Pets with Disabilities
As veterinary medicine advances, veterinarians are able to help an increasing number of animals with serious problems, and these animals are living longer than ever before. The number of animals with disabilities, chronic diseases, and other conditions that require special care is constantly rising, and these animals are beginning to find a special place in pet owners' hearts.
Most pets with special needs can live very well with the help of their owners and some changes to their environments. As people learn how to care for their disabled pets and see everything that pets with disabilities can accomplish, they can begin to realize that the most unusual part of these animals is not their limitations, but rather their abilities.
Three-legged pets
One of the most visible pet disabilities is a missing limb. However much it stands out to humans, though, animals hardly seem to notice the loss of a leg. Animal amputees may need a little time to adjust and may have some initial balance problems: cats may have some trouble balancing in the litter box, for example. They also lose their ability to defend themselves: outside animals should move inside to live a more protected lifestyle than they did when they had all four legs. With time however, animals can adjust amazingly well to the loss of a limb. They can often move almost as well as they ever did.
Less obvious needs
Some of the most common problems animals live with are not immediately visible. Conditions like diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure, seizures, cancer, and cognitive or developmental problems can impact the quality of an animal's life, though they are not commonly recognized as disabilities. All of these conditions can be managed however, by loving pet owners working together with veterinarians. Kidney failure, for example, can be life threatening if not treated, but it can be managed quite well with a prescription diet and drinking plenty of water. Owners can compensate for their pets' lower kidney function by making sure they eat less protein. Heart disease can be managed with medication to equalize the animal's fluid balance and proper, carefully monitored exercise. Diabetes can be controlled through diet, exercise, weight control, and blood sugar monitoring. Seizures can often be reduced with prescription medication. Animals with any of these conditions can often live very well, when their human families and veterinarians work together to modify the pets' lifestyle, environment, diet, medication, or a combination of the four.
Many animals with mental retardation or cognitive function problems can do quite well with a little extra attention from owners, though results can vary widely depending on the pet's condition.
Paralysis
Paralysis can be one of the most challenging, and widely varied, pet disabilities for owners to cope with. Modifying the environment is relatively simple: stairs should be barred with child gates, and animals should be confined to an area in the house where nothing on the ground (such as children's toys or rough concrete or stone) can injure them. If pets are dragging their rear legs behind them, owners may want to cover the rear legs with bandages or fabric to prevent damage to the skin. There are also wheelchairs available for dogs that can help them be remarkably mobile. The dogs pull themselves forward with their front legs while the chair supports the back half of their body. The chairs are lightweight and have large, thick wheels. They can move across bumpy terrain and even through shallow water without slowing down.
Even with these adaptations, however, animals' ability to adjust to paralysis depends on their size, age, personality, and their human family's ability to cope with the physical demands of their care. Small animals that are paralyzed are generally easier to care for. Owners can carry them easily or put them in backpacks to be carried long distances. It is also simpler to control their bodily functions. Animals with completely severed spinal cords will not have bladder or bowel movements unless their bladder and bowels become overly filled. Veterinarians can show pet owners how to express--or squeeze--the bladder and stimulate the colon to empty them regularly. This is done by pressing and massaging the pet's abdomen, and it is not terribly difficult in cats and small dogs. Caring for large dogs--over 35 pounds--becomes more challenging. The process requires cooperation from the dog and strength and patience from the human family.
Special sense pets
Pets that lose their sight or hearing can adapt much more easily than people, but they need to live in an environment that has been carefully modified. Blind animals, for example, need to be protected against hazards they cannot see. Owners should put child gates at both ends of the stairs, in case the pet becomes disoriented and walks in the wrong direction. Blind animals should only negotiate the steps when supervised. Blind pets should only be outside when supervised as well, because they can become frightened or disoriented, and they can wander off if a gate blows open. Also, owners should also try not to move their furniture very often, so their pets can know where objects are as they move around the house. With the help of these safety measures, pets can adapt remarkably well to blindness. Cats and dogs can learn to navigate through familiar environments by smell and by memory. Sometimes animals' behavior will change so little when they go blind that their human families will not even realize it, particularly if the blindness occurs gradually. Blind animals can even learn to take walks in unfamiliar areas. Owners should walk them with a body harness, instead of a collar, because it provides more body contact and a sense of being securely connected. It may take some time for a blind animal to feel safe walking in strange places, but most will learn with time. Once blind animals learn to trust their owners, they'll follow them anywhere.
The primary challenge with deaf dogs is that their owners cannot guide or signal to them verbally. Deaf dogs need to be supervised and kept on a leash whenever they leave the house, as they cannot be called back and they cannot hear traffic or other approaching dangers. Deaf animals can learn to follow commands, however. They can be trained using a combination of eye contact, facial expressions, touch, and hand signals.
Owners can also communicate with deaf dogs through touch and vibration. Pet owners use a lot of creative methods to call their deaf dogs, including remote control vibrating collars, stomping on the floor indoors to cause vibrations, and flashing a flashlight or the reflection from a hand mirror.
Arthritis
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common pet ailments, affecting four to five million dogs (the number of cats with arthritis is unknown). To pet owners, it can seem debilitating, as it can cause dogs pain and keep them depressed and inactive. Arthritis does not have to mean a dog has to live in pain, however. It is a good example of a condition where a few small adaptations from owners can allow pets with special needs to live full lives. Family members can help protect arthritic dogs from injury by providing ramps for the pets to get in and out of cars and on and off furniture. Owners can carry small dogs in their arms or in backpacks when going on long walks. Mild exercise can keep animals' joints loose, though owners should be careful not to overexert their dogs. A good diet and weight maintenance will help arthritic dogs as well; obesity puts extra strain on their joints. Finally, nutritional supplements and medication can keep dogs' joints in shape and control pain. None of these lifestyle modifications are very serious or difficult, and they can help a dog with arthritis live a relatively active life.
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