Why is senior pet care important?

As your pet ages, their way of life will change with them. As they become less active they require a new nutritional plan and exercise regime to best support them in their older age. Older animals are also at a greater risk of a variety of age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis and dental disease. A lot of these diseases have a slow onset, which makes them difficult to spot, but also easier to resolve if noticed and treated early.

Providing the right level of senior pet care will help you support your pet as they age. Keeping them happy, healthy and comfortable.

Senior pet health check

Just like us as we reach our more senior years, our pets also start to slow down and may be more prone to health issues. They are more prone to kidney, liver and heart disease and various types of cancer, as well as having an increased risk of arthritis, obesity, hearing/sight loss, dental problems and cognitive dysfunction.  Thanks to advances in modern veterinary medicine, we are able to detect and treat potential problems earlier, helping our pets live longer and happier lives.

We recommend booking your pet in for a ‘Senior Health Check’ which includes all of the following:

• Physical exam by one of our vets
• Opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have regarding your pets health
• Blood tests to check vital organ function
• Urine test
• Phone call or appointment to discuss the results

As one human year counts as 5-7 years in our pets a lot can change in this period and in order to keep track of your their health and detect any changes promptly, we recommend bringing them in for the senior check once annually.

We consider cats to be of ‘senior’ age at 10 years old and dogs vary depending on size (smaller breeds may be considered ‘senior’ at the age of 10, whereas giant breeds age more quickly and would be considered ‘senior’ at the age of 5).

If you want to know more about our senior health check please contact our friendly staff at: 02-94161300.

When do I consider my pet a ‘senior pet?’

Pets age at a different rate to humans, and their rate of aging can differ depending on their species:

Cats – Cats less than 10kg are considreed senior pets after the age of 8 

Dogs – We’ve all heard that one dog year is equivalent to 7 human years, but the size of a breed often has an impact on when a dog is considered a senior

• Tiny dogs (under 10kg) = 8 years and older
• Small dogs (10-25kg) = 7 years and older
• Medium dogs (25-40kg) = 6 years and older
• Large dogs (over 40kg) = 5 years and older