Having older pets can be an extremely rewarding experience. Whether you’ve had your dog since it was a puppy, or just adopted a senior cat, or anything in between, it’s important to know that older pets come with a few additional healthcare needs.
While experts have mostly debunked the myth that dogs age 7 years for every “human” year, it is true that they age much more rapidly than people do, and can develop age-related problems like osteoarthritis, organ dysfunction, and even cancer. Bringing your pet in to Emancipet for an annual wellness examination with a veterinarian is the first step to keeping them healthy and catching problems before they get too big to manage. But what else might your veterinarian recommend at this visit? Read ahead to find out!
Prevention is Still Key
Some people believe that as pets get older, they no longer need vaccines. While it’s true that after many years of regular vaccination, their risk of catching an illness may be lower, it is still important to keep up with their core vaccines. As a senior, your pet might actually be more at risk, especially if they have underlying conditions that reduce their immune system’s ability to fight off bacteria and viruses.
Emancipet offers routine, low-cost vaccines for senior pets, and pets of all ages! These are offered as part of our Healthy Pet Services.
Additionally, senior pets are just as likely as their younger counterparts to become infected with heartworm from a mosquito bite or to pick up fleas or ticks from their environment. Keeping up with your pets’ flea, tick, and heartworm prevention is essential as they get older just like when they are young. It’s also important to continue testing for heartworm annually in case they miss a dose or otherwise become infected.
Emancipet offers low-cost heartworm testing, and flea, tick and heartworm prevention medications.
Many veterinarians will also recommend annual bloodwork to screen for organ dysfunction such as kidney or liver disease. Although Emancipet does not offer this service, we encourage you to talk to your primary care veterinarian about whether blood work is appropriate for your pet.
Dental Health
Did you know that 80% of dogs and 70% of cats show signs of dental disease by the time they are 3 years old? This means that for senior pets, dental disease is almost certain to have an effect on them. While most people think only of bad breath and pain or discomfort when considering dental disease in pets, it is also possible for bad oral health to lead to problems in other organs like the heart or liver.
During your pets’ wellness examination, ask about their teeth and whether an anesthetized dental procedure is right for your pet. Because we can’t take oral x-rays or clean teeth effectively in an animal that is awake, most veterinarians recommend regular anesthetized dental procedures to evaluate and treat dental problems.
Emancipet offers low-cost dental procedures at our Austin Dental and Surgical Center in Austin, Texas. You can get a dental evaluation at any of our brick and mortar locations.
Mass Removals
Just like people, pets can develop various lumps and bumps as they get older. While many of these might be benign and harmless, like skin tags or dermal cysts, there are also many types of cancer that start as a lump in or under the skin. It is better to remove a lump while it is small and manageable than to wait for it to get too big or for it to spread to other organs. In some cases, sampling is recommended before removing the lump, such as a Fine Needle Aspirate, where the veterinarian sticks a needle into the mass and examines the cells under a microscope). Other times, it is easier to just remove the whole lump and submit it for testing at a laboratory (histopathology). Histopathology is the most definitive way to diagnose a lump and determine if further treatment is needed. If you notice new lumps or bumps, especially if they are large, bleeding, or uncomfortable for your pet, it is important to have your pet examined by a veterinarian to determine the most appropriate course of diagnostics and treatment.
Emancipet offers low-cost mass removals and other surgical procedures at our Austin Dental and Surgical Center in Austin, Texas.
Arthritis
Many pets develop osteoarthritis, which is the medical term for inflammation and damage in their joints, as they get older. This might make it harder for them to climb or jump on furniture, make them sore after long walks, and reduce their overall activity levels due to pain and stiffness. Some pets will improve with supplements that help support their joints, and others might require more aggressive prescription medications, depending on the degree of arthritis and pain they are experiencing. If your pet has arthritis, it is also important to manage their diet carefully because additional weight can put even more stress on their joints. Talk to your veterinarian if you notice signs of arthritis at home, because it is not always obvious during their examination at the veterinary clinic. Emancipet does not offer treatment for arthritis.
Thanks to advances in medicine, nutrition, and general knowledge about pet care, our companions are living longer and longer. While senior pets may require a bit more care, they often repay it tenfold with the love and companionship they can offer to their family.
When you Pay It Forward to Emancipet, you create opportunities for more senior pets to get the preventive care they need for more years at their home.
