Importance of Senior Pet Health

We all want our pets to live a long, healthy and happy life. With the proper healthcare management, we can help your pet live life to their full potential, which may well be over the equivalent of 100 human years! The key to a longer life is being able to detect problems early. We do this by recommending twice-yearly check-ups and thorough physical examinations.

Now is a great time to save with the Senior Pet Health Package. It’s a comprhensive health assessment of your senior pet to detect potentially serious diseases and conditions at the earliest stages. Early detection of any disease gives you and your veterinarian more options to either cure them, slow their progression or help keep your pet more comfortable in their golden years.

For many pet lovers, watching our companions grow older is a comforting, rewarding experience. It is hard to believe the same bundle of energy tearing around the yard so many years ago is now the calm and kind old friend curled at our feet. When your friend begins to slow down, to put on a little weight or stiffen up, they need your help and understanding. Unlike a fellow human, your friend can’t take responsibility for its care. Your friend relies on you!

Pets age much faster than people do and as your old friend ages two kinds of changes occur. The first is age-related change such as hearing loss, changes in vision or reduced activity. These are normal and cannot be prevented. The second kind is pathological change or disease such as heart disease, kidney disease, arthritis or dental disease. These are, to some extent, preventable or can be successfully managed.

The healthcare your pet receives throughout their lifetime can help minimise and prevent disease as they age. Proper healthcare incorporates preventative healthcare, exercise, dental care, regular veterinary check-ups and eating a balanced diet.

The answer is early diagnosis and treatment, which can be achieved by visiting your veterinary healthcare team for twice yearly check-ups. Dogs and cats age much faster than we do and as a result, health problems progress much more rapidly. Australian pets are living longer than ever and are increasingly suffering from many of the same chronic diseases that affect humans.

Regular health checkups provide you with an opportunity to raise any questions you have about your pet and to tell your veterinary healthcare team about any changes of behaviour or physical appearance you have noticed. We highly recommend twice-yearly health checks for pets 7 years and over.

We perform very sensitive tests on blood to check the inner workings of your pet. These tests are the key to early disease protection and are vital for pets young and old.

In addition to picking up potentially important early changes to your pet’s internal health, another reason to run blood screening tests on seemingly well pets is to establish normal numbers for your pet as an individual. Without this information, tests are normally compared to the average cat or dog.

If we know what has been normal for your pet, we have a greater ability to detect any deviation from their normal level, even if this still falls within the reference range for the average pet in the test.

It is common to assume these signs are a normal part of the ageing process; however, these symptoms often indicate underlying age-related disease. If you notice any of these changes please discuss them with your local vet.