What An Animal Doctor Reveals
(Second of Three Parts)

TIN HAU, Hong Kong – Most people with pets insist that whatever effort, money and other resources they devote to their animal friends, they receive vastly more back in return. Living with a pet, or several, often leads to some of life's most rewarding relationships.

That's extra true in Hong Kong, according to veterinarian Dr Grace Li from the Tin Hau Pet Hospital on Hong Kong Island. “I'm certain that pets are good for people, especially in such a stressful city,” she said. “They're such loving, gentle beings.

“People need more exposure to animals, plants and all of nature,” she added. “Too many, including young children, have no regular exposure to nature. When they see even a little bug, they get freaked by it.”

So too many Hong Kong folks react fearfully to other people's pets, no matter how friendly the animals behave. Those humans don't know how to behave in the presence of nature.

“You also see and hear people being loud in nature,” Grace said. “I find it unnatural. Maybe they're hiking or just walking among plants and trees, but they talk so loudly or play noisy radios. They never listen to the sounds of nature.”

The act of “shaking hands” with a pet dog maintains contact with a small part of nature. Listening to a cat gently purr soothes away noise pollution. Chatting with a parrot may not make total sense, but it stirs fascination. Few activities can ease stress better than spending time with pets. Almost any type of pet has a positive impact, which is why so many senior citizens enjoy keeping songbirds in cages.

As a teenager, Grace lived in Canada. “Pets in Hong Kong have a much more difficult and important job to help their people than those in Canada do,” she said. “People there have nice lifestyles and lots of outdoor space to enjoy so they're laid back and relaxed already. Here in Hong Kong, everything's much more competitive and stressful. Pets are like tiny dots of nature in our homes.”

They're also reliable companions and pals. “Pets can be so important to welcome you home after long days, especially for people otherwise living alone,” Grace said.

Even humans unable to keep pets at home can gain from contact with Hong Kong's animals. “Many people feel happy just from seeing and feeding street-cats.”

Of course, Hong Kong causes stress to its animals too. “It's an even more stressful city for the pets,” Grace said. “Think about big dogs living in small flats, or huskies kept in the tropical heat. Pets take in all the circumstances and problems. I think the animals in Hong Kong make bigger sacrifices for their people than those living elsewhere do.”

Anyone who thinks in terms of “owning” animals may be badly mistaken. The pet-person relationship more closely resembles a partnership.

“Really, some of my clients are owned by their pets,” Grace said. “The younger-generation ladies may not cook for themselves. Their kitchens are immaculate, like showrooms. But once I talk to them, they're willing to cook for their pets. They'll do many things just for their animals that they normally don't do for themselves. I'm happy to have clients like that, who will change their lifestyles for the betterment of their pets.”

Every pet needs food, water and shelter, but that's just a start. “Those things are the basics,” Grace said. “It's very important also to provide lots of attention, patience and love.”

Many clients at the Tin Hau Pet Hospital come from well-to-do neighborhoods on Hong Kong Island. They have time and money to pamper pets and to solve health or lifestyle issues. “We also get clients from distant parts of Hong Kong,” Grace said. “Maybe they're less affluent, but they still have the heart and understand the importance of proper care for pets.”

People and pets may share thoughts, affections and sympathies. “The pets absorb a lot from their people,” Grace said. “Often I wonder if it's a coincidence that I have so many paired-up situations. I see pets with conditions like their humans. For example, a man with heart failure came in with two little dogs that I had to treat for heart failure. Maybe someone has cancer, and suddenly the family dog is brought to our clinic needing cancer treatments. There could be an energy transfer, or maybe it's because the people always talk about cancer. I think the pets hear it and feel it. They take in the negativity.

“When people return from work, they may be stressed. Then their noises and movements cause stress to animals. Imagine being a cat. You're lying there, thinking: ‘Oh, I'm just going to loll around. What should I do next? Okay, maybe I'll eat, or no, probably I'll just have another nap.’ Then the humans come in, shouting, never sitting down, and suddenly there's so much noise, so much happening. It creates a big disturbance in the house.”

If people value pets and love them like family members, then animal-health issues quickly get considered urgent. At too many veterinary clinics, the management designates a fleeting time, maybe 10 minutes, per consultation. People and pets rush through, the people describing animal symptoms and seeking advice and pills, almost like “magic bullets”.

Grace likes to spend much longer (maybe 45 minutes) with each client and patient. “Once I spend more time talking to the client, then I know the history and story of that family and the animal,” she said. “I can pick up many clues that help me to make the right diagnosis and assist the animal. If clinic visits are too short, often you can't get enough of the right information. I think that clients appreciate vets who want to spend time trying to solve the problems and giving different options.

“Pets may be in chronic stress, which isn't just mental or physical. Body, mind and spirit are linked. Being stressed leads to sickness. For example, little dogs never getting to go out for walks become neurotic or destructive at home. If people work long hours or take too many business trips, the pets don't see their human friends enough and that depresses them. Lack of mental stimulation can lead to chronic stress too.”

For cats, one big stress factor may be living with other felines. “In Hong Kong, pet cats rarely can go outside,” Grace said. “That could be alright, but they may dislike living in a multiple-cat household. The people think that cats are easy to keep and so get another one. Maybe they feel guilty and want a playmate for their cat. But many pet cats think and act like miniature lions. They're solitary and like their own territory. They don't want to share it -- never mind the other issue of splitting a person's attention and love.”
 
As people become better informed due to Internet research, they ask more probing questions. “That means I'm always pushed to learn more because I want to answer their questions,” Grace said. “In that way, I learn a lot from clients.”

As a believer in the joys from pets and their companionship, Grace lives with some of her own: a three-legged cat named Bien and two young turtles. Initially a patient, Bien was named for the French word meaning “good”, which also sounds like “elastic band” in Cantonese.

“My assistants named him that way after inspectors brought him in when he was about four months old,” Grace said. “He had (damaging) elastic bands tied to a front paw. Twice, we tried to save his limb with surgery, but the leg had to be amputated.”

Like many people, Grace thinks fondly not just of her present pets, but also past ones. “My most recent rabbit passed away not long ago,” she said. “My 17-year-old dog Lui Lui died before that. Now I'm resting, waiting for more pets to ‘adopt me’.”

Grace's pets play an important role for her and for each other. “When my rabbit was alive, the two turtles, the cat and the rabbit, four of them, would sleep together on the balcony. They didn't need to stick to the same corner. Despite being from different species, they just liked each other's company.”

Sometimes the species barrier poses communication problems. But it's no barrier at all to companionship and friendship.

For more information: www.thph.com.hk

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