Beyond
Food, Water, Shelter, and Sanitation:
PROPER CARE AND ATTENTION FOR COMPANION ANIMALS: GUIDELINES
FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
Recommendations
from the
The Knoxville City Animal Ordinance requires that companion animals be
provided food, water, shelter, and sanitary living conditions. In addition, the
ordinance says that a person keeping an animal must provide proper
care and attention for the animal. (Sec.
5-23 (d)).
Since “proper care and attention” are not further defined in the city
ordinance, the Knoxville Veterinary Medical Association provides the following guidance
regarding the meaning of these words for public officials making decisions
under the ordinance. Please review the “Proper Care and Attention for Companion
Animals: A Guideline for Pet Owners” for more detailed recommendations.
Proper Care of a
Companion Animal
A pet’s
health and welfare depends on more than just food, water, shelter, and sanitary
living conditions. Proper care of a pet requires active protection from harm
and regular maintenance of good hygiene.
Prevention of fleas and ticks
Fleas and
ticks are not just an irritant to an animal. They can cause serious disease.
Proper Care:
Monthly
application of an effective topical flea and tick preventive will ensure that a
cat or dog is free of external parasites. Highly effective monthly topical
preventives are available through a veterinarian and some pet supply stores.
Other less effective preventives are flea collars, sprays, some topical drops
and shampoos available at pet stores.
Improper care:
Flea and
tick infestation may lead to:
·
Severe
itching, intense scratching and rubbing
·
Inflamed
skin with bleeding or open sores
·
A
thin coat with bald patches
·
Flea
and tick-borne infections
·
Anemia
and even death in cases of severe infestation
·
Exposure
of people to flea or tick bites, and related infections
Heavy
infestations may be indicated by large numbers of obvious fleas or ticks, open
sores, severe itching, self-mutilation, or pale white gums. KVMA recommends
noting evidence of heavy infestations and suggests intervention with a
veterinarian within 48 hours. As all itchy skin disease is not caused by fleas,
KVMA recommends requiring evidence of ongoing care with a veterinarian for cases
of severe skin disease not associated with fleas or ticks.
Prevention of intestinal worms
Intestinal
worms (such as hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms) are easily
transmitted, are not always visible in feces and are not all treatable with
over-the-counter deworming medicine. Some intestinal worms may also be
transmitted to people, especially to children.
Proper Care:
Year round
heartworm prevention also provides protection against most intestinal worms.
Yearly fecal exams by a veterinarian (and deworming, if needed) are the only
way to ensure that a cat or dog is free of intestinal parasites. Feces should
be removed from the environment routinely to minimize contamination of the
environment and exposure of people.
Improper care:
Intestinal
parasites in dogs and cats may cause:
·
Diarrhea
·
Blood
in the stool
·
Weight
loss
·
Vomiting
KVMA
recommends consultation with a veterinarian within 72 hours if there is
evidence of intestinal parasites, diarrhea, vomiting or emaciation. KVMA also
suggests measures and a timeline for cleaning an environment heavily soiled
with excrement. In cases of obvious, severe, bloody diarrhea, KVMA recommends
veterinary medical intervention within 24 hours.
Proper grooming
Proper Care:
Bathing,
brushing, toe nail trims, ear cleaning, and periodic veterinary dental care are
all aspects of proper grooming.
Improper care:
If grooming
needs are ignored, a pet may develop any of the following problems:
·
Dirty
and matted fur that harbors parasites and irritates the skin
·
Heavy
mats causing sores, scabs or maggot infestation
·
Toenails
that curve or curl into the skin, impede walking, and become embedded in the
paws
·
Painful
ears that become bloody and swollen
·
Infected
or broken teeth that cause pain or
prevent a pet from eating
·
A
collar too tight that may grow into the skin, or cause skin irritation
If there are
signs of improper grooming causing a pet distress or pain, KVMA recommends
immediate intervention within 24 hours. Evidence of maggot infestation or grown-in
collars should be addressed immediately. Heavy matting not yet leading to
infection, sores, or parasites may be addressed within 72 hours of
identification. Some medical conditions such as swollen painful ears may be
under the care of a veterinarian, having a variety of causes. We recommend requiring
evidence of ongoing medical care in these situations.
