Vet Clinic February 2010

HAPPY PETS

IS YOUR PET HAPPY?

Most owners would reply ‘yes’ in answer to this question, but can they be absolutely sure?

Luckily most pets are loved and well cared for and considered part of the family. This love leads to GOOD treatment, but does it necessarily mean that the pet is HAPPY! – Think about the dog that is left on its own all day or the budgie left constantly alone in its cage.

Just because a pet is not ill-treated, does not mean that it is automatically happy. Their welfare may be considered good but what about their quality of life!

WHAT DO WE MEAN A ‘HAPPY PET’?

How a pet is treated (welfare) can range from good to bad to indifferent, with many factors in-between being taken into consideration.

A content dog is somewhere in between. It has everything it needs e.g. good walks, well-fed etc., but would longer walks and more attention make it happy?

Having a content or happy dog is very important, anything less is just not good enough.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR PET CONTENT or HAPPY? - 6 STEPS TO CONTENTMENT

 

Good Housing – Are they warm? Is it clean and dry? Is your dog sleeping on a cold stone floor? Does it have a bed? If your dog is outside, does it have shelter?

 

Good Socialisation – Is your pet in regular contact with people/owner? This especially applies to small furrys (rabbits, hamster etc.) who may have been forgotten and only have human contact when they are being fed or cleaned out. Consider if your dog/cat is home alone all day, 5 days a week, does it get enough attention when you are there? There are lots of dog walking services available in all areas and these seem to work well for owners who work full time throughout the week.

 

Good Nutrition – All pets, from the smallest to the largest deserve to be fed a respectable diet which meets their requirements, e.g. cats should be fed cat food not dog food. Home-made diets should be of a nutritional standard (always get advice from your vet before you start).

 

Over feeding of pets can cause obesity and this in turn can lead to health problems. Some owners think that feeding their pet more shows them they are loved more where as some owners feed their pets more to compensate for lack of attention. This can be classed as mistreatment.

 

Good Exercise – Again all pets, from the smallest to the largest need a certain amount of exercise (this does depend on the species and breed). There is a danger of both under exercising or over exercising pets.

 

Under exercised pets are usually obese and can be very unhealthy and unfit, which in turn causes problems. Over exercising can also cause problems, especially on joints. Usually owners over exercise their pets at weekends to make up for the lack of exercise during the working week. If your dog is not used to 10-mile hikes, please don’t take them.

 

Good Health Care – Every animal has the right to be FREE from PAIN, INJURY & DISEASE. Prevention is better than cure, regular worming/flea treatments, routine vaccinations (if available for the species are advisable). If any pain or disease is suspected, the animal should be taken for examination and treatment.

 

Free from Fear and Distress – All animals/pets should feel safe and secure. Excessive shouting, noise or smacking pets can cause distress. If you discipline your pets by smacking (which is not ideal), there are other effective ways of doing this, please ask for help.

Some pets are extremely sensitive to change, noise etc. and show signs of stress/fear, please ask for advice about this as there are many things you can do to help your pet relax.

What can I do as a pet owner?

Study the 6 steps to contentment to assess your pet’s quality of life (see the case study to help you).

If you feel you are not achieving them, then try to rectify this. Even if you change one thing at a time e.g. getting up 10 minuets earlier in the morning, to give your dog an extra 10min walk or 10mins more of your company.

If you are unsure please ask for help.

Who can help?

 

Your local veterinary surgery. Vets and Nurses are all trained in animal welfare and have vast experience with animals. They are on hand to help keep your pets Healthy and Happy. Please contact them with any questions.RSPCA.Other pet owners.

CASE STUDY 1

Is my rabbit happy/content?

Using 6 steps to contentment.

Q1) Is my rabbit housed correctly?

Answer: Yes, I think so. The hutch is off the ground and cleaned every 2 days (more in the summer). She has inside and outside access daily. More straw/hay is given during cold spells. I cover the front of the cage when it is especially cold, windy and raining.

ACTION – Non needed.

Q2) Is my rabbit socialised enough?

Answer: I think not. She only gets attention when we clean her out. She is not the friendliest of rabbits and hisses and stamps her feet when we go near her.

ACTION – All the signs that she is showing indicate poor social ability. This is due to lack of attention. More attention is needed, try grooming and spending time with her outdoors, when the weather permits.

Q3) Is my rabbit on a correct diet?

Answer: Yes, she is on a split diet of 20% dry pellet diet, 70% straw/hay and 10% veg/fruit/grass. This was recommended to us by our veterinary surgeon when we first got her.

ACTION – Non needed.

Q4) Is my rabbit exercised correctly?

Answer:Yes, she has access to an outdoor run throughout the year and occasional free roam of the garden. Unless it is cold or raining she spends a lot of time in her outdoor run.

ACTION – Non needed.

Q5) Does my rabbit have good healthy care?

Answer: She has regular health checks at our veterinary practice; they hold 6monthly rabbit clinics, 1 in summer and 1 in winter. The only thing we don’t do is have her vaccinated because we live in a built up area and feel the risk of disease is low.

ACTION – Need to check with your veterinary surgery on the policy on vaccination of rabbits. They may still recommend your rabbit to be vaccinated.

Q6) Is my rabbit free from fear and distress?

Answer: Yes, I think so. She shows no signs of fear or distress.

ACTION – Non-needed.