Small Animal Routine Care

• Routine Care and Welfare for Small Animals is covered in the Spring 2025 course

Learning Objectives

• Define the veterinarian's role in the human-animal bond
• Explain life stages and individualized care for animals
• Describe routine care components for dogs and cats
• Explain the advantages and disadvantages of spaying/neutering
• Locate mandatory reporting requirements for animal abuse in a student's anticipated practice location
• Describe the correlation between animal abuse and interpersonal violence
• Define veterinary care access and existing barriers
• List common reasons for animal relinquishment

Human-Animal Bond

• According to the AVMA, a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship exists between people and animals
• This relationship is influenced by behaviors that are essential to the health and wellbeing of both, and is referred to as, the human-animal bond
• Nurturing this bond is part of responsible pet ownership
• You can get certified in the Human Animal Bond by visiting vetfolio.com

Health Benefits of Owning a Pet

• Decreased blood pressure, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels
• Reduced feelings of loneliness
• Increased opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities
• Increased opportunities for socialization
• Meta-analysis of 70 years of published research indicates a lower risk of death over the long term (Kramer, 2019)
• 87% believe having a pet has positively impacted their mental or physical health, according to HABRI (Human Animal Bond Research Institute) research
• 20% of pet owners report their doctor or therapist recommended getting a pet

Pet Ownership Statistics

• 82 million U.S. households own a pet
• Pet owners are:
  • 16% Gen Z
  • 32% Millennials
  • 24% Baby Boomers
  • 24% Gen X
  • 1% Builder (born before 1946)
• 35% of pet owners spent more on pet supplies than a year prior
• 89% of small animal owners, 71% of horse owners, and 76% of bird owners buy Christmas gifts for their pets
• 44% of small animal owners, and 32% of bird owners have increased spending on health and wellness products
• 55% of horse owners have two or more horses
• Small bird ownership rose to 63% in 2024, compared to 45% in 2018

Pet Spending Facts

• In 2024, $147 billion were spent on pets in the U.S.
• In actual U.S market sales of 2023:
  • $64.4 billion was spent on Pet Food & Treats
  • $32.0 billion was spent on Supplies, Live Animals & OTC
  • $38.3 billion was spent on Medicine Vet Care & Product Sales
  • $8.1 billion was spent on Other Services

Cost of Pet Care

• Basic annual expenses for dogs are generally more than cats
• This is because dog owners tend to bring their dogs in more often than cat owners do

Animal Acquisition Statistics

• The 2019-2020 APPA Survey uncovered the following facts
• 36% of dogs are adopted from a shelter or rescue
• 43% of cats are adopted from shelters or rescues
• 5% of dogs are taken in as strays
• 21% of cats are taken in as strays
• 18% of dogs are acquired from friends or relatives
• 21% of cats are acquired from friends or relatives
• 9% of dogs are purchased from a pet store
• 12% of cats are purchased from a pet store
• 19% of dogs are purchased from a breeder

Community Cats:

• The estimated number of community cats in the US is 30 to 40 million
• Only 2% of community cats are spayed/neutered
• 80% of new kittens born each year are produced by community cats
• 81% believe leaving a community cat outdoors is more preferable to catching and euthanizing them
• 10-12% provision food for community cats

Life Stage of Animals

• There are distinct age-related stages in an animals lifespan that require individualized care:
  • Examination
  • Nutrition and weight management
  • Behavior and environment
  • Oral health
  • Parasite control
  • Vaccination
  • Reproduction
  • Breed-specific screening
  • Elimination (feline)

Veterinary Visits

• The frequency of veterinary visits varies depending on the animal's life stage and disease status
• Puppies and kittens should be seen monthly from 8 weeks to 6 months
• Healthy adult animals have annual check ups
• Senior animals should be seen biannually
• Animals with chronic diseases should be seen as needed for condition management

Client Education

• Client education is very important
• Training and behavior
• Preventative care, vaccines, spay/neuter, parasite prevention
• Microchipping
• Nutrition
• Quality of life
• Disaster preparedness
• Normal vs. abnormal
• General husbandry
• Dental diseases

Dental Health

• Very important part of veterinary visits
• It can lead to other health and behavior issues
• Periodontal disease is the most common dental condition in pets
• Most pets will have some form of the disease by age 3
• It causes pain if left untreated by a veterinarian
• Brushing teeth does help alleviate dental issues
• Dental prophylaxis requires anesthesia

Spaying and Neutering - Pros

• Reduces pet overpopulation
• Addresses undesirable behaviors that are caused by hormones
• Eliminates estrus cycles
• Decreases risk of mammary tumors, pyometra, testicular cancer, and prostate disease
• Increases lifespan

Spaying and Neutering - Cons

• Could potentially cause:
  • Cancer
  • Orthopedic disease
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Endocrine disorders
    • Obesity

