Senior Pet Care

Caring For Your Senior Pet

As pets age, they require a gentler touch, a more patient form of care, and more frequent trips to the veterinarian. The natural aging process will cause not only their bodies but their immune systems to slow down. This makes them more susceptible to both infectious diseases and chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes, dementia, and arthritis.

Regular veterinary check-ups will allow our doctors to perform frequent physical examinations and routine tests, giving us the ability to catch any potential maladies before they become more painful and difficult to treat. Some of the tests we routinely perform on senior pets include:

• Urinalysis, which analyzes the urine to detect problems in the kidneys and urinary tract. In addition to these specific organs, urinalysis can also provide insight into overall bodily function. For example, urinalysis testing can blow the whistle on diabetes.
• X-rays can help veterinarians to visualize conditions that might be affecting the body beyond what the eye can see. In particular, x-rays are helpful for diagnosing arthritis.
• Blood work is one of the tests we run most frequently because it can provide a plethora of information about the body and diagnose conditions such as kidney failure, liver disease, anemia, cancer, and more.

If your senior pet experiences an abrupt change in their behavior or temperament, please call us right away to schedule an appointment.