We love to see senior dogs! Once dogs are over 7 years of age they are considered seniors. As your dog ages, you may start noticing some lifestyle or behavioural changes that could signal a problem or need attention.
At Vets on Parker, we recommend twice yearly health checks for senior dogs. Your precious pooch ages seven times faster than us and regular health checks can help ensure we catch age related health conditions before they impact your dog’s quality of life.
Dental Disease
Health checks in senior pets often identify health problems that owners simply aren’t aware of. For example, we often see untreated dental disease. Owners are often mistaken by their pet’s ability to still eat well and assume their dog’s dental health is in good order. Most of the time the pet has just learnt to tolerate this painful situation.
Blood Testing
Annual blood testing for pets over seven years old is also an excellent way of detecting disease. Animals with diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease and even tumours often do not show signs of the disease until they are very sick. Screenings for diabetes, kidney disease and liver problems are important as they can help us diagnose these conditions while your pet is still healthy. Blood can be taken without sedation and test results are received very quickly.
Arthritis
Arthritis is a common disease we see in older dogs and it can be quite painful if left untreated. Arthritis can be easily managed with medication and a few lifestyle changes. Some common symptoms of arthritis include slowing down on walks, stiffness after getting up or reduced activity levels. If you notice any of these behaviours in your pet, please talk to your vet.
Lumps and bumps
Skin tumours are very common in older dogs. Most of these lumps are not anything to worry about, however, sometimes they can be very serious. All lumps, no matter the size, need to be checked by a vet to make sure they are not cancerous.
