Senior Pet Care
Our senior pet care is designed to proactively address the needs of your senior pet.
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Senior Pet Care
The Ark team is dedicated to providing the best level of care to your pet at all stages of their life. Senior pet care is different in many ways from caring for a puppy or kitten.
Our team of expert nurses and veterinarians can help you maintain your pet’s health so they stay happy, healthy, comfortable and reach a ripe old age.
Information about senior pet care on this page:
- Why senior pet care is important
- Do I have a senior pet?
- The Ark’s senior pet care package
- What you can expect from our senior pet care package
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
The senior pet care package, valued at $855 –
- 2 Senior Wellness Consults
- 2 Dental Consults
- 2 Weight and Nutritional Consults
- Annual Vaccination
- Blood and Urine Test
- Heartworm Injection
- 1 year of intestinal wormer
- Wellness Treatment (bath, blow dry and nail clip)
- 3 kg bag of Hills Senior Food
The Ark Senior Care Package:
At the Ark, we want to make it easier for you to manage the needs of your aging pet. Also, we support their health more as they become older. That is why we developed a senior care package that proactively addresses the needs of your aging pet and provides comprehensive preventative and wellness care.
The year-long package is tailored to both senior dogs and cats and involves checkups, consultations, and tests. These are designed to diagnose any age-related conditions as soon as possible and keep your pet in the best of health.
With our text and email reminder system, we let you know when your pet is due an appointment, and you can easily book online or call us so our friendly staff can schedule an appointment for you.
Do you want to know more about our Senior Pet Care package or the individual senior care consults? Call us at 02-9416-1300. Our friendly staff will answer all your questions and explain in detail what you need to know.
What does our senior pet care package include?
Our senior care package is designed to make life easier for both you and your pet, removing the stress from memorising vaccination schedules and remembering when appointments are due. The senior pet care package is valued at $855 dollars, but we offer it for the price of $555 for the year. The package entails:
2 Senior Wellness Consults
These consults are tailored to the needs of an aging pet and enable us to pick up on the conditions that are likely to affect senior animals such as arthritis and sight problems. Here we can also develop a tick and flea control program tailored to your pet. It is also an opportunity for you to talk to our veterinarians and discuss prevention strategies to avoid these conditions in the future.
Dental Consults
Your pet’s risk of developing dental disease from wear and tear over time increases with their age. In these consults, our trained dental nurses will assess your pet’s teeth, identifying any tartar buildup, or if there is any inflammation in their gums. We can also find any fractures in the teeth which can be painful for your pet. If intervention is necessary, we can provide estimates for further dental treatments under general anaesthetic as well information about preventative measures to maintain good oral health in senior pets.
Nutritional/Weight Consults
Older pets are at a higher risk of becoming overweight, as they become less active but continue to eat the same diet. As they age, our pets are also more likely to become deficient in some minerals. During these consults we can check up on your pet’s weight to ensure that they are in a healthy range for their species. We can also discuss the role of nutrition in aiding medical treatment for conditions such as kidney disease or arthritis, and recommend a diet that may assist in managing any health conditions your pet may be experiencing. Good nutrition is an important tool in ensuring your pet’s health and prolonging their life.
Annual Vaccinations
The senior package contains all the yearly vaccinations that your pet normally gets. During the consultation your pet will also have a full physical examination to ensure that they are in good health.
Blood and Urine Test
These tests are important in monitroing your pet’s blood cell levels and organ function. This way we can identify any deterioration quickly, and intervene as quickly as possible. Early treatment often improves your pet’s response to any intervention, so that they can stay as comfortable as possible, and limits any unwanted hospital trips.
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