The Golden Years

Did you know that after 6 years of age, your pet is considered a senior? Because a pet’s life span is short compared to that of the human families, health conditions develop more rapidly, sometimes even threatening the life of the animal if left untreated. While a once-annual veterinary visit may be adequate for younger pets, all pets over 6 years of age gain significant health benefits from wellness exams twice a year.

Wellness screening in our companions in their golden years begins with you, the pet owner. You may notice changes in your pet’s activities, behavior, vision or hearing loss, dental problems, arthritis, constipation, or obesity. At Mercy Animal Hospital, your veterinarian will perform a comprehensive physical examination, the first important step for detecting chronic conditions such as dental disease, osteoarthritis, or heart disease.

These wellness visits will give you an opportunity to minimize potential health risks through early detection and treatment. During this visit, your veterinarian may perform the following services based upon your pet’s healthcare needs:

    * Comprehensive physical examination

    * Intestinal parasite screening

    * Heartworm testing

    * Senior Wellness Panel and urinalysis

    * Dental examination and/or dental cleaning

    * Ophthalmic and otic examination

    * Chest radiographs and/or EKG

    * Abdominal radiographs

    * Osteoarthritis evaluation

    * Vaccination update. Please continue to update your pet's rabies vaccination! It is required by law.

    * Discussion of nutrition, behavior, and any pet owner questions

Pets in their golden years benefit significantly from early detection of problems. Moreover, having baseline values from earlier visits will help us to determine whether your pet will suffer from any clinical disease or not. Nutritional supplements and adjustments in diet and exercise are most successful when we treat the condition early.