Name: Clyde Veterinary Hospital
Telephone: (03) 9052 3200
Price range: $$

Owners of older pets will notice how their needs have begun to change with age. Senior animals have different health care needs and owners should be making some small but basic changes to their care regime to match.

At Clyde veterinary hospital – the City of Casey’s newest and most advanced veterinary clinic – we place a strong emphasis on preventative medicine for ageing animals to ensure you can keep your furry friends, no matter how elderly, happy and healthy by your side for as long as possible.

Dr Mitry has written a handy article on ‘12 tips for caring for your elderly or ageing dog or cat‘, which we recommend you read to learn about the few simple changes you can make to your pet’s care regime to help maintain their good health in their senior years.

After all they’ve given you down the years, a little extra care is the easiest way that you can pay them back.

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We make a full 360 degree assessment of your pet’s condition and provide preventative management plans for a comprehensive range of common senior concerns, including:

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As your pet’s activity levels decline with age, they are naturally burning fewer calories, their appetite doesn’t necessarily decline at the same rate.

This can quickly lead to complications from obesity – amongst the most serious of which is diabetes, which is potentially life threatening.

Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of joint pain and stiffness in dogs and cats, and they will tend to experience symptoms related to this more often in the colder months.

So, as winter approaches, it’s a good idea to have your pet checked for any developing issues.

Chronic dental issues can emerge quickly in older animals, and can cause further complications that can make your pet very sick indeed,

We recommend attempting to manually keep their gums and teeth clean with regular use of a finger brush, as well as regular chekups for senior pets.

It’s important that any potential hearing or eyesight issues in your dog or cat are identified as soon as they start developing so that a proper management plan can be put in place to ease the confusion and discomfort for your pets that can arise from degeneration in these vital faculties.

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Heart conditions can be notoriously difficult to detect in dogs and cats, so you should have older pets’ heart health checked professionally every six months.

But at Clyde Vet, we don’t just diagnose problems, we also look at the full range of factors that can contribute to heart disease including diet and exercise.

Your pet’s kidneys tend to lose their function as they get older, and issues can be tricky to spot without a formal blood test by your vet. Our in-house pathology delivers results in minutes to nip any issues quickly in the bud.

Thyroid disease and/or high blood pressure are other common causes of renal failure, and we test comprehensively for any related issues.

The risk of thyroid gland issues in your elderly dog or cat increases significantly with age. The most common issues are excess or inadequate levels of activity, but cancers are also a potential concern.

Problems can be very difficult to diagnose correctly without the aid of specific blood testing, and our in-house pathology delivers your pet’s results in minutes, allowing for speedy treatment.

Dementia often accompanies the ageing process in all animals – usually it is relatively mild and easily manageable, but in some cases the symptoms are severe.

Like osteoarthritis, there is no cure for dementia in pets, but it can often be helped with certain specially formulated foods and medications.

‘Lumps & Bumps’ Check

Parasite Check

Core Vaccinations

Gastrointestinal and Worming Issues

Toenail Clipping

FAQs

How do I know if my animal is considered ‘senior’?

All animals ‘age’ differently and at different rates for a variety of reasons, some related to environment, some to lifestyle, some to size, some to species and genetics. So the word ‘senior’ is really only useful in this sense if we take it to mean ‘the age at which the animal’s health needs have become more acute’.

On average this will begin at around 7 years of age in dogs and cats, but rather than worrying about a specific number, you really just need to know that the older they get, the more important it becomes to keep a stronger preventative eye on the sort of health problems that naturally emerge in animals as they age.

How Often Should I Have My Senior Pet Checked?

Again the correct answer will depend upon your pet’s unique circumstances and the sorts of conditions they are facing. But in general we recommend 6 monthly checkups for dogs and cats beyond 7 years of age.

Now My Pet is Entering Their Senior Years, Do I Need to Change Their Care Regime?

It’s a difficult question to answer briefly, so fortunately Dr Mitry has actually written an entire blog on the topic. You can read it here >> 12 Tips for Caring for Your Elderly Dog or Cat (opens in new window).