This chapter discusses the role of pets in society and then looks at the veterinarian-client-pet relationship. It also comments on the importance of taking a good behavioural history and the steps involved.

In our society we often need the companionship of other animals, so a pet is a natural part of many households. One in seven Australian families owns one or more birds, hundreds of thousands of children and adults keep guinea pigs, rabbits, white mice, fish or more unusual pets such as snakes. Also more than 1.5 million dogs and well over 1.5 million cats are kept as pets. The main reason given by 60% of pet owners for owning the pet was 'companionship’ ( Petcare Information and Advisory Service 1976). Perhaps some of the reasons for human attachment to pet dogs may be related to two prominent qualities of many dogs:

(i) their ability to offer love and tactile reassurance without criticism;

(ii) their dependence, which may stimulate our natural tendency to offer support and protection (Corson et al., 1975).

The factors we will look at are:

1. Importance of pets to children 2. Importance of pets to family life

3. Importance of pets to the elderly

4. Problems for pet owners

5. Responsible pet ownership

The child's pet is an aid to the child's physical, social and emotional development. Owning a pet can help the child face and meet many situations throughout his/her childhood:

1. provides company

2. can help a child to feel worthwhile when everything has gone wrong

3. develops a sense of caring and responsibility to another animal

4. gives the child first-hand knowledge of animals and exposes him to experiences of mating, parturition, care by mother

5. teaches sharing, communication; children may learn to love by cuddling an animal

6. it may also give the child a sense of importance within the child's peer group (Petcare, 1976; Levinson, 1968).

Children are sometimes deliberately, or accidentally, cruel to pets. Veterinarians sometimes see this problem and feel that some of the blame rests with irresponsible parents, who often feel that phases of antisocial behaviour may pass more quickly if the child has a scapegoat. As well as the advantages a pet gives to normal children, the handicapped child might receive extra advantages, e.g.,

a. extension of the range and quality of his/her social relationships

b. an aid to settling into a new environment

c. a softening of the harshness of his/her reality, especially where the atmosphere has institutional overtones. In some institutes for the handicapped the clinical and teaching staff use pets as part of therapy (Petcare, 1976).

Migrant children, who may have difficulty in communicating, can use their pets as an emotional outlet, as companions, and also as a topic of conversation at school.

So for children, pets may aid their emotional and social development, provide a companion, friend and confidant. They can also introduce a child to the more adult emotions concerned with love, separation and death.

Interviews with sociologists, social workers, and pet owners suggest that in our modern, high pressure society, pets are important in a family for companionship, protection, strengthening group identification or as a substitute for unfulfilling interpersonal relationships.

Eighty eight per cent of cat owners state companionship as the main reason for having the pet. In the case of dog owners, 48% state companionship; 33% companionship and protection; 5% companionship and work (Petcare, 1976).

Only 3% of pet owners state that protection is a major function of their pet and 29% say it is onlya secondary function.

Pets may help keep a family together either as a safe topic of conversation or as something several family members can work on without dispute.

This can often apply to an elderly person or a person within a family that fails to meet their basic emotional needs.

In a childless household pets may be a child substitute. A Melbourne survey showed 30-40% of people said their dog was a child to them (Salmon, 1980). Family responsibility for the pet is usually taken by the head of the household who meets all costs associated with pet ownership in 91% of households even if the head is not the owner of the pet. Most pet owners (94%) do not consider pets a financial burden.

The elderly, especially those on fixed incomes, often find it difficult to keep up with inflation and the rate of change in the urban environment. Often a pet will be their only security and emotional buffer, as everything around them changes (Petcare, 1976). So their pets fill needs for esteem, social needs and often safety needs. The loss of a pet can be a serious upset and in many cases old people die soon after losing a pet.

An interesting study (Mugford and McComisky, 1975) looked at the possible therapeutic role of animal companionship for old people. The experiment was set out as follows:

1. 12 old people (average age 75 years) were given a budgerigar to look after

a. six of these people had a TV set

b. six had no TV set

2. 12 old people (average age 76 years) were given a begonia (a pot plant)

a. six had a TV set

b. six had no TV set

3. Six people were selected as the control group

a. three had a TV set

b. three had no TV set

A comprehensive survey of these people was carried out using a questionnaire which was concerned with attitudes towards other people and self esteem. The begonias and budgerigars were unconditional gifts to selected people and the study went over five months, when another questionnaire was used. Some of the subjects had moved or died, but the results showed some interesting points:

1. TV had no effect on questionnaire responses.

2. The ownership of a budgerigar produced a significant difference from the control and begonia groups. The self-awareness showed that the ‘budgerigar’ people had become more socially aware and they generated more social contacts. The birds gave them something to care for and to talk about.

The results of this study show how important a pet can be to its elderly owner. This puts a special responsibility onto the veterinarian to minister sympathetically and expertly to the needs of both client and pet.

