Westmount Animal Clinic

1609a Kensington Road N.W.

Calgary, Alberta

(403) 283-3354

 

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Senior Pet Care

 

Growing old is challenging for everyone. There are constant reminders everywhere; the gray hair that wasn't there yesterday, the increasing strength of your eye prescription, the number of prescription bottles you have in your medicine cabinet, and the fact that the doctor who gave you another prescription doesn't look as old as what you think he should. These are all reminders. Every year we celebrate another candle on our birthday cake, and that's one year closer to being "old". But what if, instead of every birthday bringing us 1 year closer to that golden age, it brings us 4,5, even 7 years closer. That is the life of your pet. 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.

While age itself is not a disease, it brings with it the wear and tear that time produces.  Just like your health, where "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", preventive medicine helps your senior pet ease into aging and maintain a quality life.

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.


Senior Health Exams
Scheduling regular veterinary examinations is one of the most important steps pet owners can take to keep their pets in 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. It is recommended that healthy senior dogs and cats visit the veterinarian twice a year instead of annually for a complete exam and laboratory testing/monitoring. A lot can change during a six-minth period considering that one year of their life is equivalent to 4-7 years of our life.


During the senior health exam, your veterinarian will ask you a series of questions regarding any changes in your pet’s activity and behavior. The veterinarian will conduct a complete physical exam of your pet. Client education and laboratory testing are also key components of the senior exam.


Laboratory Testing
Veterinarians depend on laboratory results to help them understand the status of your pet’s health. When your pet is healthy, laboratory tests provide a means to determine your pet’s “baseline” values. When your pet is sick, the veterinarian can more easily determine whether or not your pet’s lab values are abnormal by comparing the baseline values to the current values. Subtle changes in these laboratory test results, even in the outwardly healthy animal, may signal the presence of an underlying disease.

 
The following tests are recommended:

Complete Blood Count - This common test measures the number of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in a given sample of blood. The numbers and types of these cells give the veterinarian information needed to help diagnose anemia, infections and leukemia. A complete blood count also helps your veterinarian monitor your pet’s response to some treatments.

Urinalysis - Laboratory analysis of urine is a tool used to detect the presence of one or more specific substances that normally do not appear in urine, such as protein, sugar, white blood cells or blood. A measurement of the dilution or concentration of urine is also helpful in diagnosing diseases. Urinalysis can assist the veterinarian in the diagnosis of urinary-tract infections, diabetes, dehydration, kidney problems and many other conditions.

Blood-Chemistry Panel - Blood-chemistry panels measure electrolytes, enzymes and chemical elements such as calcium and phosphorous. This information helps your veterinarian determine how various organs, such as the kidneys, pancreas, and liver, are currently functioning. The results of these tests help your veterinarian formulate an accurate diagnosis, prescribe proper therapy, and monitor the response to treatment. Further testing may be recommended based on the results of these tests.

Thyroid Level (T4) - This blood test measures the amount of circulating thyroid hormone. Deficiency is common in dogs resulting in lethargy, weight gain, and dermatological problems. Increased levels are common in senior cats resulting in weight loss, increased appetite and thirst, and heart problems.

Blood Pressure - Measuring blood pressure helps us determine if your pet has hypertension. Although it occurs less often in animals than in people, elevated blood pressure can cause severe disease in pets. Establishing a baseline in healthy older pets is critical because the stress of coming to the vet often falsely elevates blood pressure.  A series of readings enables us to separate “going to the vet stress” for true disease.

E.R.D.test - This. test checks for a protein called albumin that leaks into the urine as the kidneys become less effective.  This test is much more sensitive to protein than the test we run with the traditional urinalysis and gives an early warning as to when your pet needs therapeutic intervention, and can help us monitor kidney health long-term.

 

Some warning signs that may indicate your pet is beginning to suffer from age related problems are:

Health Category

Examples of Common Senior Diseases

Signs

If Left Untreated

Dental
 
Periodontal disease, gingivitis, cancer Bad breath, red or swollen gums, masses, trouble eating/chewing Heart disease, tooth loss, kidney and liver disorder, systemic infection, cancer progression
Joints Arthritis, hip dysplasia, back disease Lameness, reluctance to walk or exercise, decreased appetite, discomfort/pain Progressive disease, reduced mobility, neurologic deficits
Heart and Lungs
 
Cardiac disease, pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema Decreased stamina, coughing, difficulty breathing, weight loss, pot belly Progression to renal and liver disease, poor vascular profusion, eventual death
Endocrine System

Diabetes,
thyroid disorders,
Cushing,
Addisons

Noticeable weight change, increased appetite without weight gain, vomiting, increased water consumption, frequent urination, change in energy level Heart failure, kidney failure, secondary metabolic disease
Liver
 
Inflammatory, degenerative and cancerous liver disease Decreased appetite, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst/urination Hypo-albumineria, lipid metabolism disturbance, anemia, bleeding disorders, liver failure

Kidney
 

Kidney failure, kidney stones, kidney infection, kidney insufficiency Increased thirst/urination decreased appetite, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, back pain Progression to kidney failure, heart disease, electrolyte upset, fluid balance disturbance, death
Cancer Cancers of the skin, liver, spleen, lymphoid tissue etc. Bleeding, lumps, irritated skin, identified mass, swollen lymph nodes, vomiting, diarrhea Can progress to organ failure or death

Ocular
 

Cataracts, dry eye, glaucoma Grey bluish hue at the center of the eye, rubbing, pressing head against objects, swelling, redness, irritation, tearing Difficulty seeing, corneal ulceration, can progress to blindness, loss of eye

Gastro-intestinal Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, cancer, colitis Vomiting diarrhea, weight loss, fluid gain Further weight loss, disease will progress to potential death


 The good news is that most of these problems are controllable IF caught early on.  Although you can't turn back the clock, there are things you can do to keep your older pets healthy and YOUNG-AT-HEART. A Senior Pet Wellness Exam and Senior Blood work is one step you and your pet can take on the road to a comfortable old age.

 

The Effects of Age—Sensory Changes
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 are excellent ways 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 different problems (see Signs of a Problem, below).

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 with older bodies in mind. 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.
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.
Surgery for the Older Pet
In the event your veterinarian is considering surgery or any other procedure in which anesthesia is needed, special considerations are taken to help ensure the safety of your senior pet. CVMA  recommends all senior dogs and cats undergo the laboratory testing mentioned above, ideally within two weeks of any anesthetized procedure. A blood pressure evaluation and additional tests might also be recommended, depending on your individual pet. These screening tools can provide critical information to the health care team to help determine the proper anesthesia and drug protocol for your pet, as well as make you aware of any special risk factors that might be encountered.
Pain Management
Pets experience pain just like humans do, and CVMA recommends veterinarians take steps to identify, prevent, and minimize pain in all senior dogs and cats. The CVMA guidelines encourage veterinarians to use pain assessment as the fourth vital sign (along with temperature, pulse and respiration).

The different types of pain include acute pain, which comes on suddenly as a result of an injury, surgery, or an infection, and chronic pain, which is long lasting and usually develops slowly (such as arthritis). You can play a key role in monitoring your pet to determine whether he suffers from pain.
 


To help ensure your pet lives comfortably during the senior life stage, it’s critical to work with your veterinarian to tailor a senior wellness plan that is best for your dog or cat. Be sure to monitor behavior and physical conditions and report anything unusual to your veterinarian, who can help your pet head into the twilight years with ease.


TOGETHER, WE CAN HELP KEEP YOUR PET FEELING WELL


 

 

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