A recent study shows that 35% of cats and 33% of dogs are over 8 years of age and could be considered geriatric while less than 8% are less than 1 year of age.
Early diagnosis contributes to a much better prognosis.
Medical advancements have enabled us to diagnose potential diseases early on. Some of the most common diseases afflicting older pets include kidney disease, thyroid disease, diabetes, urinary tract infections and liver disease. Catching diseases early can add years to your pet’s life.
Here is what we recommend:
- Twice a year visits for pets over the age of 8
A year in a pet’s life is equivalent to 5 or 6 years in human’s life. As a result, a year between visits can prove too lengthy. When you live with your pet day in and day out, subtle changes in their weight, behavior or overall health can easily be missed. Furthermore, because pets are so good at masking signs of illness, even a devoted pet owner can miss if a pet is drinking out of the toilet more often, eating a bit less food, or sleeping more when you are not home. - Annual Wellness Testing
Apart from the actual physical exam, Wellness Testing gives us the opportunity to see how things are functioning internally with a pet that may outwardly look very healthy. By evaluating a blood and urine sample on a once a year basis, we can pick up abnormalities in organ function or urinary tract health before the pet shows symptoms. Moreover, should the bloodwork come back normal, we now have a baseline to compare to should the pet show an illness in the future.
Thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, pets are living longer than ever before. However, with this increased lifespan comes an increase in the types of ailments that can afflict senior pets. As pets reach the golden years, there are a variety of conditions and diseases that they can face, including weight and mobility changes; osteoarthritis; kidney, heart, and liver disease; tumors and cancers; hormone disorders such as diabetes and thyroid imbalance; and many others.
Just as the health care needs of humans change as we age, the same applies to pets. It’s critical for pet owners to work closely with their veterinarian to devise a health plan that is best for their senior pet.
Senior Health Exams
Scheduling regular veterinary examinations is one of the most important steps pet owners can take to keep their pets in tip-top shape. When dogs and cats enter the senior years, these health examinations are more important than ever. Senior care, which starts with the regular veterinary exam, is needed to catch and delay the onset or progress of disease and for the early detection of problems such as organ failure and osteoarthritis.
We recommend that healthy senior dogs and cats visit the veterinarian every six months for a complete examination and laboratory testing. Client education and laboratory testing are also key components of the senior exam.
For cats, an additional routine blood test is recommended in order to check for hyperthyroidism, a common ailment in senior cats. Additionally, depending on your individual pet’s condition and other factors, other tests and assessments might be recommended. These include heartworm tests; feline leukemia/feline immunodeficiency virus test in cats; blood pressure evaluation; urine protein evaluation; cultures; imaging such as x-rays, ultrasound, and echocardiography; electrocardiography, and special ophthalmic evaluations, among others. Additional tests become especially important in evaluating senior pets that show signs of sickness or are being prepared for anesthesia and surgery.
The Effects of Age
With the senior years comes a general “slowing down” in pets. As their major senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell) dull, you may find that your pet has a slower response to general external stimuli. This loss of sensory perception often is a slow, progressive process, and it may even escape your notice. The best remedy for gradual sensory reduction is to keep your pet active-playing and training to keep their senses sharp.
Pets may also be affected mentally as they age. Just as aging humans begin to forget things and are more susceptible to mental conditions, your aging animals may also begin to confront age-related cognitive and behavior changes. Most of these changes are rather subtle and can be addressed in a proactive manner. Regular senior health exams can help catch and treat these problems before they control your pet’s life.
Physical Changes
The physical changes your pets experience are generally easier to spot than the sensory changes. As the body wears out, its ability to respond to infection is reduced, and the healing process takes longer. Therefore, it is crucial to consult a veterinarian if you notice a significant change in behavior or the physical condition of your pet. Many of the signs indicating that animals are approaching senior citizenship are the same for both cats and dogs, but they can indicate a variety of difference.
A very common and frustrating problem for aging pets is inappropriate elimination.
The kidneys are one of the most common organ systems to wear out on a cat or dog, and as hormone imbalance affects the function of the kidneys, your once well-behaved pet may have trouble controlling his bathroom habits. If you are away all day, he may simply not be able to hold it any longer, or urine may dribble out while he sleeps at night. In addition, excessive urination or incontinence may be indicative of diabetes or kidney failure, both of which are treatable if caught early enough.
Nutrition
Many older pets benefit from specially formulated food that is designed for older bodies. Obesity in pets is often the result of reduced exercise and overfeeding and is a risk factor for problems such as heart disease. Because older pets often have different nutritional requirements, these special foods can help keep your pet’s weight under control and reduce consumption of nutrients that are risk factors for the development of diseases, as well as organ or age-related changes.
Contact us at Animal House Hospital for an appointment to help set a proper diet to your senior pet.
Exercise
Exercise is yet another aspect of preventive geriatric care for your pets. You should definitely keep them going as they get older. If they are cooped up or kept lying down, their bodies will deteriorate much more quickly. You may want to ease up a bit on the exercise with an arthritic or debilitated cat or dog. Otherwise, you should keep them as active, mentally and physically, as possible in order to keep them sharp.