By Lisa Carolin
Those who attended the April 27 “On My Own” program at the Chelsea Senior Center learned a lot about all that owning a pet entails from Dr. Paula Rode, founder and owner of the Chelsea Animal Hospital at 1513 S. Main St. and a practicing veterinarian there.
She addressed many of the questions that arise about seniors owning pets.
“41 percent of people over the age of 65 have pets,” said Rode. “Some of the reasons to get pets is that they increase the owners’ physical activity and can reduce blood pressure numbers. They also provide emotional support.”
On the negative side, Rode said that there is a higher risk of falls when people have pets – from tripping over dogs and cats to being pulled over when walking a strong dog.
Rode suggested fostering pets as an alternative because it can be a way to test out a pet to see if it’s right for you without making a commitment.
As far as outliving a pet, Rode said, “I do believe that pet ownership should be for the life of the pet. The most common thing people do if you’re not sure if you’re going to outlive your pet, is to find a friend or family member to take care of your pet.”
She suggested leaving a certain amount of money in a trust for your pet.
“It is a way of leaving a piece of yourself when you’re gone,” said Rode. “The hard thing about it is when that pet dies, it’s like losing that family member or friend all over again.”
Rode said there are challenges to having a pet no matter how old you are such as giving your pet a medication, remembering to give your pet food and water in a timely way, and having to buy and carry sizable bags of their food and litter. She suggested different ways of administering medications, special food and water bowls, using curbside pickup, and developing a good relationship with the pet’s veterinarian and groomer to help mitigate challenges.
When it comes to the cost of having a pet, Rode recommended having money specifically designated for your pet and working with your veterinarian to figure out the best way to spend that money on keeping your pet healthy.
There were plenty of questions from the audience including, “Is it a better fit to get an older animal when you are older?”
Rode responded, “It takes a lot of energy to have puppies, but older dogs come with some preconceived behaviors that you have to live with.”
She said there are some assumptions about breeds that can be made, and reminded the audience that if dogs don’t act like you want them to, it’s not their fault.
“It’s so delightful when you figure out how to communicate and live together with a pet,” said Rode. “If you interact in a give and take relationship with your pets, it’s so interesting.”
In response to a question about adopting a dog with “issues”, Rode warned, “What is common is for people to excuse animals’ behavior because of their previous, often imagined traumas. It’s more a matter of exposure and neglect than abuse. We assume they’ve been traumatized physically and that’s why they behave like that. If your pet has never met someone with a beard for example, that might scare them. We have to expose them to the world.”
The next “On My Own” program will be on Thursday, May 25 with the topic “More Transitions” with speaker Bree Stillwell, a Certified Professional Life Transitions Coach, who will facilitate an open discussion about how reflecting on your past experiences with change can help people both better manage and thrive in older adulthood.
To register call (734-475-9242) or email (connected@chelseaseniors.org) with your name and telephone number.
