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Pets are like little people in fur coats. Many of the diseases that you are familiar with that affects humans can affect our cats and dogs, too. Our pets’ life spans are much shorter than ours, so they become old or geriatric sooner than we might think. Large breed dogs are often considered geriatric after 5 years of age and other dogs and cats are often geriatric after 7 year of age.
Some of the diseases that are seen more in older pets include: heart valve disease which leads to heart failure, kidney disease which lead to kidney failure, insulin-dependent diabetes, cataracts, arthritis, thyroid disease, a wide variety of cancers, and gum diseases which can lead to tooth loss and wide spread infections. Many of these diseases can cause pain, discomfort or an early death if left undetected and untreated. Due to advances in medicine, some of these conditions can be either prevented or treated if caught in early states. There is much available in veterinary medicine to alter the quantity and quality of your pet’s life.
This is the reason that regular examinations every 6 months are recommended for those pets in the geriatric category. Veterinarians have a variety of tests available to help detect early diseases so treatment can be initiated as well as recommendations to help prevent or delay other illnesses. Blood work, taking radiographs, doing a urinalysis, and a good physical exam with a thorough history can be extremely beneficial as screening tools. Therapies as mild as changing to a specially formulated diet may be indicated in order to prolong the time your cat or dog remains as a loved family member.
It has been said that 1 year of a pet’s life is equal to 7 years of your life. This really does vary with the size and breed of your pet, but to continue this analogy, having your 9 year old dog or cat checked only once a year is equivalent to a 63 year old person not seeing a doctor for any kind of check-up until they become 70 years of age. A lot can be missed in that length of time! Our pets cannot always tell us when they are having a problem.
Please call for specific recommendations on a geriatric work-up for your pet; it may make a big difference in the life of your cat or dog.
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