They keep getting younger and younger

The cases of chronic disease are happening in younger patients

Throughout my veterinary career, nearly 30 years from my first year in veterinary medical school, several trends have become apparent:

1. Diseases seen as rare in veterinary school (1994-1998) are now reaching almost epidemic proportions in our domestic dog and cat populations. When I was a veterinary student if a dog was diagnosed with Cushing’s, all of the students were invited down to the clinic to see them so we would know what it looked like. Today it feels like every other middle-aged canine has Cushing’s disease ( overactive adrenal glands). Pancreatitis is another one, and cancer rates are off the chart.

2. The age of onset of many of these diseases is earlier and earlier. Two days ago I saw a small mixed-breed dog, 2.5 years old, barely an adult, with repeated severe bouts of pancreatitis. And their 5-year-old dog has it as well.

3. The rates of vaccination have increased in both the number of puppy boosters and the numbers of diseases vaccinated against. Some breeders are vaccinating as early as 4 weeks of age with boosters every two weeks, which makes no immunological sense due to the maternal antibodies canceling out the effect of the vaccine.

4. The severity of intestinal infections and bacterial overgrowth has become exponentially worse. In the past 6 months I have seen several dogs with over 50% of their intestinal bacteria made up of E. coli Shigella. One had 90% Clostridium. They had been on repeated doses of metronidazole over years of treatment.

5. Cancers are more frequent and more aggressive.

6. And I almost forgot… there is an anxiety epidemic among pets that has also become an opioid and SSRI crisis with the use of pharmaceuticals like gabapentin (now a controlled substance in 5 states) and Trazadone (a short-acting serotonin-antagonist-and-reuptake-inhibitor) handed out like milk bone biscuits.

So what is behind this drastic decline in the health, both physical and mental, of our pets? Are they the canaries in the coal mine, just mirroring the state of our world?

A large part of it originates with the state of our food supply. Processed pet foods, made by the big pet food manufacturers rely on waste products from the agricultural sector: meat that is unfit for human consumption, the hulls of grains that would thrown away, and corn by-products from the mega-corn industry.

Pick up a bag of dog food, whether it be generic from the pet food aisle of the grocery store or a more pricey bag from the reception area of your local veterinary clinic. I bet there are numerous meat meals and meat by-products, several types of corn, ie corn gluten, corn meal, a couple of wheat varieties, and some soy, followed by a long list of synthetic vitamins and minerals that hopefully will be recognized, absorbed and utilized by the body.

This mixture of highly processed waste products creates inflammation throughout the body, leading to gingivitis, otitis, uveitis, dermatitis, pancreatitis, hepatitis, arthritis, and all the other -itises.

Inflammation is the beginning of almost every other disease process.

As the dog or cat becomes more symptomatic and uncomfortable, the pet parent begins to search for a veterinarian who can solve the problem. Except that, there may be a two-week to two-month wait to even get in to see a veterinarian.

When they do finally see a Doctor, a slew of pharmaceuticals, usually antibiotics and whatever drug the pharmaceutical industry has recently pawned off onto veterinary medicine so they can continue making money off of them regardless of the lawsuit settlements on the human side, is handed to them.

Or, thousands of dollars of diagnostics are recommended, or a referral to a specialist.

For a simple episode of diarrhea from having eaten something they should not have, I have seen veterinary bills totaling over $1000. Even after paying this, they are calling me because the problem was never resolved.

So here we are with the current state of pet health and the meltdown of veterinary medicine, as it follows in the footsteps of the broken human healthcare field.

It is more than depressing to watch a profession I love self-destruct.

There are things we can all do. One of them is to practice as much preventive health care and wellness on our animals as we can. I love to teach pet parents how to keep their animals healthy and happy.

I will be coming out with more information and ways of doing so soon.

I already have a private online community, telehealth consultations, and courses in using different supplements, one of my favorite being medicinal mushrooms.

Let me know in the comments what information you would like to see or topics that would help you take better care of your four-legged companion.