Heartworm DiseaseSenior petsveterinarian

Geriatric Pet Advice from the Veterinarians at Croton Animal Hospital

By January 11th, 2018One Comment

I know you’ll still need me. I know you’ll still feed me?
When I’m 64!

geriatric-dog-croton-vet

Make 7 your pet’s lucky number.

It’s a common belief that dogs age seven years for each human year. And that’s pretty accurate, depending on his weight.

But there’s another reason to consider this number as special: it’s typically when your dog – and cat, too – enters his golden years and needs special attention from his family. 

As your furry friend reaches “Senior Petizen” status at the dawn of his golden years, he may already be demonstrating changes in behavior, ability or appearance.

Growing older can have similar changes for pets as it does for humans. You may notice your pet’s eyesight, hearing or ability to recognize family members deteriorate. Your pet may move more slowly or seem stiff and sore at times.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Pet Parent’s and veterinarians can work together to provide for their special needs. Extra care and preventative measures can make a great difference in their quality of life.

While some signs of aging are unavoidable, let your vet know if your pet has any of these symptoms. 

  • Drinking, urinating or scratching more often?
  • Having difficulty climbing or jumping? 
  • Have you noticed new lumps or bumps, bad breath or swollen gums?
  • Change sin eating, sleeping or social habits? 

New technologies and procedures make it possible for pets to live longer and healthier lives. But they depend on you to react quickly and knowledgeably.

Life-threatening problems of only a few years ago are treatable today, especially if detected early. Therefore, it’s important that your pet be examined by your veterinarian every six months and that you watch carefully for warning signs of common medical conditions in our senior petizens.

Regular check-ups are a must

Regular examinations help in assessing your pet’s overall condition. More than ever, older pets need protection against infection and contagious diseases, so annual vaccinations and routine testing for heartworm and intestinal parasites are crucial.

Most vets also recommend once or twice yearly blood screening for geriatric pets. Blood testing indicates how well major organs are functioning, can give early warning of infection and many diseases, and establishes baseline values for comparison with future test results. 

One Comment

  • Michael Lee says:

    My dog is starting to get up there in age and I did just start to notice that he is being a lot more clumsy. Thank you for this article, I have been taking him for yearly checkups and I’ll have to start to do it more biannually. I want him to be comfortable as we move to veterinary geriatrics.

Leave a Reply