Did you know at the age of seven, your dog or cat is considered SENIOR!
Senior Pets are the focus during March and April 2019 at Sydney Animal Hospitals with the opportunity for your pet:
* Free Arthritis Check by a Qualified Veterinary Nurse
* Geriatric Profile Blood Testing at reduced price
* Hill’s TM Senior Food Discount Voucher
Call your local Sydney Animal Hospital to discuss ways to help your Senior dog or cat.
• Newtown 95194111 • Inner West 9516 1466 • Norwest 8883 0411 • Kellyville 8883 0533 • Newport 9997 4609 • Avalon 9918 0833 •
Dogs and cats over seven years of age are senior citizens in human years.
Everyone gets older, and our best friends age faster than we do.
How old is your pet in human terms?
At 10 years old dogs have reached retirement age. At 12 years old dogs have hit 77 in human years.
Our special friends need special care in their older years. Note: above table is an approximation. As a rule, larger breeds age faster than smaller breeds.
As with humans, the need for health care increases with age in dogs and cats too. Like us, animals suffer from aches and pains related to ageing – see signs to look out for – but veterinarians at Sydney Animal Hospitals can help you ensure that ageing isn’t a pain for your best friend.
Our pets age quicker than we do, entering their senior years from 7 years old in dogs and 10 years old in cats. Senior pets can start to display age related health problems, which may slow the animal down, affecting their behaviour, appetite and mobility. During March and April at Sydney AnimalHospitals we’re focusing on our Senior Pets, so that we can help them live longer in comfort – ensuring your best friend will be a happy and healthy companion for many years to come.
It’s important to be aware of the signs of aging in your dog or cat as early detection of age-related disease is vital in ensuring problems can be managed in the years ahead to provide a good quality of life for your pet. Some symptoms of aging may be obvious, like not lasting as long on their walk, while other signs can be much more subtle – such as changes in their appetite or demeanour. Monitoring your pet’s eating and drinking patterns, body weight, toileting habits and level of mobility are all important so that you can report any changes to your vet.
Common health problems affecting senior dogs and cats include osteoarthritis, obesity, metabolic diseases such as diabetes or kidney failure, bad teeth and changes to their cardiovascular system. Behavioural changes are also common, which can sometimes be related to cognitive dysfunction or may be related to internal metabolic changes or pain. With early intervention, most age-related diseases can be managed to ensure your pet remains comfortable, happy and healthy.
Because our pets can’t talk to us and communicate how they feel, senior pets should have regular vet checks at least every six months and a routine blood test every year. This helps us to determine the health of many important internal organs such as the kidneys and liver and can often be the first indicator that something is wrong. Drop into one of our Sydney Animal Hospitals during March and April to take advantage of our Senior Pet focus – and give us the opportunity to help your pet be with you for many years to come.
BLOG – Patient Pepper
Thirteen year old cat Pepper’s life expectancy and quality of life has improved significantly thanks to a recent check-up and blood test at SAH which diagnosed early stage kidney disease. Pepper’s owner had noticed the cat was drinking more water and seemed a little unsettled, and after a full physical examination, our vet recommended a geriatric blood test to check Pepper’s liver, kidneys and other blood parameters. The blood result showed elevated levels of Creatinine and Urea, two metabolic by-products which can build up in the blood if kidney function is impaired.
Pepper has since been started on some medication to help control her blood pressure to aid kidney function, together with being fed a special renal support diet that will reduce the workload on her kidneys. Kidney disease is very common in older cats, and in this case the blood test not only provided peace of mind to Peppers owner, but also helped diagnose early stage kidney disease which can now be managed to ensure Pepper is around enjoying life for many years to come. If you have an older dog or cat, book in for a consultation with one of our friendly team to give us the opportunity to pick up diseases early and put in place a management plan to keep your pet happy and healthy into their twilight years.
Your pet may not be able to tell you when something is wrong. In fact, animals have evolved to hide signs of illness until it is quite advanced.
Veterinarians at Sydney Animal Hospitals are trained to identify and address age-related problems in pets. By identifying these problems at an early stage they can be managed to ensure that senior pets enjoy an excellent quality of life. Call your local Sydney Animal Hospital to discuss ways to help your Senior dog or cat.
• Newtown 95194111 • Inner West 9516 1466 • Norwest 8883 0411 • Kellyville 8883 0533 • Newport 9997 4609 • Avalon 9918 0833 •