The Pet Network is in free preview on Rogers right now. If you’re a Rogers customer, you can check us out free of charge until February 4. It’s the perfect opportunity to sample our refreshed program lineup, which features great new shows like Hope For Wildlife along with more of such viewer favourites as Animal 24:7, Pit Boss and Pet ER.
Don’t forget to tune in Saturdays through December and January, when we’ll be presenting special Pet-A-Pawlooza marathons of all your favourite shows.
You’ll find us on channel 268. To subscribe to The Pet Network, visit Rogers.com.
Do you believe in Dog? In their latest column for On The Go magazine, our Fido & Wine team of Laura Ducharme and Jen Mitchell explore the many fascinating connections between pets and spirituality, from “blessing of the animals” services to pet memorials.
On the Go is available at TTC and GO Train stations in the Greater Toronto Area. CLICK HERE to check out the current issue.
Don’t forget to catch Fido & Wine on The Pet Network every Tuesday and Saturday at 8 pm ET/PT.
When you share your life with a beloved pet, the years fly by all too quickly. One day your children come home with a tiny kitten they found under the neighbour’s porch. In no time, those same kids are attending university and that endearing kitten is a long-treasured member of your family.
The good news is that our pets are living longer than ever. Thanks to vaccinations and improvements in veterinary care, many domestic animals now live well into their teens — and a few even reach a third decade.
It’s important to remember that pets age on a different timeline than their owners. The adage about one human year equaling seven pet years really only applies to a fairly narrow range in the life of a dog or cat. If you think of human aging as a diagonal line, pet aging looks more like bell curve. There is a comparatively short youth, followed by a much more rapid progression of old age.
Cats and small breeds of dog mature quite rapidly, generally reaching physical and sexual maturity between 9 and 12 months of age. So a year-old cat or small dog is essentially at the same stage of life as your typical high school senior. (Parents of teenagers may wish their own kids could sail though adolescence in a few short months!) Larger breeds of dog may take anywhere from 18 months to two years to reach maturity.
From there, pets tend to age fairly uniformly — but by the age of six or seven years, the aging process again begins to vary widely. Among giant breeds of dogs, for example, ages eight to 10 are the geriatric years. Many of these lovely breeds, sadly, do not live into their teens.
For healthy cats and most other dogs, however, these years represent the prime of life. Indeed, cats and some toy breed dogs may be well into their early or mid teens before owners start to notice the physical signs typical of advancing age. On the other hand, larger dogs — such as retrievers, shepherd-type breeds and others of similar size — will begin to show signs of aging earlier.
Regardless of their chronological age, once pets reach their geriatric years they begin to show the same kinds of physical changes that we see in ourselves as the retirement years approach.
Many owners become concerned when they notice the cloudy blue haze that sometimes appears in the eyes of older dog or cat. It shouldn’t be cause for alarm, though. If there’s no sign of discharge or redness, and no evidence (such as blinking or rubbing) to suggest it’s causing pain, then what you’re seeing is likely just a natural consequence of advancing age — a gradual hardening of the lens of the eye, which is the structure that allows us to adjust our sight for fine motor tasks. Unless your pets like to read or do needlepoint, they won’t be troubled by it.
A progressive loss of hearing is another common sign of aging; it may even afford a degree of comfort to a senior pet, as it does help turn down the volume if the household is a particularly boisterous. Owners, however, sometimes find it a bit distressing to discover that their pets don’t always come when called anymore. (Then, again, if you have cats you’re probably used to being ignored.)
Arthritis in geriatric pets is as common as it is among senior citizens. If you live long enough, the years of wear and tear on your joints begin to add up. The joints become less flexible — and in advanced cases can cause quite a lot of pain. Cats and dogs usually signal this pain through a decrease in their normal activities, or a reluctance to do things they used to do, such as jumping up on a bed or climbing stairs. Dogs suffering from chronic pain may pant even when they are neither hot nor tired. Pets may also sleep excessively to escape the discomfort.
Some changes in behaviour can indicate a potentially serious health issue. Owners of senior pets should be especially alert for any change in appetite. An animal that gradually loses its appetite or that must be coaxed into eating with treats should see a veterinarian. The change may be caused by infected, loose or painful teeth, or may signal the nausea resulting by an internal organ problem. Cats or dogs that eat voraciously but still lose weight might be suffering from diabetes, kidney disease or even cancer. Excessive thirst is also a warning sign. It’s a common symptom of several serious but treatable diseases.
Keep an eye out for these signs. Pets, like people, stand the the best chance of recovery when illness is diagnosed in the early stages.
Next time, we’ll discuss ways to help keep your aging pets happy and comfortable in their twilight years. There is nothing quite so comforting as the warmth of a old cat snoozing in your lap, or a loving look from the faithful, grey-muzzled dog you’ve raised from a rambunctious pup. There are many things you can do to make sure this will be a wonderful time for both of you.
Dr. Pamela Barker is a professional veterinarian with more than 15 years of experience, currently practicing in 100 Mile House, B.C. Her special areas of interest include animal behaviour and training, nutrition and condition for canine athletes, and public education about animal health and care. If you’d like to suggest a topic for one of her future blog posts, please feel free to leave a comment below.
