Senior pet care
The same medicine as any other visit, done more often. In an older pet, a good deal of what looks like slowing down turns out to be treatable.
Most owners bring an older pet in because something has changed. The changes that matter in a senior pet are quiet ones: drinking a little more, sleeping in a different place, taking the stairs one at a time, eating with less enthusiasm.
What changes in a senior visit
The exam is the same head-to-tail examination described on the wellness exam page. We look more often, and we look harder at weight and muscle mass, joints and gait, heart sounds, the mouth, and the lumps that were not there last time.
What bloodwork we run depends on the pet and on what the exam turns up. Where there is earlier bloodwork to compare against, that comparison is often worth more than any single result.
Arthritis and mobility
Arthritis is often mistaken for aging itself. A dog who has stopped jumping onto the sofa, or a cat who has started missing the top of the cat tree, is usually sore rather than slowing down. It is also one of the most treatable things in an older pet.
Handling an older pet
The examination happens on the floor instead of lifting an arthritic pet onto a table, on non-slip flooring. For a pet we have already examined, we can prescribe medication to give at home before the visit.
What senior care costs
The exam is $85. Bloodwork or anything else recommended during the visit is discussed and priced with you before it happens.
Ready when you are
If your dog or cat has become slower on stairs, is drinking more, has lost weight without a diet change, or has stopped doing something they used to do, that is worth an appointment.
Senior pet care — common questions
When does my pet become a senior?
Around seven for most dogs, earlier for giant breeds and later for small ones, and around ten for cats. From roughly that point we look more often, and we look harder at the things that go wrong with age.
How often should a senior pet be seen?
Ideally every six months. Twice a year makes it possible to catch a change while it is still small, and a pet ages several times faster than humans do. We recommend it rather than require it, and once a year is far better than none.
My dog is just getting old. Is there anything to actually do about it?
A great deal of what looks like ordinary aging is treatable. Arthritis, dental pain, kidney disease, thyroid disease and high blood pressure all present as a pet who is quieter, stiffer, or less interested than they were.
Is anesthesia safe for an older pet?
Age on its own is not what makes an anesthetic risky. The conditions that arrive with age are, and bloodwork before the procedure is what finds them. During the procedure someone is assigned to your pet and to nothing else, watching pulse oximetry, ECG, blood pressure, capnography and temperature.
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20801 N Scottsdale Rd, Suite 101 · Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480-585-3512