A Subtle Cruelty to Animals

On the weekend, I saw part of the movie of Black Beauty (due to work I didn't get a chance to see the whole movie).  As a general rule, if I know that I am going to watch movies like this, then I need to make sure I have a good supply of tissues or hankies, and don't need to be seen in public for a while.  Needless to say, I get very emotional watching movies or shows about animals, whether it is a happy tale, or if there is animal cruelty involved.

The cruelty in the movie, Black Beauty, was obvious.  You could see the overworked horses, the emaciated state they were in (I mean as part of the character - I am sure that no horse was allowed to get to that state in the movie... at least I hope not)... this cruelty was part of the story.  And, also the overwhelming mutual respect and love between man and animal.

(when I refer to man, I mean the human race kind of "man", not the male species per se.... even if its not politically correct - don't be offended please).

As a vet, I regularly get phone calls from well intentioned people who are uncertain of what to do when they suspect cruelty in a neighbour's pet.  Well, the right thing to do is to contact the RSPCA and the Police, as they have the legal powers of entry to help the poor pet.  And sadly, these same people often don't ring the authorities, as they don't want to get involved.

“My doctrine is this, that if we see 
cruelty or wrong that we have the 
power to stop, and do nothing, we 
make ourselves sharers in the guilt.” 
― Anna Sewell

But this blog is not about the obvious cruelty cases... the ones that make it into the newspapers for a day.  I want to bring to light the subtle cruelty to animals, the little things we don't do or the care the pet is denied for one reason or another by the pet carer.

Yes, it is true - as most murders in people are committed by a family member, so is most cruelty to animals.

 And, it is this subtle cruelty that, as a vet, I see ( almost) daily.  In many of the cases I am going to be speaking about, are pet owners who I have not seen before, or haven't seen in years (so if you are one of my regulars, or one who regularly sees any vet, I am not talking about you). Equally, if you are a loving pet owner, but literally on no money at all (well, it would be unlikely you would be reading this, and thus unlikely to be offended), but if you do the absolute best that you can, if you do seek veterinary care, but albeit the cheapest in town, you are still trying to do the right thing. I am not talking about you either.

The majority of loving pet owners that I see do not fit into this blog post at all.  The majority are absolutely wonderful, awesome, caring people, who look at their pet as a member of their family.  These pet owners know that even though they think their pet is healthy and OK, they want a professional to check them over regularly to make sure.

The other day ( that is, ages ago) , I examined a 12 year old female dog.  She was not desexed, not vaccinated, not on any heartworm prevention, but she does get the occasional worming tablet and flea spot on.  Her last vet visit was about 5 years ago (as best as the owner can remember), and this was her first visit with me.  It was a very difficult consultation, as the owner kept on proclaiming her love for the dog, and how the dog was perfectly healthy, and that there was nothing wrong with her, other than the fact she had a skin infection on her lower leg.

Several times I heard "she is perfectly healthy" and "there is nothing wrong with her" as I was performing my full physical examination of this beautiful dog (she was indeed a beauty).  And for the number of times the owner had stated "she is perfectly healthy" I was able to match that with the number of abnormal findings.

Now I don't believe the owner had intended to be cruel, or neglectful.  But I do believe the owner was subtly cruel to her dog.  She had denied it regular veterinary checkups. She denied it basic preventative medicine (to keep it healthy).  She had given it food, water and shelter (and lots of love).... but these are the basics of survival.   In our Australian society, our pets should not be receiving just the basics.  We are fortunate enough to give them more than that.

And, really,  it is cruel to deny our pets the veterinary and preventative care that is available to them.

This is why, I think, vets get a bad reputation - the pet sees a vet rarely, so when it does get examined, multiple problems are identified, the cost to get these things sorted explodes into alot of money, the owner is angry because they are in denial, and the pet is the ultimate victim, as the problems identified never get sorted out, or done half heartedly.

In the case of this beautiful dog, it wasn't about the money.  This owner has a comfortable lifestyle. It was, however, about the value the owner placed on her dog, and on veterinary services in general. She didn't value her dog (although she did love it), and she didn't value veterinary care either (but she doesn't have to love us).

This is subtle cruelty - she denied her pet the veterinary and preventative care that it required, and that was available to her in our society.

Now I am a practical person, and I have travelled and observed vets and veterinary facilities in other countries. If we were on a remote island of a pacific island, where the closest vet or animal care is 2 days away, then I can understand the lack of regular vet visits. But in a city like Wollongong, where our vet numbers per population is high, there is no need for neglect.

I don't judge people by the clothes they wear or the car they drive (I can't because I have no fashion sense and my car is old, and I hope people don't judge me badly because of that) .... but I do judge people on how well they care for their pets, and this care has to include regular veterinary visits and preventative care.

To stand by and say nothing, makes me as guilty as those who do nothing.

Back to my "perfectly healthy dog" that had alot of problems.... I'll go through some of the things I found during the check up...

• Undesexed female dog - the older she gets the more at risk she is of developing a pyometron (infection of the uterus) and breast cancer.  
• No Heartworm prevention - the owner declined a Heartworm test to check on her status, but the area she lives in is a high mosquito area, so the risk is real.
• No flea control - well, the flea control this gorgeous girl received was occasional -once each few months when the owner remembered. But she did have purple spray on her because she had skin sores. (what the? )
• the skin sores (which is what she came in for) was flea bites - and we are fortunate in Australia to have many safe flea control products. And they are affordable. 
• a severe ear infection to the point of almost having a completely closed canal.  This did not happen overnight, but occurred over years of no treatment.
• severe dental disease (the breath was horrendous), and there was pus around the gums, the gums were swollen and bleeding easily.  
• her ankles and wrists (hock and carpus) were swollen with restricted movement, consistent with moderately severe joint disease. 
• her back nails were worn down abnormally, with loss of muscle in her back legs - this is due to her dragging her feet, and with a poor shuffling gait, as it is too painful to walk normally. 

and there was more, but I am sure you now get the idea of a subtle cruelty.  The owner didn't intend to bring the dog in for a full check up, she just wanted some ointment for the skin sore.

And the owner didn't want to discuss the other things found in the examination either.  Part of me understands that, in that it is human nature to live in denial of the truth, but the majority of me, doesn't get it.

How could the owner expect me to not do my job?  Surely they had an expectation or an understanding that a veterinary consultation involved a full check up?  Or even if they didn't know what to expect, wouldn't you think they would be grateful and appreciative that their pet also got a full check up also?

I am sure you will agree that  if you love and care for animals, then you are the advocate for that animal's welfare.  And denying that there is a problem is not being a good advocate, or a good owner. 

How much easier life would be for me, if I just hand out the ointment or the itch injection or the antibiotics, or whatever it is the owner says, and look the other way.

Problem is, I can't look the other way.  The day I do is the day I become one of those money grubbing vets who agree to anything the pet owner wants, and neglecting what is the best thing for the pet.

Unfortunately, until society recognises that subtle cruelty exists, then vets will continue to see cases like this one, and not be in a position to do anything, other than be an advocate for the animal (and get a bad reputation for doing so).

 As a vet, all I can do is keep the conversation going with the owner, and hope that one day they understand the importance of a vet being a part of their pet's lives.