Senior Care for Pets

As any health-conscious senior citizen can tell you, the "golden years" can be a challenge, but they can also be wonderfully rewarding if you make wellness a priority, which is also true for pets. If you have senior pets, you need to take some extra measures to make sure they continue to enjoy a high quality of life in spite of their elevated risks for some health issues.

What health conditions are connected to aging?

Though pets age at a rapid rate in comparison to humans, there's no exact line drawn to determine when they'll all start aging. However, most dogs and cats can safely be thought of as geriatric by the age of 7. Very large breeds of dogs tend to have shorter life spans and thus enter this phase a little earlier. The more years your pet has behind them means a higher risk for a variety of chronic issues. As your pet ages, they become increasingly more vulnerable to problems such as heart  disease, liver/kidney failure, thyroid disorders, periodontal disease, dementia, as well as:

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Osteoarthritis and other degenerative joint issues
• Heart disease

How can your help support my senior pet?

The extra health challenges that accompany the senior years makes it more important than ever to schedule regular wellness examinations for them. Biannual evaluations for senior pets let us keep a close watch for these threats. Lab testing can reveal signs of the health condition we mentioned above. If your pet has a systemic issue like high blood pressure, thyroid trouble or diabetes, we can recommend the right mix of medications, dietary adjustments and other measures to effectively manage it.

How can nutrition address my pet's health issues?

Nutritional requirements for senior pets shift as they age more. Since senior pets show decreased levels of activity, their daily caloric intake will decrease. Your senior pet also requires different levels of particular nutrients and vitamins responsible for the changes in the cardiovascular, urinary, renal, and digestive systems. We can recommend specific diets for your pet's individual physical needs. To learn more about our special diets for your aging pet, please contact us at 416-245-8805.