October and now November is Senior Pet Month at Clayburn Pet Hospital
Dogs and cats age much more quickly than humans. Their development through puberty to adulthood takes place over a period of 12-24 months. After that time each year of a pet's life is equal to about 4 years of a human life.
What is a "senior pet"?
Any pet over the age of 7 years is considered a senior. Large breed dogs over the age of 5 years are considered a senior.
Although age is not a disease, it is a progressive process that is associated with the development of age-related problems. Physical and metabolic changes that are more prevalent in mature pets include joint degeneration and arthritis; kidney and liver disease; thyroid disease; skin and coat changes; lumps and bumps that may be benign or malignant; muscle atrophy; and senility with cognitive and behavioural changes.
We are able to assess the health of your mature pet in several ways:
We recommend performing an annual senior wellness profile on all mature pets.
Early disease detection in our pets can result in earlier medical and nutritional treatment to improve life quality and expectancy.
During the month of October and now extended into November, we are offering a 20% discount on our Senior care packages, which includes an exam, senior blood panel and chest x-rays as recommended for your senior pet.
Any pet over the age of 7 years is considered a senior. Large breed dogs over the age of 5 years are considered a senior.
Although age is not a disease, it is a progressive process that is associated with the development of age-related problems. Physical and metabolic changes that are more prevalent in mature pets include joint degeneration and arthritis; kidney and liver disease; thyroid disease; skin and coat changes; lumps and bumps that may be benign or malignant; muscle atrophy; and senility with cognitive and behavioural changes.
We are able to assess the health of your mature pet in several ways:
- Monitoring at home for changes in thirst, urination, appetite, hair coat quality, energy level and mobility.
- Annual/semi annual physical examinations by your veterinarian.
- Senior wellness profiles that consist of lab tests on blood and urine samples to help detect early indicators of disease.
- Chest x-rays may be recommended to investigate for heart or lung disease; or to look for cancer that commonly spreads to the lungs.
We recommend performing an annual senior wellness profile on all mature pets.
- In the early stages of disease there are often no noticeable signs. A senior wellness profile may reveal early markers of organ dysfunction that can allow for earlier treatment and diet changes that will improve life quality and expectancy.
- When no abnormalities are identified on a senior wellness profile then the benefits are twofold: not only does it give us the peace of mind knowing that our pets are healthy but it also provides us with a benchmark/baseline for our healthy pets. This helps with a more sensitive diagnosis for any changes that may develop in subsequent years.
- Our veterinarian can discuss with you whether screening chest x-rays are also recommended.
Early disease detection in our pets can result in earlier medical and nutritional treatment to improve life quality and expectancy.
During the month of October and now extended into November, we are offering a 20% discount on our Senior care packages, which includes an exam, senior blood panel and chest x-rays as recommended for your senior pet.
