50 OCTOBER 2024 | INTHEVUE.COM AS PETS GROW OLDER, THEIR health care needs evolve, requiring more attention and routine testing to ensure they stay healthy. Senior pets are more prone to various health issues, such as organ dysfunction, mobility challenges, and chronic conditions, making regular check-ups essential. Senior testing often includes blood work, x-rays, urine analysis, and heart evaluations like an EKG. These procedures help veterinarians establish a “baseline” of your pet’s health, allowing for early detection of any abnormalities or changes. By conducting these tests annually, you and your veterinarian can monitor your pet’s health more closely, spotting potential issues before they become serious. Catching problems early, such as kidney disease, heart conditions, or arthritis, can significantly impact the quality of life for your senior pet. The goal of senior care is to extend the pet’s healthy years, providing them comfort as they age. Routine screenings also give peace of mind, knowing you’re actively taking steps to keep your pet happy and healthy in their later years. Working with your veterinarian on a senior care plan ensures that any health concerns are identified and managed before they can compromise your pet’s well-being. Below are some tests you should consider utilizing for your senior pets. GHP (blood panel): This is an extremely useful tool at looking inside your pet’s body. It detects liver, kidney, and gall bladder problems, checks protein levels, and also checks for diabetes. Many problems can be found and treated before the pet ever shows signs or gets sick. CBC (complete blood count): This is another blood test that is very useful. It detects anemia, infections, clotting disorders, and more. Urinalysis: Testing the urine of your senior pet can find problems such as urinary tract infections, bladder crystals/stones, diabetes, and kidney problems. Thyroid test: Many senior dogs develop hypothyroid disease and may or may not show signs. Advanced stages can cause hair loss, anemia, inactivity, weight gain, and many other problems. Senior cats can develop hyperthyroid disease in which they tend to ravenously eat and still become very skinny. Many complications can occur including high blood pressure and heart problems. Thyroid tests are easily done by drawing a blood sample. EKG: Checking the heart for abnormalities can be found by simply placing three small painless probes on your pet for just a few minutes. X-rays: Taking an internal “picture” of your senior pet’s chest and/or abdomen can look at the size of the heart and can sometimes see cancerous growths or masses. X-rays of the bones can see arthritis or degenerating bone. Your pet may have an individual need that needs to be assessed. SPONSORED BY SENIOR PET CARE PAW-sitive PERSPECTIVE
