Senior Pet Wellness

Senior Pet Wellness

As dogs and cats age, they need more attention and specialized care. Our senior wellness program can help your pet remain fit and healthy as they age and help our veterinary team find potential problems earlier when they’re easier to treat or manage. Regular veterinary exams can actually help your pet live longer, too!

Diagnosing diseases and certain conditions early is important throughout a pet’s life, but it becomes even more critical when your dog or cat enters their senior years. The risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age. In addition, dogs and cats may not show signs of serious diseases until they are pretty advanced.

Senior status varies depending on your pet’s breed and size. Smaller dogs tend to live longer than larger dogs, and cats generally live longer than dogs. We can help you determine your pet’s life stage if you are unsure.

Before your dog or cat reaches senior status, we recommend bringing your pet in for a baseline exam and diagnostic workup. This will give us a record of what’s normal for your pet so we can keep track of any changes as they age. In most cases, we suggest this checkup for when your dog turns seven years of age or your cat turns eight years of age. After that, your senior pet will benefit from more frequent veterinary exams and diagnostic testing.

We can treat many symptoms commonly attributed to age, including those associated with cognitive dysfunction syndrome (similar to Alzheimer’s in humans). We can also improve your pet’s quality of life by identifying and preventing or reducing pain, recommending an appropriate nutrition and exercise plan, and suggesting environmental modifications to keep your pet comfortable.

We tailor the senior wellness plans to your pet’s individual needs. If you have any questions, we would be happy to discuss our senior wellness program in more detail. Call us today to schedule your pet’s exam!