Pet Health & Wellness --- page 2
Information Every Owner of a Senior Pet Should Know
The medical needs of our pets during their golden years tend to be greater than during middle age. Pets are considered senior at 7 years of age for medium to large dogs, and at 10 years of age for small dogs and cats. To help your friend live a longer, more comfortable life we have included information on signs of disease, early detection of illness, nutrition, and actions you can take at home to improve your friend's quality of life.
Signs of Disease in the Senior Pet
Pet owners are aware of the common signs of illness: coughing, sneezing, vomiting, diarrhea and poor appetite.
However, beyond these common signs are the more subtle changes in your pet's body and behavior that signal the need to evaluate body organ systems more completely.
These additional signs include:
- Increase or decrease in thirst
- Increase or decrease in appetite
- Unexpected weight loss, back bone feels more prominent
- Bad breath
- Stiffness when getting up
- Sleeping difficulties
- Loss of housebreaking, accidents
- Increase in urination- either in amount or frequency
- Confusion
- Lumps and bumps that are new or growing
- Abdominal swelling
- Exercise intolerance or shortness of breath
- Lameness, falling or trouble using stairs
- Flaky or smelly skin
- Hard or dry stools, constipation
Age is not a disease; diseases just come with age.
Early Detection of Disease
Success in treating a disease is, to a large degree, dependent on how soon the disorder is recognized and appropriate treatment started. Waiting only serves to make the problem larger, more difficult to treat and therefore more expensive with a lowered expectation of success. Thus the key is early detection and we can work together in that effort.
~ Weigh and record your pet's weight every 3 months. Obesity is common in our pets, especially in senior pets
since we usually feed them the same amount even though their activity level has decreased. Unexplained weight loss is a cardinal sign of important diseases. You are welcome to use our scale at no cost.
~ Lift the lips and look at the teeth and gums. Are the gums pink or are they reddened at the edge next to the teeth? Are the teeth white or is there a brown accumulation of tartar by the gums? Are their any broken teeth or abnormal growths in the mouth? Is the breath bad? Dental disease is a leading cause of early heart disease, kidney disease and arthritis.
~ Run your hands over the entire pet's body feeling for lumps, swelling or painful areas. Check the ears for discharges or foul odors.
~ Monitor your pet's urination and stools. Is your pet going more often or more? Are the stools normal in size, color, and hardness?
~ Monitor your pet's thirst. Are you filling the water bowl more often? Does your pet need to urinate more often, or have accidents in the house? Have your pet examined at least twice yearly by a veterinarian. Your senior pet's body ages the equivalent of 8 years for each calendar year. Studies have shown that for each problem the owner seeks veterinary attention, the veterinarian will find 1 to 2 additional problems that were unknown to the owner. It is much better to catch these problems early, while they are small.
~ Have organ wellness screening done yearly. Just as older people need diagnostic screening to evaluate organ function and look for diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, our pets also benefit from early detection through screening exams. We offer two screening packages at substantial discounts:
Pet Portal and Benefits
Organ screening is an inexpensive way of finding problems early and at a time when they are easier to manage. It also serves as a baseline for comparison with future testing. "Read More"
