As pets age, recommendations your veterinarian makes for their health care can change. These can include changes in diet, supplements, frequency of visits, recommendations for screening tests, etc. You may have heard your veterinarian call your pet at its recent visit a ‘senior.’ Additionally, your veterinarian may have recommended that your pet be seen twice a year instead of once a year. I’ll break down a few of the recommendations that veterinarians make for monitoring your senior pet.
Dogs are considered seniors when they are older than seven years of age, and cats generally older than eight or nine years of age. With both of these species, the aging process begins to take a toll on their organ systems, and these organ systems can be at higher risk for cumulative damage.
Frequency of veterinary visits. It is recommended to take your senior pet in for wellness exams every 6 months, to help aid in early detection of potential disease processes. Your veterinarian will have questions to ask you that could indicate a problem in your senior pet.
Vaccinations. Your veterinarian will determine based on the health status and lifestyle of your senior pet which vaccinations are important to keep up with. Unless your pet is severely debilitated, it is generally recommended that all vaccinations are kept current, and the rabies vaccine is required by law. Most core vaccines are given once every three years, but some ‘lifestyle’ vaccines are given more frequently, such as the Bordetella or Leptospirosis vaccinations.
Blood and urine tests. In general it is recommended to have blood and urine tested at least once a year. The key reason for this frequency is that early detection of some diseases can allow for more successful treatment. Examples of these diseases can include kidney disease, diabetes, and thyroid disease. Because these diseases can progress slowly, early detection is often only achievable through diagnostic tests.
Skin and haircoat maintenance. It is recommended to brush your pet frequently to prevent mats and to allow you to feel for any developing lumps on or under the skin. Early detection of new masses is important, as some tumors can grow quickly and make it challenging for complete removal surgically. Additionally, the more hands-on you are with your pet, the more likely you are to detect skin lesions that can indicate infection.
Monitoring water consumption and urination. Paying close attention to your pet’s consumption of water and volume of urination is important, as an increase in either can be associated with certain diseases.
Monitoring for changes in weight. Loss of weight can be an early indicator of many different diseases.
Monitoring appetite changes, vomiting, or diarrhea. Increases or decreases in appetite can be related to different disease processes. Chronic or waxing/waning vomiting or diarrhea can occur with many different disease processes.
Limping, trouble getting up or down, trouble using stairs, trouble jumping, or lack of activity. Limping can be related to an injury or degenerative changes, including both musculoskeletal and neurological. Trouble getting up/down or using stairs can often be related to arthritis. In addition, bone cancer is a potential for any of these symptoms, and as a result if any of these symptoms are noted, it is recommended to have your pet seen right away.
Oral health maintenance. Brushing your pet’s teeth daily is the best way to prevent periodontal disease. If that is not achievable at home, then once-a-year dental cleanings under general anesthesia is recommended. Your veterinarian will discuss with you the risks of anesthesia based on your pet’s overall health status, and will also discuss other options for oral health if your pet is not a good candidate for anesthesia.
Monitoring for changes in respirations, including increased panting, coughing, or gagging. Radiographs are usually recommended to rule out disease processes including masses (cancer) or other types of tracheal or lung disease.
As it is probably easy to see with the recommendations for monitoring your senior pet, many symptoms can occur with a variety of different disease processes. Increasing the number of visits to your veterinarian per year may be able to help detect a disease process early enough to allow for successful treatment and a longer, good-quality life. Is your pet a senior? See your veterinarian to discuss your concerns!
Kristen Ferguson, DVM, with some modifications from Senior Dog Care and Senior Cat Care, Ernest Ward, DVM, © Copyright 2009 Lifelearn Inc. Used and/or modified with permission under license.
Twin Maples Barks and Mews 