Congratulations! As a result of your love and care throughout the years your pet has reached the age when he or she is now considered a senior pet. Just like older people, older animals are more likely to develop health problems such as arthritis, cancer, heart disease, periodontal disease, liver disease and kidney disease. Quite often the beginning stages of these diseases may be difficult for owners to recognize since they assume that the subtle changes exhibited by their pet are just related to old age. However, early diagnosis is essential to maintaining your pet’s quality of life since it is usually easier and more cost-effective to begin treating pets early in the course of a disease rather than during the more advanced stages. For this reason additional diagnostic testing is routinely recommended for older pets above and beyond the preventative care and vaccinations that they previously were receiving. These screening tests include the following:
- Complete blood cell count (CBC): This blood test evaluates your pet’s red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. It can help us determine if anemia, infections, dehydration or cancer is present.
- Chemistry panel: A blood test used to evaluate your pet’s liver, kidney function, pancreas, blood sugar, and electrolytes. It can also help determine if dehydration or inflammation is present.
- Total thyroid level (total T4): A blood test used to screen pets for thyroid hormone imbalances. Older dogs may develop low thyroid levels while cats frequently develop high thyroid levels.
- Urinalysis: Testing a urine sample is useful for determining if diabetes, liver disease or kidney disease is present.
In addition to these tests, a complete physical examination is recommended every six months in older dogs and cats. By doing a hands-on examination twice a year rather than annually, subtle changes such as weight loss, heart murmurs and skin tumors can be detected earlier. Depending upon your pet’s test results and any signs that you have observed at home, additional testing may be needed for further evaluation if a problem is detected.
When is your pet considered a senior? Although there is no definitive answer since this varies with breed and genetics, and environmental factors, we generally recommend that these health care changes begin around 8 or 9 years of age for healthy cats, 6 or 7 years for large dogs, and 8 to 9 years for small breeds. Pre-existing health conditions and breed related predisposition to disease may dictate earlier and more frequent testing. We will make specific recommendations for your pet during his or her annual exam. Please call us if you have any questions regarding your pets individual needs.