Only a generation ago, pets slept in the doghouse and begged for table scraps. Fast forward to 2009, when my two pampered kitties not only sleep with me, but they also demand first choice of spots on the bed and expect me to move out of their way. Things sure have changed, both for pets and for the humans they own.
The market for pet products and services has exploded—to $41 billion per year, according to Business Week—and it’s not just $1000 bejeweled collars and personal concierge services at the doggie spa that are generating that money. Veterinary care has changed, too. A vet used to just be a vet, but nowadays, veterinarians specialize in nephrology, gastroenterology, or neurology. People now treat their pets more like, well, people, and some familiar human medical and psychological treatments are popping up for pets, too.
Braces for Doggie Faces
It’s important to keep your pet’s teeth clean, but for pets with truly mangled mouths, there’s the option of orthodontia. Certain breeds of dog (especially those with flattened, wide faces) are prone to tooth issues like severe over- or underbites, crowding, crooked teeth, and other genetic dental problems. Some pets’ teeth fit together so poorly that sharp teeth cause puncture wounds in the mouth, along with preventing the animal from eating and grooming itself properly. Just like in humans, these abnormal bites, retained deciduous teeth, and other alignment issues can be corrected with metal braces, to make sure that the pet’s mouth will stay healthy and functional for years to come. Pet orthodontics are put in place to increase the animal’s quality of life, not just to make cosmetic improvements. Although today’s pets have to live with regular metal braces, Invisalign for dogs is surely on the horizon.
The Bionic Pet
We can rebuild them … we have the technology. The technology to do joint replacements and organ transplants, that is. Your aging pet has a bum hip? He can now be the proud recipient of a new titanium one, just like grandpa. Cats in renal failure are no longer doomed to die a slow death because it’s become increasingly common for kitties to receive kidney transplants. (The procedure occurs more often for cats because renal failure is a leading cause of death among felines.) Organ transplants in pets is a murky subject for bioethicists, since vets will not euthanize one animal for the sake of another. Heart, lung, and liver transplants may be off the table, but since cats have two kidneys, there’s an opportunity to save two lives. Donor kidneys usually come from shelter cats that have been matched and tested for disease, and the owner of the recipient must agree to adopt the donor cat for the rest of its life.