Looking forward to a spring getaway? Make sure your vacation plans include provisions for your pet while you’re away. In this video blog post, The Pet Network’s Melissa walks you through the best options, from posh doggie hotels and spas to professional dog walkers and nannies.
Jen Mitchell, the producer of our series Fido & Wine, has a new blog devoted to her current passion: home cooking for dogs. We’ll be reposting recipes and insights from My Dog’s Breakfast whenever we can. Here’s her recipe for a hearty treat called Pumpkin Rye Crunchers, made with Ryvita crispbreads:
-6 Ryvita crispbreads, crumbled
-1 cup pure pumpkin puree
-2 cups rye flour or whole wheat if you don’t have it
-1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds
-1/3 cup peanut butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add the two cups of flour to your mixing bowl. Then add the pumpkin puree, seeds and peanut butter. Mix together. Crumble in two of the Ryvita crisps and the pumpkin seeds. Mix again. On top of the rough dough ball you’ve formed, sprinkle remainder of crumbled Ryvitas on top, let them fall off the sides to bottom of bowl. Lift the ball and and gently place the bottom on top of these fallen Ryvita crumbles.
Form cookies of any size you like from the dough ball, by gently making cookie balls. Place them on parchment lined baking tray and press down to make into a cookie shape. Don’t manhandle these ones too much,you want the crispy crumbles to stay somewhat on top of the dough so that they are still crisp after baking.
We all want the very best for our pets — but these days it seems that our pets may be getting too much of a good thing, in the form of food and treats. Obesity in dogs and cats has reached epidemic proportions in recent years. No longer required to burn calories by hunting game, herding livestock or ridding the farm of unwanted rodents, most pets are now creatures of leisure. Little energy is expended lounging on the couch, and modern pet foods are densely packed with protein, fats and carbohydrates. For many pets, this combination of dietary excess and inactivity is a recipe for disaster.
Really, though, what’s a few extra pounds? How bad can that be? Turns out, over the course of the pet’s lifetime, it can have serious — sometimes fatal — consequences.
First, let’s put things in perspective. Let’s say your 5.5 kg (12-pound) pet should actually weigh closer to 4.5 kg (10 pounds). That’s only one little kilogram, right? But for your pet, that’s an extra 20 percent on top of their ideal weight. That’s the equivalent of adding 30 extra pounds on a person who should weigh about 150 pounds. In my practice, I commonly see 45 kg dogs whose ideal body weight should be around 34 kg. These poor dogs are tired, sore and don’t like to do much. And no wonder! It’s like a person carrying around a 40 pound backpack, 24/7.
And the story is even worse for those dogs with short legs and long backs — the extra weight on their frame puts tremendous stress on the spine. Think of it as being like putting several pairs of wet jeans on a coat hanger. The vertebral column sags and puts pressure on the soft disks between the bones. This crushing effect causes pain, arthritis of the spine and — not uncommonly — paralysis. This condition, known as intervertebral disk disease, often requires expensive surgery to prevent permanent paralysis.
Cats don’t get off so easily, either. Excess weight in these pets — just as in humans and in dogs —dramatically raises the risk of diabetes. And diabetic pets require the same kind of treatment as diabetic people. They must receive insulin injections at strictly spaced intervals, usually once or twice a day. Their blood sugar must be monitored frequently (yes, with a needle!), and they must eat special food when they receive their medication. And, since there is no known cure for diabetes, the disease must be managed for life. Some lucky felines — if they are diagnosed early and their blood sugar is brought under control quickly — will go into remission. Even these cats, however, must be monitored closely for recurrence. And if they remain overweight, the problem may recur.
In addition, overweight cats are at risk of a life-threatening condition called “fatty liver syndrome” or hepatic lipidosis. This can occur quite suddenly when an overweight cat stops eating regularly, for whatever reason. The liver becomes overwhelmed when the cat’s body starts using its stored fat as a source of energy. This process can quickly prove fatal without hospitalization and intensive treatment. Serious cases may require the surgical placement of a feeding tube, which may need to stay in place for weeks until the cat recovers.
As if all this weren’t bad enough, some evidence suggests that overweight animals are more susceptible to certain kinds of cancers. And we know for a fact that one of the best pain-relief remedies for arthritic pets is to maintain them at their ideal body weight.
So how do you know if your pet is overweight? Like watching the grass grow, it can be difficult to notice, since it happens so gradually and we see our pets every day. Plus, our concept of what a slim, fit pet looks like has changed over time. We see so many overweight animals now that it skews our perception of what normal actually looks like.
Determining your pet’s level of fitness — officially known as the Body Condition Score, or BCS — requires a hands-on approach. You need to work your fingers through the coat and feel for fat deposits that indicate that your pet is packing a few extra pounds. There are different BCS scoring charts available online to help guide you through the process.
Your veterinarian is the best resource for determining if your pet’s weight is appropriate, or if there are steps you need to take to help your pet achieve an active, healthy life.
