By Keith Powell - Arrow Lakes News

Published: September 30, 2008 7:00 AM Keith Powell/ Arrow Lakes News

This is an x-ray of a dog’s underbelly. The open house at the clinic will have x-rays and other neat things.

Gearing up for Animal Health Week, local veterinarian Dr. Laurie Page will be inviting everyone to come to her clinic to have fun and to get more of an idea of what veterinarians do.

“Our focus is to celebrate the bond between humans and their pets,” says Page about the open house at the Nakusp Veterinary Clinic which will be held on Oct. 8. “We’re setting up displays on bones, joints, anatomical stuff and parasites.”

When talking about animal health, Page says the mainstays of preventive medicine for keeping a pet healthy are routine exercise and nutrition and also knowing your pets habits as well, so you know what to look for if the pet is having any trouble.

Page recommends an annual wellness exam, saying pets should be examined every year just to see if there is anything wrong or different with the animal, adding the age of the pet has a lot to do with what might be wrong with the animal. She says they see a lot of ordinary diseases, like cancer, heart and kidney diseases, thyroid disease and she also mentioned skin diseases are really common in this area, adding this is the worst flea season the clinic has had since she and Dr. Bill Sones, husband and veterinarian, moved to the area 18 years ago. She goes on to say they see all kinds of skin diseases too, like different kinds of parasites, infections and yeast, bacterial and also ear diseases. Aside from these health problems, she says they see many different kinds of physical health cases such as trauma cases where a pet has been hit by a car or fallen off a roof.

She says symptoms of a sick pet aren’t always as simple as a dry nose, because that by itself has no meaning. “You have to kind of look at the context of what’s going on with the whole pet,” she says. “A dry nose by itself is, in an otherwise healthy animal, pretty much irrelevant.”

Obesity is a common problem in pets, she says, and thinking about how to manage a pet’s weight should start early in life. Maintaining a healthy weight is important because if let go it “predisposes animals as they get older to arthritis, diabetes and all kinds of problems.” She says teeth are another issue as some pets may go their whole life and never need any dental care, but others have “real problem mouths and need them maintained and attended to.”

“Our focus is really on the individual pet,” says Page, adding it’s really important for owners to know about their pets, mainly what species it is, what it’s lifestyle is like and to know what the things are to watch for in that particular pet.

When asked what a common problem might be with a pet, she says there are so many common things which can happen. There are common skin diseases, ear diseases, common types of orthopaedic problems and common reasons for lameness and coughing. The veterinarian profession is a very broad one, she says, asking what a common problem with a pet is like asking a common disease in a human.

A different part of animal health includes mental health. Page says that doesn’t necessarily mean an animal is psychotic, but that relationships are important to keep a pet’s mind stimulated

“These are animals that are companion animals that have relationships which are important, and the mental stimulation in their environment is really important,” she says, mentioning it’s essential for them to have fun and have stimulating things to do so that their brain development is looked after when they’re young. She says it’s important that they get enough socialization and training so they can be good citizens and also that they have a good relationship with their owner which “makes for a rich life for both owner and pet.”

Page has books and videos available for borrowing which teach behaviours of pets and training which she encourages people to look at because she says they teach about enriching your pets life and as well as may help them to be a good citizen.

“I think, basically, pets are fun. They’re fun to have, fun to have around and they deserve to be looked after the best that we’re able to,” she says. “[The open house] is just kind of a chance for us to do something fun.”

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