Report+from+a+Healthy+Old+Age+for+Pets+and+Their+Owners



We welcomed recently retired vet Mary Atkinson to our U3A Centre to talk about caring for our pets, particularly as they get older. Mary, a member of U3A Bermagui, had driven down from Moruya especially to speak to our Sapphire Coast members, and we really appreciated her willingness to share her knowledge and passion for caring for animals with us. After describing how her childhood led to her studying to become a vet, and her experiences in her veterinary practices, she covered a range of pertinent topics such as feeding our pets, the importance of exercise, dental practices, vaccinating against diseases, how to recognise symptoms of illness and ailments, and how to prevent them, particularly dealing with ticks. Throughout the presentation Mary welcomed questions from the participants, and provided many examples and stories to illustrate her responses. Some of the key learnings from this presentation include: Following this most entertaining talk, we are hoping to arrange a second presentation from Mary later in the year. If you are interested in caring for animals, be sure to look out for the next informative session.
 * The role pets can play in providing older people with exercise and companionship;
 * The importance of carefully monitoring your pet’s health and behaviour, and using regular grooming sessions to check for problems such as ticks;
 * Many of the foods that we eat can be dangerous or even lethal to our pets; and
 * Prepare for your pet’s annual check-up and take a list of questions to ask the vet

Jenny Johnston 28 June 2014