Do Pets Grieve?
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Dear Dr. Florez,
I will give you a quick synopsis of my cats. They are moggies (cats) both aged 12-1/2 years. Gentle (a misnomer) has been with me since she was one month and Lotto since he was three months. He is very furry and overweight and she is short haired and small. When she was about two we discovered a fatty liver and she was put onto RD and I fed him too as he was already plump. They ate it for years but he did not lose weight!
After a few years they got a bit fed up so they went onto a food called Obesity. Not impressed so I put them onto Royal Canin indoor much to the disgust of my vet. Slight exaggeration. Any case she is small weighs about five kilo and acts like a six month old during her mad half hour.
My worry is Lotto. He weighs nearly ten kilo a lot is fur. Does not move around much. Is and always has been very vocal. Two years ago our dog died and he took it very badly and ended up with an infection in his pancreas. The vet said no connection. I say absolutely connected. He never really got over all this and the last week he seems to have become old. I am very worried I am going to lose him. I know he will in to Rainbow Bridge one day but not yet. What can I do? He seems to want a lot of petting lately but not for long whereas he used to spend hours on my lap.
Is he getting ready to go to ground? He is eating drinking and going to the lavatory as always. What is your opinion?
Regards,
Judy
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Dear Judy,
Pets can develop pancreatitis for any number of reasons, including anything from gum infections to tumors to consuming people food. You will need to do have a vet do a full exam that includes blood work and x-rays ato discover how your pet is doing physically. When you collect this data, it will be a lot easier to determine if this is a physical or emotional response. We recommend a ful exam twice a year exam for pets over 10 years of age. Also keep in mind that pets have difficulty recovering from diseases as they grow older.
You need to have a full testing on your pet to see why he’s not recovering as quickly and why he is “getting old”. Arthritis and other problems could also be contributing factors.
Best of luck, and please keep us posted as to your pet’s recovery!
Best of luck,
Diego Fernando Florez, DVM