Dr. Pamela Barker is a professional veterinarian with more than 15 years of experience, currently practicing in 100 Mile House, B.C. Her special areas of interest include animal behaviour and training, nutrition and condition for canine athletes, and public education about animal health and care. If you’d like to suggest a topic for one of her future blog posts, please feel free to leave a comment below.
A new monthly pets column by Laura Ducharme and Jen Mitchell, host and producer, respectively of The Pet Network original series Fido & Wine, makes it debut in the February issue of On the Go magazine. Congratulations, Laura and Jen! We’ll be reposting their columns here, so check back every month for more great advice and insight on living with and caring for pets.
On the Go is available at TTC and GO Train stations in the Greater Toronto Area. CLICK HERE to check out the current issue.
Here’s a quick rundown of the holiday specials we’ve got lined up for the next few days:
ANIMAL ICONS: CHRISTMAS ANIMALS Friday Dec. 23 @ 10 pm ET/PT and Saturday Dec. 24 @ 9 pm ET From the Chipmunks to Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, meet the animal stars of the holiday season’s most beloved screen specials.
ROXANNE’S BEST CHRISTMAS EVER Saturday Dec. 24 @ 6 pm ET Jane Seymour lends her voice to the title character in this animated holiday special about a plucky young dog who enlist Santa’s help in her quest to find the perfect Christmas tree.
SMUDGE Saturday Dec. 24 and Sunday Dec. 25 @ 6:30 pm ET This touching family drama tells the uplifting story of a young woman with Down syndrome who rescues a homeless puppy at Christmas time.
A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS Saturday Dec. 24 @ 8:30 pm ET and Sunday Dec. 25 @ 5:30 pm ET [Pictured above] In this delightful animated adaptation of the Dylan Thomas classic A Child’s Christmas in Wales, a young boy asks an elderly man “What were Christmases like in your day?” The answer takes us to a fantastical world where wolves wandered in Wales, mermaids splashed in Swansea Bay and hippos lumbered through the snowy streets.
Don’t forget: The Pet Network is available to all Rogers digital customers in free preview until Wednesday, Jan. 4. You can find us on channel 268. Have a safe and happy holiday season, everyone!
Does the presence of a dog or cat on an airplane really pose a serious concern? Representatives from Air Canada and WestJet — both of which allow small animals on their flights — have downplayed the issue. Here’s what a spokesperson from WestJet told the Star:
“Actual experience with this issue indicates that the call for an outright ban on pets in the cabin may overstate the reality of the incidence of serious allergic reactions that may be attributed to the presence of pets in airline cabins … In the past 18 months, we have flown roughly 25 million guests on over 243,000 separate flights, with 58,000 pets in the cabins of our aircraft. During that period, our flight crews have been made aware of only a handful of allergy-related incidents where pets were present in the cabin.”
We appreciate the importance of respecting those among us who have reason not to share our love of pets. But an outright ban seems excessive, to say the least. Isn’t this the sort of issue that can be dealt with through common sense and a spirit of reasonable accommodation? The airlines, for example, stress the need for owners traveling with pets to give advance warning — and they make it a practice to re-seat passengers who have problems sitting near an animal. That seems a much more sensible way of handling things.
Here’s what Air Canada and Westjet tell passengers about traveling with pets.
Incidentally, we also learned from this article that the Canadian Transportation Agency last year ruled that several people who are allergic to cats “should be considered disabled.” Really?
A small sampling of upcoming events for Canadian animal lovers:
*Toronto Cat Rescue will be holding a weekend adopt-a-thon on Saturday Aug. 6 & Sunday Aug. 7. Where: Galleria Mall Pet Valu, 1245 Dupont Street. The adoption fee is $175, which includes six weeks of free pet insurance. Call 416-538-8592 for more details.
* Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blindopens the doors of its National Training Centre near Ottawa to the public on Saturday Aug. 6 from 11 am to 3 pm. Stop by the open house for tours, demonstrations and the chance to meet present and future guide dogs. Call 613-692-7777 or email info@guidedogs.ca for more information.
* Pawlooza (above) is London, Ontario’s festival for dogs. Join 4,000 of Canada’s coolest canines at Plunkett Estate on Saturday Aug. 20 from 10 am to 6 pm for the ultimate dog party. Take your pup dock diving, get readings from a pet psychic, learn the essentials of pet first aid and more. Visit www.pawlooza.com for details.
* The annual Toronto Westie Walk and Family Fun Day takes place on Sunday Sept. 11 at Mississauga Valley Park. Highlights include a bagpiper-led walk around the park, Westie games and races, a BBQ and more. Proceeds go to support the volunteer rescue group Westies in Need. Email corrie@westiesinneed.ca or call 905-936-6691 for more info.
* Based in Barrie, Ontario, Golden Rescue is a volunteer organization that has been working for more than 20 years to help abused and abandoned Golden Retrievers. Their 10th Annual Golf “Fore” Gold fundraising tournament takes place Monday, Sept. 19 at the beautiful Hockley Valley Resort in Orangeville, Ontario. Check out www.goldenrescue.ca for more details.
If you’ve got a pet event you’d like to see highlighted on The Pet Network Web site or Facebook page, or in our email newsletter, The Scoop, just drop a comment or contact dtodd@stornoway.com.
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