Senior Pet Care & Disease Prevention With Regular Exams & Lab Diagnostics
Our senior pets are progressively more vulnerable to age-related illnesses, conditions, and injury. The professionals of The Maywood Veterinary Clinic provide complete wellness care focused on maximizing health and longevity for our loyal senior companions. This program is centered on detecting and addressing developing problems at the earliest stage possible, for the least invasive treatments.
As an accredited veterinary hospital, we follow the guidelines of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) for the care of senior dogs and cats.
Regular veterinary examinations are critical to the health of any pet. As dogs and cats enter the senior life stage, these examinations help us detect problems such as organ failure and osteoarthritis, and delay the progress of age-related disease. Since pets age at a more rapid rate than humans, we recommend healthy senior pets visit our clinic every six months for a complete exam and laboratory testing.
Senior care starts with a comprehensive veterinary exam of all of your pet’s body systems. Client education and laboratory testing are also key components of the senior exam. Test may involve blood work, urinalysis, fecal exam, and other diagnostics including ultrasound or x-ray.
At that time, we will discuss any changes in your pet’s activity and behavior since the last visit.
Changes in your senior companion may be obvious, such as a graying coat and stiffness in movements. Other changes may be more subtle or even baffling: a gentle dog becomes cranky and aggressive, a cat hides at dinner time, or the animal exhibits a sudden weight loss or gain. Other signs of dysfunction include night time restlessness, loss of bowel or bladder control, howling or vocalizing, confusion, and lack of response to commands.
Any dramatic change in your pet warrants a call to our clinic at (201) 368-0607, to discuss the issue with our veterinarians. Addressing such changes immediately often prevents more complex, uncomfortable, and expensive treatments later on.
Saying goodbye to a long-time friend is painful. At The Maywood Veterinary Clinic, we work with clients to ensure the comfort and dignity of every pet at end of life. Our services include client support for hospice, pain relief, humane euthanasia services, and taking care of the remains as directed by the client.
Senior Pet Care
Helping Your Pet Enjoy Healthy & Happy Golden Years
The doctors and staff here at Quakertown Veterinary Clinic want your pet to live a long, healthy, and happy life. There are many health problems that occur in our aging pets. Dental issues, thyroid disease, kidney problems, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis are just some of the common health problems we often see in senior pets. The sooner we can detect these problems, the earlier we can intervene.
A complete, yearly health exam is crucial in catching these problems early on. In order to get an even more complete picture of your senior pet’s health, we have created a Senior Pet Care Program. The Senior Pet Care Program is a series of blood and urine tests, as well as a physical exam and nutritional consultation at a discounted rate.
Read on to learn more about our Senior Pet Care Program, or call (215) 515-8810 for small animals services or (215) 515-6909 for large animal services.
What Is Included in Our Senior Pet Care Program?
At Quakertown Veterinary Clinic, our Senior Pet Care Program includes:
- Physical exam (not including vaccines, heartworm test, or fecal exam)
- Complete blood count
- Blood chemistry profile
- Thyroid level
- Complete urinalysis
- Urine protein/creatinine ratio test
- Nutritional consultation
How to Tell If Your Pet Is a “Senior”
Cats generally reach senior stage around eight years of age. Many cats begin to experience some sort of age-related changes between 8 and 10 years of age. Just like dogs, cats age much quicker than humans. At one year of age, a cat is about 16 in “human years,” but that aging slows down as they get older. Many cats live well into their mid- to late teens, especially with the advances in veterinary medicine.
As cats age, they may become stiff, much like humans, and even gray around their faces. Many cats don’t groom themselves as well as they used to and their fur may become matted and dull looking. Their eyes may look hazy or cloudy. Older cats may not spend as much time around the family as usual and may sleep the majority of the day. Cat’s behavior can change as well, with them becoming crankier in their senior years.
A senior dog is usually over seven years of age, except for giant breeds (Great Danes, Mastiffs, Saint Bernards, etc.) who have a genetically shorter life-span and can be considered seniors at five years of age. A dog’s biological clock moves much faster than it does for people. Instead of taking 18 years to reach physical maturity as people do, dogs mature when they are slightly more than one year old.
The average lifespan for dogs varies between 8 (giant breeds) and 18 years (miniature breeds), depending on the breed and size. With regular and proper health care visits to your veterinarian, you can help your dog live to his/her optimal lifespan in good health, Aging dogs are similar to aging people; they may walk more stiffly and have trouble getting up and down stairs. You may see gray hair around their muzzle and a duller, drier coat and hazy eyes.
To schedule a routine wellness exam for your pet, or to make an appointment for pet vaccinations in Quakertown, contact us at (215) 515-8810 for small animals or (215) 515-6909 for large animals today.
Contact Us for Compassionate Senior Pet Care
Our team is dedicated to providing a personalized senior pet care program for your elderly cat or dog. We are passionate about providing compassionate care designed to help your pet live a long and happy life and enjoy his or her golden years.
Contact us to learn more about our Quakertown senior pet care services.