks from the beleaguered dog, ranging from pencil lead size to thumbnail-sized monsters.

Rowntree said that it’s a good idea for owners with dogs seven years and older to bring their pets in twice a year for examinations. While humans can articulate their problems, animals cannot.

One of his free examinations Saturday uncovered a dog with breast tumors. Early detection such as that may make the difference between losing your beloved companion or enjoying it for a number of more years.

By John Bulger

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