Reasons why clients don't spay/neuter

• Want their children to experience birth
• Financial constraints
• Fear of anesthesia
• Lack of understanding of the benefits
• Cultural reasons
• Because they are breeders
• Anthropomorphizing: "pet will feel less masculine," "experience the joy of motherhood"

When to Spay/Neuter

• Dogs in Shelters: As early as 8 weeks
• Owned Dogs: Usually around 5-6 months
• Large and Giant Dog Breeds: Case by case basis
• Cats in Shelters: At least 2 pounds (~8 weeks)
• Owned Cats: Prior to 5 months

Declawing

• Declawing involves the amputation of the 3rd phalanx (distal phalanx)
• It can lead to behavioral problems, though literature is mixed -Inappropriate elimination -Aggression -Chronic pain
• It is best performed as a last resort if there are: -Medical concerns of owners -Behaviors that would result in relinquishment or euthanasia
• It is critical to discuss alternatives-nail trimming, scratching posts, soft paws, pheromones, enrichment

Behavior Education

• Necessary for new puppies and kittens
• Socialization is important, with puppies from 8-12 weeks and kittens from 4-8 weeks (if rabies vaccine has been administered)
• Enrichment
• Necessary for multi-cat households
• Important to address litter boxes and litter type, advising clients to have n+1 litter boxes (n= number of cats in the household)
• Crate training
• Obedience training

Microchips

• In a 2007-2008 study, of stray dogs and cats, 1.8% had microchips
• Return To Owner (RTO) rate was 20x higher for cats 2.5x higher for dogs
• 72.7% of microchipped animals were returned to owners
• One of the largest reasons why owners could not be found was "failure to register the microchip or incorrect information in the database"
• The US currently has no agreed standards for microchip frequencies
• A universal scanner is needed

Veterinary Care Costs

• Gold standard: sparing no expense to treat and diagnose while remaining in an academic setting
• Low cost: providing services at a reduced rate which may be subsidized by the shelter, grant, etc.

Pet Insurance

• The AVMA has a policy statement on Pet Insurance
• There are many options for pet owners to choose from that would assist with paying for catastrophic or emergency issues
• It is crucial to provide client education on the options available

Access to Veterinary Care Coalition

• The National Population Study of 2018 seeks to better understand the barriers to veterinary care:
  • Cannot afford it -No transportation
  • Do not know where to go
  • Concerned provider would think badly of pet owner
  • No leash or carrier
  • No provider who spoke the same language

Barriers to Access to Pet Care

• Lack of access to veterinary care
• Millions of pets live in homes that fall below the poverty level, making veterinary care less accessible
• Families within the struggling middle class also face difficulty with providing appropriate veterinary care
• It is crucial to provide care without judgement
• It is an animal welfare issue, a public health issue, that can even break apart families

Incremental Care

• Provide in a step-wise fashion
• Use a tiered approach to care vs. gold standard
• Bottom-up approach

Relinquishment

• Surprisingly, human reasons are the most common reasons for owners to rehome
  • Housing Changes
  • Broken human animal bond
    • Behavior
    • Aggression
    • Animal size
    • Health-related

Top Owner Surrender Reasons

• In 2024, the top 5 reasons for owner surrender were:
  • Too Many Animals
  • Housing
  • Caretaker of Family Health/Death
  • Non Aggressive Behavior/personality
  • Financial struggles

Death Care for Pets

• Constant Companionship and Total Dependency
• Many people grieve more for lost pet than for a friend or family member
• There are Veterinary social workers/pet loss support groups
• Children should be made aware about an appropriate timeline so that they are ok
• Make certain to let other pets mourn as well and let them understand what is happening

Death Care

• Counsel the owner
• Assess quality of life for the patient
• End animal suffering by protecting their welfare
• Logistics -Present vs not present -Permission -Environment -Body care
• Lap of Love for at-home Euthanasia service

Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence

• There is a direct correlation between animal abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, and elder abuse
• Some Signs of Abuse for Animals, include: -Repeated Fractures
  • Non-accidental injury
  • Unexplained Bruising -Disengaged Client
  • Animal Fighting -Signs of Human Abuse, include:
  • Bruising on arms, face, and neck
  • Wearing long sleeves to cover
  • Sprains wrists or busted lips
  • Agitation, anxiety
  • Seeming fearful
  • Low Self Esteem
  • Controlled by partner
• Types of Domestic Abuse, including::
  • Child Abuse
  • Verbal Abuse
  • Elderly Abuse
  • Animal Abuse

Legal Aspects of Animal Abuse

• 37 states mandate or permit vets to report suspected animal abuse without violating confidentiality standards
• Veterinarians are mandated to report child or elder abuse in 23 states
• Linkcoalition.org and the Animal Legal Defense Fund have a current list of all pertinent laws

Actions that can be taken against Animal Abuse

• Know who to report to
• Establish a protocol for abuse
• Support survivor's pets by donating services to domestic violence shelters