(The numbers in black above represent the pet's relative age in human years.)

Just as people are living longer than ever, our pets are living longer, too.  Although there can be considerable variation in the aging process, dogs and cats are generally considered geriatric by the time they reach the age of 10 years.

It is important to recognize that senior pets develop special needs as a result of their advancing age.  The key to insuring that your pet has the best quality of life possible is to minimize the risk factors that can impact their health; timely examinations, generally every six months, give Dr. Yavitz the opportunity to discover hidden problems in their early stages, significantly increasing the likelihood of correction or delay in the progression of disease.

In addition, early diagnosis and treatment reduces your pet's discomfort and your expense. Procedures, tests and dietary considerations typically utilized by Dr. Yavitz are included here.

Physical examination This is one of the most important procedures that you can provide for your pet; as previously discussed, many disease processes can be diagnosed in this manner.  The current recommended standard interval for routine examination of dogs and cats is every 6 months

Dental scaling and polishing
Dental disease is present in nearly 100% of dogs and cats over three years of age. For the same medical reasons long established for humans, regular scaling and polishing of your pet's teeth to remove harmful tartar can prevent many problems. Untreated, chronic gum infections resulting from dental tartar can damage the kidneys, heart valves, liver and lungs. Chronic coughing, diarrhea and vomiting can also result from the bacteria residing in your pet's infected teeth and gums. But these problems can be easily prevented by good dental care.  A moderate amount of cleaning can be performed during routine examinations on cooperative patients.  However, more thorough work is performed in conjunction with sedation or general anesthesia.

Complete blood count and blood chemistry panel
Just as in human medicine, diseases of the kidneys, pancreas, and liver are but a few of the problems that can be uncovered early in their development by routine blood screening of pets that appear normal. Treatment usually involves a combination of dietary management, nutritional supplements, and conventional medication. The outcome of such early treatment tends to be very successful.

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Preanesthetic blood testing
To minimize risk during procedures requiring anesthesia, we perform a blood profile screening to rule out preexisting internal problems that may not be evident physically but could possibly lead to complications. 

Radiography (X-rays)
Although x-rays are generally used in known cases of illness, radiographs of the chest and abdomen can also be used as a screening procedure in our older geriatric pets. Abnormalities of the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, prostate, intestinal tract as well as bone can be examined can be with

x-rays.

Electrocardiography
All pets should be routinely screened for early signs of heart disease by obtaining an electrocardiogram (EKG). In addition, higher risk anesthesia cases can be monitored before, during, and after surgery. With the combined results of the EKG and the preanesthetic blood tests, adjustments can be made in preparing your pet for anesthesia to make the procedure as safe as possible.

Ultrasonography
This procedure is available at Spoede Animal Hospital and is performed by a board certified veterinary radiologist. Ultrasound uses sound waves to obtain images of the heart and abdominal organs, providing more information than conventional radiography. In addition, ultrasound can be used as a high precision guide to obtain biopsies of internal organs.

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Urinalysis and urine microalbumin
Approximately 20 percent of all clinically normal dogs and cats with kidney disease have abnormally high levels of a protein in the urine called microalbumin.  Unfortunately, the signs of renal insufficiency generally do not appear until 75% of the kidney function has been lost. Fortunately, early detection of kidney disease is possible with the microalbumin urine test.  This is particularly significant because nutritional management can help to slow or even reverse the kidney damage, thereby extending and improving quality of life.

Veterinary diets and nutritional supplements
Proper diet can add significantly to the length and quality of your pet's life. Prime examples include Hill's Prescription Diet and Purina Veterinary Diets, which provide optimal combinations of high quality nutrients for treatment of many specific medical conditions.  We recommend the use of balanced omega 3 and 6 fatty acid containing nutritional supplements; our favorite for many years is The Missing Link^®.  Conditions that may benefit from this formula include inflammatory diseases of the skin (allergy, bacterial infection, seborrhea) and gastrointestinal tract (inflammatory bowel disease) and chronic renal disease.  Omega-3 fatty acids may also be helpful in lowering blood pressure in cats with systemic hypertension, a condition typically associated with hyperthyroid disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and renal disease.

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