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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.
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.
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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.
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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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