CARING FOR YOUR PET DURING CONVALESCENCE

Your pet has had a serious illness or injury and is now in a period of convalescence. Your help and cooperation during this time are vital for your dog or cat to reach a full recovery. The cause of your pet's weakened condition might have been an injury from another animal or motor vehicle, the stress of surgery, disease or some other serious illness or injury. Whatever the cause, your veterinarian has determined that the healing process will now progress better in your home than in the hospital. This article will help you understand what to do to help your pet make a complete recovery.

The Effect of Serious Illness

When an animal is seriously ill or injured, the body undergoes changes that affect its ability to recover. These changes may be especially pronounced if your pet was anorectic (wouldn't eat) during the crisis. Muscle tissue might have been lost and other vital tissue from internal organs may be diminished. The body has used this tissue for energy and for healing. In addition, the immune system may not be working as well as it should to protect against infection.

The Goals of Recovery

During the patient's convalescence, your veterinarian will need your help to accomplish four key objectives:

1. Eliminate or reverse the original cause of illness.
2. Provide everything the body needs to repair damaged tissue.
3. Help the body replenish nutrients depleted during illness.
4. Prevent further problems such as infection that may impair healing.

The medications that your veterinarian prescribes will help your pet recover, but you must see that they are used correctly. They must be given at the proper time and in the correct amount for as long as your veterinarian specifies. Otherwise, they may not accomplish their intended purpose.

Taking Care of Wounds and Incisions

If your pet was hospitalized because of an injury or for surgery, these areas need special attention to heal. This may involve changing bandages, keeping the wound clean and dry, and confining the patient to an area where you can watch it closely. You must not allow your pet to lick or scratch at the stitches, or to let any swelling, redness or discharge from the wound go unnoticed. In case the patient is a persistant licker, the use of E-collar might help, (Elizabethan collar). Your veterinarian will give you specific instructions for proper care. If you have any questions or problems with incisions, bandages, casts, splints or braces, contact your veterinarian at once.

Dietary Recommendations

In addition to the medicines and wound care necessary for recovery, proper diet is critical to your pet's convalescence. In fact, it is one of the most important criteria for returning to health. You must make sure your pet is receiving clean, fresh water at all times (unless restricted water intake is advised) as well as proper nourishment. There are foods specially formulated to help anorectic pets recover, and your veterinarian has probably recommended one.

The ideal food for recovering cats and dogs should have certain characteristics:

• Digestibility so the body can absorb the nutrients.

• Palatability so that pets will want to eat it.

• A texture and consistency that lets you feed it through a syringe, if necessary.

• Special nutrients that favour rapid recovery, such as glutamine, branch-chained amino acids, n-3 fatty acids, Vitamins A and E and zinc.

A therapeutic diet has these characteristics and is very high in all the nutrients needed by recovering animals. It is also easy for you to feed. The therapeutic diet can be given through a feeding syringe, which your veterinarian will provide. This type of assisted feeding is not difficult if done properly. It can also be spoon-fed during the transition back to a long-term maintenance food.

Your veterinarian will instruct you on how and when to feed the therapeutic diet and for how long to continue feeding it. Follow the instructions precisely and keep a close watch on your pet's attitude during convalescence; the animal should remain alert and responsive. Vomiting, diarrhoea, coughing or difficulty breathing should be noted along with changes in water consumption or urinary habits. If you suspect a problem, contact your veterinarian.

Assist-Feeding Your Cat

Feeding your cat with a syringe is easy with a therapeutic diet. The special texture and consistency of the diet will make it simple to fill and refill the syringe. Insert the tip between your cat's upper and lower small front teeth and deliver the formula gently, allowing your pet to swallow comfortably. Repeat the process until you have fed the desired quantity of formula.

As your cat becomes more accustomed to this procedure, it should take less time to feed the formula and your pet should eventually eat it without assistance.

Assist-Feeding Your Dog

Use the syringe supplied by your veterinarian to feed the therapeutic diet. Insert the syringe tip between the cheek and gum where your dog cannot bite it, and slowly deliver the formula, allowing your pet to swallow comfortably. When the syringe has been emptied, refill it and continue feeding the formula until your dog has eaten the desired quantity.

As your dog becomes more accustomed to this procedure, it should take less time to feed the formula and your pet should eventually eat it without assistance.