The National Taiwan University Veterinary Hospital yesterday launched long-term care services for aging animals.
Although rehabilitative therapy for humans is common, the same healthcare for pets is considered an emerging field for veterinarians, the hospital said in a statement.
It has rolled out rehabilitation services for pets that have trouble walking, it said, adding that decreased mobility could be due to bone surgery, paralysis in the nervous system or chronic joint illnesses.
The program uses Western medicine to treat animals, as well as rehabilitative therapy and Chinese medicine, as part of a multipronged approach to manage pain more effectively and shorten the recovery process.
The rehabilitative services for pets include heat and cold compression, ultrasonic treatment, hydrotherapy, therapeutic exercises and regenerative medicine, while its Chinese medicine treatment includes acupuncture, acupressure, medication and diet therapy, it said.
Working with the Taipei Animal Protection Office, the hospital has also opened a care facility for aging animals, which would start receiving pets that require long-term care outside the home, it added.
Pets with chronic illnesses such as dementia, paralysis, epilepsy, tumor, heart disease and joint regeneration would live better lives at the facility, with the relevant healthcare provided, it said.
Separately yesterday, the Taipei City Government said that many of 96 pet food products it inspected failed to meet standards due to incomplete label information.
The missing information includes expiration dates and descriptions of the foreign manufacturer or processor involved in the production, the Taipei Department of Legal Affairs told a news conference.
Pet food companies have since added the missing information to their labels, it added.
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