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Pre-Surgical Information
Spaying or neutering your pet is a big step! There is a lot to consider
when we are planning your pet’s surgery. Here is some information to help
you make wise decisions.
Click here . . .
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Special LibraryOur Special Library
is a collection of informative articles on a variety of health topics.
Click here . . .
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Discharge InstructionsClick here for
information on how to care for your pet at home.
Click here . . .
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 Older
Dogs
& Cats
In your older pet's journey through life, there may be
some rapids ahead. It can be very helpful to know
what is coming before it gets here.
Old age is not a disease. However, as we get
older, we are much more liklely to acquire diseases.
When we talk about how best to take care of our older
companions, we are really talking about identifying
problems while they are still small, rather than waining
until they are big and easy to identify.
How old is that in dog years? We have all heard
that one human year equals seven dog years. This
may be a good rule-of-thumb, but it is not a really good
indicator of how old a dog really is. It is the
whole concept of phyiologic age. Physiologic age
is how old a dog's body, or physiology, is. We
determine this by comparing the dog to a human with
similar agr-related changes. For instance, most
dogs go through puberty around 6 or 7 months of age.
Comparably, humans go through puberty at 12 or 13.
So, this means that a eight-month-old puppy is 13 in
people years. So much for the old "seven to one"
rule!
How fast dogs age is related to their size. Many
small dogs live to be 16, 17, even 20 years old.
However, most
 German
Shepards don't make it much past 10. A dog's
life-span is related to it's size. I have posted a
(partial) dog-years chart below. Your pet's age in
people years is listed in the left-hand column.
Across the top are four columms for your pet's weight in
pounds. For example, a 40-pound dog that is 12
years old is about 69 (marked yellow) in dog years.
What about cat years? Cats age at about the same
rate as small dogs. We can use the same chart.
The green part of the chart is the senior citizen zone.
By the time your pet reaches 60 in dog (or cat) years,
he or she is a senior citizen pet, and is likely to
start having the same kinds of health issues that many
more mature people experience.
What kinds of health problems do older pets get?
Well, the list is a little different from the list we
see in people. I have listed a few of the more
common problems below.
Arthritis Click on the
link to go to a more detailed discussion about
Arthritis.
Thyroid Issues Click the link
for a more detailed discussion of
Thyroid Issues
Kidney Disease Kidney disease is
commonly seen in both older dogs as well as cats.
Dental Disease Click the link
for a detailed article on
Dental Disease
There are many other problems an aging pet can develop,
far too many to list. However, we can talk about
how to prevent these problems from becoming major
issues.
Caring for Your Older Pet.
Managing the health concerns of your older pet is all
about
 early
detection. The sooner we can tell your pet is
developing a problem, the more likely we are to be able
to make a meaningful improvement in your pet's quality
of life. Like the image below reminds us, it is
much easier to change course before we hit the rapids
than after.
1. Periodic Testing.
The goal of testing is to identify problems while they
are still small and can be dealt with. We
recommend that each pet over 60 in people years have a
Senior Screen at least annually. A Senior Screen
is a series of tests that include a full serum chemistry
to screen for such things as kidney disease, diabetes,
and liver disease; a CBC to look for anemia and
infection, a urinalysis to look for microalbuminuria and
other kidney problems, and a thyroid test. The
Senior Screen costs about $110, but is an excellent
value. Similar testing for humans would cost over
$275. The Senior Screen, like the image above
suggests, allows us to detect small problems before they
become huge problems. It will detect such common
conditions as thyroid problems and kidney disease, as
well as many other conditions that can rob your pet of
energy and life. The Senior Screen also allows us
to determine which arthritis medications will be safest.
2. Frequent Examinations.
As your pet ages, it becomes more and more important to
examine him of her frequently. We recommend exams
every six months for every pet over 60 in people years.
This really amounts to every two years or so in dog and
cat years. Frequent exams will allow us to keep
track of weight changes, skin growths, dental problems,
etc. We will send you a reminder when it is time
for your pet's semi-annual exam.
3. Medicate and Treat and
Follow-Up as Needed. Older pets can greatly
benefit from treatment. Our goal is to improve the
quality and quantity of life, and this is possible with
modern medicines. However, it is also important to
evaluate and modify our treatment plans and to follow up
with appropriate testing when needed. Senior care
is not a one-shot thing: it takes persistence.
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