Stress and the Older Pet

Stress is detrimental to the health and well-being of both people and animals. Studies continually show that high cortisol levels, representing increased output of the adrenal glands due to sustained stress, is a prime suspect in both the generation and worsening of disease. As animals age, stress can pose a more serious problem due to the presence of chronic health issues as well as an immune system that has diminished in efficiency. How do we go about reducing the stress levels in our pets' lives?

If you have cats that have not been kept indoors their whole lives, start doing so by at least nine years of age. Older cats who get into fights do not heal as quickly as youngsters, and are more prone to infection. They are also slower-moving, making them prime targets for dogs and other predators. Their slower immune response will be less stressed if it does not need to constantly combat pathogens encountered in the outside world.

Dogs who reach the same age cannot be kept indoors, obviously, but should no longer be allowed to roam free (if they ever did). Exercise is just as important for older dogs as younger ones, but it must be lower-intensity, with you as a direct participant. Take walks, play fetch, etc. but make sure Fido doesn't run off and get into trouble by eating something his system now cannot tolerate or by being unable to avoid the hazards of road traffic anymore.

Change the diet to a premium one that delivers more nutrition and fewer empty calories and low-quality fillers. Give a quality vitamin-mineral supplement, or make your own. Take your pet to the vet whenever the need arises, but resist if talk of continuing on with vaccinations comes up. If you need to follow state and local laws and get a rabies shot for your dog or cat, then so be it; all other inoculations are no longer needed, and will only unduly stress your animal's system.

Animals, just like people, like their routines and become stressed when things change. People can understand why change must sometimes occur, but animals cannot. Therefore, it is probably better to pay someone to take care of your pets in your own home than to board them. They will be exposed to fewer disease-causing germs that way, too.

Keeping your pet's life as stress-free as possible will not only make him or her happier, it may very well extend their lifespan, too!
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Hyperthyroidism in Cats: The New Scourge

Hyperthyroidism, or excessive production of thyroid hormones, is fast becoming a common and intractable disease of older cats. Once a cat is struck by this disease, it becomes quite ill and needs constant and expensive treatment. Why has this disease become so widespread?

When I was studying veterinary science in the late 1970s, hyperthyroidism was not considered very significant. Even while working for veterinarians in the early 1980s, I don't recall seeing many cases or hearing about it very often. Nowadays, it seems that not only do I read about it on a regular basis, but I know people whose older cats have been diagnosed with this disease. What happened between the late 1970s, and today?

Thyroid disease, whether hyper- or hypothyroidism, is considered to have its roots in the immune system. Either the immune system is over-stimulated, causing it to attack the body itself, or it is suppressed, allowing pathogens and mutated cells that would normally be disposed of to thrive and cause disease. According to veterinarian-authors such as Donald R. Strombeck and Richard H. Pitcairn, hyperthyroidism is a disease that was seldom seen in cats until well into the 1970s. Strombeck notes a direct correlation between the feeding of canned cat food and the emergence of this disease, as does Pitcairn, though they state that the reasons are unclear. Pitcairn also indicts the practice of administering multiple vaccines at once, a method that evolved over the years and was not common 20 or 30 years ago.

Another well-known author of holistic pet-care books, Anitra Frazier, mentions the fact that commercial cat foods are processed at very high heat. To replace nutrients lost during this process, additives and chemicals are introduced, and these can cause allergic reactions in cats. Allergies, an over-reaction by the immune system to some irritant, can, over time, cause the immune system to go into overdrive. In humans, this often presents as "multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome". In cats, it is probably something similar. A bombardment of an animal's immune system by multiple vaccinations can have the same effect. Conversely, the opposite can occur, whereby an overtaxed and stressed immune system just "gives up", resulting in diminished immune function.

Next week, I'll talk about the prevention, symptoms and treatment of this disease. Stay tuned!
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