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Geriatric Care Advancements in veterinary medicine and a proactive approach to senior pet care are allowing your pets to enjoy better quality and longevity in their lives. Why shouldn't our furry family members benefit from care approaching that afforded to their human housemates? Waiting to treat pets only after physically noticeable changes have occurred can be very costly both in terms of your pet's suffering and the strain on your pocketbook. Detecting and treating or slowing disease progression always works best when started early. Dental Care is especially important for older pets. It's documented in animals and humans that the chronic inflammation, infection and discomfort of periodontal disease can lead to changes throughout the body. Inflammation is quickly overtaking infection as the underlying cause of the disease processes in many systems – heart and arteries, kidneys, bladder, bowels, skin, blood components, lungs, eyes, etc. Today's extremely safe methods of anesthesia and monitoring allow us to perform dental care on senior pets with confidence. Blood and Urine Screening on an annual basis is truly important for all pets 9 years and older – younger for some giant breed dogs. Diseases of the blood, kidneys, liver, diabetes, thyroid gland , etc – when caught early – can usually be treated to keep your pet comfortable and healthy for years to come with simple medical and nutritional changes. This annual screening is a must. Nutritional Management can be as obvious as some needed weight loss to changing protein, fatty acid or fiber levels in the treatment of kidney, liver or bowel disease. Today's diets are well researched and readily available to help manage a wide variety of problems and slow some of the problems that come with age.Pain Management is something we all appreciate. As our pets age orthopedic, neurological and other conditions can lead to real pain, which affects everyone's quality of life. We can offer a wide range of medications and therapies to minimize any discomfort and sometimes even turn your pooped-out pooch into a playful pooch. Behavior changes in our senior pets can be very troubling. It can be very discouraging to see your older pets' forgetfulness of house training, irritability or altered sleep habits. But perhaps we can help. Along with neurological disease and arthritis, cognitive dysfunction syndrome is recognized as a cause of these problems in some pets. Specific therapies including Anapril, melatonin, analgesics, warmed sleeping areas, antioxidants, walks, and dietary changes can be a significant help. With medical advances and proactive care we now see dogs living to be 16 or 17 and cats living into their 20s. |