The use of pets in treating the mentally ill is becoming common. Pets can be used in residential treatment centres or in the home. Levinson (1968) has used this technique with children who are afraid of human contact because they have been hurt so much and so frequently. It requires careful preparation if used in a family situation and the choice of a suitable pet that responds quickly and enthusiastically to a child's timid approach is essential.

Accommodation may be a problem for the aged and the poor. Public housing tends to give low priority to the problems of accommodating pets. Legislation is being considered at the moment in America to try to overcome this problem (Bustad, 1980) and Australia may eventually have some provision also. When elderly pet owners go to a home there is usually a ‘no pets’ rule. This often deprives them of a loyal friend. Usually people in these homes have resigned themselves to the loss of the pet before they enter the home.

Unplanned litters of young can be another problem and a survey showed that the pets of 22% of dog owners and 28% of cat owners had unplanned litters and only a very small proportion euthanased the resulting pups or kittens (Petcare, 1976).

Unless owners are responsible for their pet's behaviour, society can suffer in many ways:

1. Damage to property and wildlife can occur if dogs are free ranging. Gardens can be dug up, bins of garbage upset, stock lost in semi-rural areas, e.g., sheep, poultry, calves.

2. Unwanted litters can cause uncontrolled population growth which may lead to increased zoonoses (i.e., diseases transmitted from animals to man). Fortunately, Australia is free from rabies, which is carried by infected dogs.

Some of the more common zoonoses are ringworm, leptospitosis, dog round worm, hydatids and toxoplasmosis which is carried by cats and is a potential hazard to pregnant women.

3. Cat and dog bites.

4. Road traffic accidents caused by, or involving pets.

5. Pollution - this can  be caused by noise, smell of excreta, fouling of public places.

6. Interpersonal friction between members of a family over whose responsibility the pet is and also between neighbours if a pet is a nuisance.

The solution to these problems is often difficult and the veterinarian can help in educating people to be responsible for their pets. Responsible pet ownership is something to be carefully considered, not impulsively and carelessly assumed (Joshua, 1975).

Besides educating owners to be responsible for their pets, the veterinarian has other functions. No longer can veterinarians limit themselves solely to looking after the physical health of the family pet. They must be aware of the complex dynamics of the interplay of personalities between pets and their families (Levinson, 1968). The veterinarian may be asked to advise on the suitability of getting rid of an old pet, when a young child may be specially attached to it.

Another area in which the veterinarian may be asked to advise is in the choice of an animal for a family pet. The veterinarian must bear in mind the functions of a pet:

1. companionship

2. something to care for and touch

3. something to keep one busy

4. as a focus of attention

5. to give the owner exercise and protection.

Almost any animal can serve the first four functions, but a dog is the usual pet to satisfy the last function. The veterinarian should be able to help the client make decisions about the type of dog best suited to his special needs. Large breeds are expensive to maintain and controling them requires physical strength. Space is another consideration. Also large dogs are often inappropriate for old people.

Building up a good veterinarian–client–pet relationship is important and often simple measures can aid this process. Clear communication of information and fees, asking permission to muzzle, clip, etc., knowing the breeds, and setting up a practice to consider the working schedules of the families in the area are important factors.

A recent study in Brisbane, Australia (Chamala and Crouch, 1981) showed that clients felt that knowledge, compassion for animals, professional approach (listening and explaining during consultation) and regard for owners and their feelings were the major qualities of a ‘good veterinarian’.

Each veterinarian who works with animals that have behavioural problems has a different approach. It takes a great deal of time to deal with such problems properly (see Beaver, 1981). There are four basic questions that should be asked:

1. What happens?

The exact nature of the behaviour must be determined as well as why that behaviour disturbs the owner, e.g., does the cat scratch indiscriminately on any furniture or on a favourite piece? Does the dog growl only at certain people?

2. When did the behaviour start?

Did it start with a specific event such as the introduction of a new animal into the household, a new baby, visitors? This may prove to be a coincidence, so care must be taken in interpreting this information. Also it is important to know for how long the behaviour has occurred.

3. When does the behaviour occur?

This means also how often, is it regular, is it erratic, can it be associated with an event?

4. Where does the behaviour occur?

It may occur only in a certain location. Other questions will follow these main ones, and things like: remedies owner has tried, if any; did they have any effect; how does the owner feel about the pet? - all will be important.

It is important to determine if the behaviour is a normal one for the animal, and if the only thing that makes it a problem is that the owner does not like the behaviour, e.g., a cat or dog making loud grooming noises.

After considering the answers to the questions the veterinarian must determine how motivated the client is to work on the problem. Some solutions may take a prolonged treatment program requiring the client's careful co-operation. If the client is not willing to put in the effort there may not be a solution to the problem. Other clients may not be emotionally capable of following such a treatment program.

This area of behavioural problems in pet animals is becoming recognised as an important area for veterinary involvement.