Dr Kelly Yeo’s The Gentle Vet aims to provide a fear-free vet experience for their elderly and chronically ill pets.
“Animals don’t have a voice. But I do. A loud one ... My voice is for them,” once tweeted comedian and actor Ricky Gervais.
Much like humans, animals go through the journey of ageing. Naturally, as animals get older, a heightened need for care and attention is required. Despite the language barrier between humans and animals, the onus is still on humans — especially pet parents — to make the lives of animals easier.
This is where Dr Kelly Yeo, head vet and co-founder of The Gentle Vet, comes in. Founded in 2022, The Gentle Vet, which is located along Tanjong Katong Road, focuses on caring for elderly and chronically ill pets. To be sure, the clinic is one of the few to have a niche in geriatric pet care. It is also one of the rare few to have special services and facilities for elderly pets that are undergoing hospice and palliative care.
The Gentle Vet is one of the few to have a niche in geriatric pet care. Photo: The Gentle Vet
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Together with Alina Tay and two other non-executive co-founders, Yeo says The Gentle Vet was opened so their philosophy and beliefs, which is to focus on the bond between humans and animals, can be put into practice.
“Pet owners will know how precious and profound this bond is. Our pets change our lives when they come. When they eventually leave us, the loss of their presence is staggering,” says Yeo in an interview with The Edge Singapore. “Our motto is simple: to help pets live better and longer,” she adds.
Yeo heads a team of nine, including two other veterinary surgeons. After graduating with a Veterinary Surgeon Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Melbourne in 2009, Yeo was a General Practice vet and had also worked in a 24-hour hospital before opening The Gentle Vet.
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Pet parents are permitted and encouraged to stay with their pets should hospitalisation be required. Photo: The Gentle Vet
A stress-free environment
The Gentle Vet is committed to creating a stress-free environment for pets and owners. While it is common for pets to exhibit anxious behaviour at the clinic, The Gentle Vet aims to create a welcoming experience for its patients.
In addition, according to Yeo, most of the clinic’s operational protocols centre around the bond between humans and their pets.
For instance, the clinic has private suites that are available for families to stay with their critically ill pets. Pet parents are permitted and encouraged to stay with their pets should hospitalisation be required.
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The examination room. Photo: The Gentle Vet
“No child likes to be left alone in a hospital; the same goes for our pets,” says Yeo.
“We also provide intensive communication support for our chronic illness patients so that families are not left wondering what to do if their pet is not quite right,” she adds.
Personal experience
The idea to focus on geriatric pet care stems from Yeo’s personal experience growing up with two dogs, Munchie the papillon and Elmo the schnauzer who lived to the ripe old age of 16 and 15 years respectively.
“In the last few years of their lives, I experienced how quickly pets can age compared to humans and how fast their time with us can be. Older pets are precious in their twilight years, and I enjoy helping older pets improve their quality of life and lifespan,” she says.
At present, Yeo is the proud mum to Alex, a 13-year-old schnauzer. Alex was adopted aged 12 in March 2023 when he was surrendered to one of the rescue organisations Yeo regularly works with. “Alex had a persistent kidney infection and hypothyroidism when he came to us. He also had severe dental disease so we had to extract all his teeth. He looked so much like my previous schnauzer down to his larger size that I couldn’t resist adopting him,” she shares.
Dr Yeo and her schnauzer Alex. "Alex looked so much like my previous schnauzer — down to his larger size that I couldn’t resist adopting him," says Yeo. Photo: The Gentle Vet.
In line with her focus on geriatric pet care, Yeo walks the talk in the way she cares for Alex, who has various health conditions such as thyroid disease and a bad back.
“We ensure Alex eats a healthy diet — home-cooked food that includes a variety of lean meat, eggs, some carbs and veggies — and keeps well-hydrated during the day. Alex also has an exercise routine appropriate for his age and health conditions; he goes for five to six short walks daily,” she shares.
“Physical and mental stimulation is essential for senior pets; it slows down the onset of dementia and helps them remain mobile for much longer,” she adds.
One of the perks of having a vet for a pet parent is the frequent check-ins to make sure all is well.
Every month, Alex follows Yeo to work for his check-ups, injections and sometimes laser therapy. He also gets a full blood test and ultrasound screening every six months as part of his healthcare routine, she says.
Alex at the dog run. Photo: Dr Yeo
Apart from Alex, Yeo also derives satisfaction from treating her elderly patients, especially when the team manages to give its geriatric patients with terminal diseases like cancer or facing imminent organ failure additional years of quality lives.
“Many of these patients cannot be cured of their medical condition. However, we always aim to get more time by trying to preserve their remaining organ function or control their cancer,” says Yeo.
Yeo recalls two memorable patients — Donut, a Maltese who was suffering from underlying heart failure and kidney failure, lived for another 1.5 years before passing on at 17.5 years old. Mimi, a cat with an extremely large cancerous growth and severe anaemia, lived six months longer pain-free before her passing.
“The most important person in every pet’s recovery process is their owner. Every success story in the vet industry is only possible when the owner is willing to put in the effort and work to help their pets feel better and live longer,” she shares.
“For example, Donut’s owner woke up every night for two years as he also suffered from dementia. She pats him back to sleep or helps him with food and water whenever he vocalises at night. She also administered injections for him at home every day,” she adds.
“His owner was his round-the-clock private nurse while also working a full-time job. This means that outside of work, she could not spend much time outside the house or travel. She was also chronically short of sleep! She undertook a lot of caregiving work without complaint for her pet in his twilight years,” she continues.
The role of caregivers
Much like caring for elderly members of the family, many of the geriatric pet owners Yeo meets have silently taken on the role of full-time caregivers for their elderly pets, especially as looking after a geriatric pet can be similar to looking after a baby, she says.
Cost is another important consideration for Yeo and her team.
“We teach owners to administer medications and how to nurse their pets at home so that the pets can stay at home with their families. We offer this service because it means that once our patients are stable, they can be discharged into home care,” she says.
“A shorter hospital stay means pets can go home sooner and be more comfortable. It also helps our owners save on hospital fees which can be a source of financial stress if an extended hospital stay is involved,” she adds.
On navigating their pets’ golden years, Yeo, drawing from her own extensive experience, says owners of elderly pets should try to avoid travelling overseas as much as possible after their pets turn 14.
“The older your pet gets, the more dependent they become on you. Being placed in a different environment or not having their favourite person at home can be a massive source of stress,” says Yeo.
And when it comes to their general health, pet owners should also look out for any weight loss as well as changes in appetite and, or energy levels.
Additionally, emphasis should be placed on regular health checkups, more so than usual.
“Pets above 12 years old should have six monthly health check-ups. Pets above 16 years old should have three monthly health check-ups,” says Yeo.
“Spending more time with your elderly pet and investing early in their health care is the best way to ensure they live happily and healthily into their twilight years,” she adds.
As a pet owner myself, I appreciate Yeo’s fear-free approach to treating pets. To me, what stands out is her unwavering commitment to helping animals find comfort in an otherwise, well, uncomfortable situation and through a compassionate haven for pets and owners alike.
