Getting Older - Senior Pet Care

In honor of September being Senior Pet Care Month, I have decided to briefly summarize the standard of care for all senior pets. So, what exactly is a senior pet? We consider most animals geriatric (or senior, if you will) at seven years old. This is, however, not an exact number. With some large and giant breed dogs, like a Great Dane for example, six is probably a more appropriate age to start calling your dog senior. However, many cats can live up to twenty years. These cats may not be considered geriatric until they are eight or ten years old. Also of note, the standard saying, “one dog year equals seven human years,” is not exactly accurate. Below you will see a chart of how different sized pets age at different rates.

So, now you know if your pet is senior. What to do next? Once your pet hits that magic age, it is time to go to the vet a bit more often. The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) recommends all geriatric pets have semi-annual veterinary visits. That is, a vet should see all geriatric pets every six months. These exams will include a physical examination to pick up on changes your pet is going through, both physically and mentally. A good physical examination can pick up on many diseases earlier than an owner might notice them.  It is estimated that only 14% of geriatric animals undergo this recommend regular health screening.

And now a word (or two) about bloodwork.

At one visit a year, bloodwork should be run. The standard senior panel we have at CSAH includes a full chemistry panel, a complete blood count (CBC), a thyroid (T4) hormone check, a heartworm/tick panel (4DX test) and a complete urinalysis. This panel gives us (the vets) a good idea how everything is working on the inside. This can pick up on early signs of disease and help make treatment more successful. For example, a dog may have kidney values mildly elevated on screening bloodwork. Fluid therapy when kidney disease is caught early on is much more successful than when started once your pet is feeling ill from advanced kidney disease. This bloodwork also helps establish a baseline of values, so we know what is normal for your pet when they are healthy. That way, if you pet does get ill down the road, we know what was normal for him when he was healthy. I cannot emphasize enough how important bloodwork is for your senior pet.

So, what exactly are the major diseases affecting geriatric pets? That list is quite long, but I can briefly summarize. First off, 50% of all dogs over ten years old typically lose their life to cancer. This is a major part of geriatric care. Some neoplasia, like splenic masses and skin tumors, can be picked up with semi-annual physical examinations. Others become evident upon receiving bloodwork results. Unfortunately, sometimes cancer is not discovered until your pet is very sick. Just like in humans, cancer is a deadly problem affecting many geriatric pets.

Other diseases commonly found in older animals typically include osteoarthritis, especially in your larger breeds of dogs, and endocrine diseases (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, diabetes and Cushing’s disease). Heart failure, liver failure and kidney disease are also geriatric pet diseases typically found at semi-annual veterinary appointments. Cognitive dysfunction is also a problem in geriatric animals, with signs similar to Alzheimer’s disease in humans. This is a very broad summary of geriatric illnesses that you may encounter as your precious pet hits the senior years.

In summary, once your dog or cat reaches the age considered senior, it is time to start making appointments every six months for a physical exam and have bloodwork done once a year. Since September is Senior Pet Care Month, we have our senior panels discounted $10.00 to encourage clients to screen their older pets for many of the diseases we have covered. Please call us today and make an appointment!

- H

PS: Here is my mother’s senior pup – Gerry, 14 years old – and going strong!