Proper weight
Proper care:
Pets need
regular, measured meals. Pets need species-appropriate, nutritionally balanced
food. Many medical conditions may cause
extreme weight loss or weight gain. You should not be able to see the pet’s
ribs, but you should easily be able to feel them. If you cannot easily feel the
ribs, your pet may be overweight. If you can see the ribs, the pet may be
underweight.
Improper care:
Failure to
maintain proper weight may lead to the following problems:
·
Underfeeding
can result in insufficient body fat, weakness, and even death.
·
Not
feeding species-appropriate food can result in many symptoms of poor health,
such as a dull and thinning coat, chronic diarrhea, vomiting, and frequent
illness due to a weakened immune system.
·
Overfeeding
can result in obesity preventing the animal from moving about, predisposing to
arthritis, pressure sores and difficulty breathing.
KVMA recommends intervention when a pet is noted to be
emaciated or morbidly obese. Emaciated animals have easily visible ribs, pelvic
bones, and shoulder bones. The abdomen may be very sunken in behind the rib
cage. The eyes may be sunken into the head. Emaciated animals require immediate
medical attention. Morbidly obese animals may be unable to rise or ambulate
well. They may have pressure sores from lying down, and may be lying in their
own excrement. There is no “waist” when viewing these animals from above. The
ribs are not at all palpable. Morbidly obese animals require immediate medical
attention if they cannot rise or ambulate. A veterinarian may be consulted if
there is uncertainty about the proper weight (or other appropriate physical
status) of a pet.
Physical safety
A pet needs
protection from both human and environmental threats. People need to be safe
from roaming aggressive or nuisance pets.
Proper care:
A pet should be safely contained to
provide protection from traffic, roaming animals, other physical danger and
harassment by people. Fences are the best protection. A pet should have protection from extremes in
temperature, wind, rain, sun and snow. Pets should have shelter when the
temperature is below 32 degrees or above 95 degrees. Indoors, in a garage, basement
or a dry dog house are good options. During
hot weather, the shelter should have adequate ventilation and air flow.
Improper care:
Physical
injury, behavior problems and death can result from an owner’s benign neglect
or, at worst, intentional harm.
KVMA
recommends aggressive intervention where there is evidence of abuse or neglect,.
Immediate intervention is warranted if pets are exposed to extreme weather
conditions. Aggressive, territorial or roaming pets may harm people or other
pets, and should be addressed immediately.
Exercise
Exercise is
essential to both the mental and physical well-being of a pet.
Proper Care:
Every
healthy pet needs to be able to walk, run or play on a regular basis.
Continuous physical restraint such as tethering by a chain, cable, rope, or
continuous confinement in a pen, is counter to an animal’s need for mental
stimulation and physical exercise, and is not proper care.
Improper care:
Lack of
regular exercise, socialization and mental stimulation may lead to behavior
problems such as self-mutilation, destructive behavior, fear and aggression. KVMA recommends intervention if pets are
constantly tethered or caged without exercise or social interaction.
Proper Attention for a Companion
Animal
Companion
animals are social creatures by nature. They need companionship and regular
interaction. They need physical exercise, medical attention and social
interaction.
Proper Attention:
A pet needs
a relationship with at least one other living being. Chronic isolation is unnatural and unhealthy
for a companion animal. Human contact that occurs only when food and water are
replenished does not constitute proper attention.
Pets also
need medical attention from a veterinarian on a yearly basis. Vaccines must be
kept up to date in the best interest of the pet and public health. If a pet is
suffering from a medical ailment, a veterinarian should be consulted.
Pets make the best companions when
trained in basic obedience. Pets learn best with positive reinforcement. A veterinarian
can provide advice on the best training methods or training resources for a
pet.
Improper Attention:
A companion
animal without companionship may be a lonely, bored, depressed or anxious
creature. A companion animal that has neither human nor animal companionship
may become sick, anti-social, or both.
Abusive
training behavior such as hitting or throwing a pet is not acceptable.
Companion
animals without routine medical attention may harbor infections transmissible
to people or other animals. Without routine medical attention, they may have
unknown painful diseases affecting their everyday lives. They may have
untreated chronic diseases that ultimately lead to suffering and death. A pet
owner should establish a relationship with a veterinarian to keep a pet
healthy, to prevent disease, and to identify or treat disease that may occur.