Pets in US get human treatment
ELEV EN-Y EAR-OLD Bess waits patient ly to be i mmersed in water just a litt le cooler t han her body temperature. Her hydrotherapy session will last only 17 minutes but it does wonders for t his art hritis suf ferer. Bess is a cat.
To ease her joint pain, the Maine Coon, a touch over weight at 10kg, is ta ken ever y week to the Friendship Hospita l for Animals, a veterinar y clinic on a pleasant Washington st reet.
Beyond t radit iona l veterinar y treatment, t he clinic of fers forms of care once reser ved for humans, such as acupuncture and t herapeutic ultrasound.
Pets are now increasingly seen as genuine family members, said Christine Klippen, one of the 63 veterinarians who are available at the clinic every day of the year.
And t his is particularly tr ue for millennia ls, she said, who see themselves as moms and dads to t heir “f ur babies”. Given t he higher incomes in t he US capita l, t hey often seek out t he best pet care available.
In the US, 84.9 million households, or 68 per cent, have a pet, according to Steve King, head of the American Pet Products Association.
“Millennia ls are t he largest petowning demographic among all generations,” he said, and have surpassed the postwar Baby Boom generation.
Last year, consumer spending on pets hit a record $72.6 billion and the APPA expects this will rise to $75.4 billion this year.
Health care spending is the fastest-rising category as pet owners learn about available treatments.
“There’s less pushback than there was,” said Brant Hassell, a veterinar
ian practicing at the District Veterinary Hospital.
“These dogs are a lot of people’s first children,” he said.
“If I say, ‘Oh, my goodness. This dog has a loose tooth,’ they’re just like, ‘my baby!’”
Back at Friendship Hospital, Bess the cat walks on an underwater treadmill, the water up to her whiskers, the pace slow and regular as a metronome.
But to keep up, Bella, a “senior” dog, needed a little extra motivation in the form of peanut butter.
“We are more selective with food when they’re overweight,” said Janay Austin-Carlson, a rehabilitation practitioner.
Walking in water creates greater resistance to movement, making exercise more ef fective.
“One minute in here is much harder than one minute outside,” she said.
Given Washing ton’s of ten oppressive summertime heat, where temperatures ca n easi ly hit 35 deg rees Celsius a nd humidit y r ises to 70 per cent, t he a nima ls ca n a lso exercise i n relat ive comfort.
“We can play with the speed, the water level,” said Austin-Carlson. “All t hose t hings create dif ferent dynamics.”
$15,000 for dialysis
Bella’s “mom,” 45-year-old Freya Jackson, says hydrotherapy has been a godsend.
“When she comes, she’s usually tired afterwards and needs a long nap. But the day after you can really see she could move around more freely,” said Jackson.
Still, Bella’s fitness regime is not exact ly free: A 20-minute hydrotherapy session runs to $ 89 and comes after 15 minutes of laser t herapy at $ 65.
And Bella has stuck to this weekly routine for a year.
Jackson said having a healthy dog helps her own exercise habits and, given that she has no children, the expense fits her budget.
“I’m investing in myself to stay fit and healthy and be able to run around,” she said. “It is a part of my wellbeing.”
Pet owners are generally healthier people, coping better with conditions such as autism, dementia and cardiovascular disease, according to studies funded by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute.
Having a dog or cat in the house typically lowers blood pressure and children may suffer less frequently from allergies.
Generally pets improve mental health, according to Klippen of the Friendship Hospital.
“Because we v iew our pets in a more human way it is no longer meaningful enough for us to simply give t hem a biscuit,” said King of the APPA.
And some pet owners are ready to spare no expense: Dialysis can run between $12,000 and $15,000 while the price tag on orthopedic surgery ranges from $5,000 to $7,000.
But humanising pets can involve controversial or even dangerous health practices such as needlessly imposing grain or gluten free diets on animals.
This simply does not suit t heir nutritiona l needs and can cause premature death, according to Klippen.
In the meantime, US authorities say they have begun scrutinising potential ties between such popular, newfangled diets and the prevalence of heart disease in dogs.