May is Senior Wellness Awareness Month (10% off all Senior Services): Senior Wellness and Your Pets

Senior Wellness and Your Pet

At seven years of age or older, your pet has reached “senior canine citizen” status. And just like us, as our pets get older, they need a little extra attention, especially when it comes to preventive healthcare.

In lab tests, one out of four senior dogs has an abnormal finding that often reveals an undetected illness.

As they age, our senior family members are more susceptible to cancer, diabetes, heart and kidney disease, painful arthritis and many other conditions. While some pets show outward signs of these diseases, others appear perfectly healthy.

In Honor of Senior Wellness Awareness Month, Thomasville Veterinary Hospital will be Offering a 10% Discount on all Senior Wellness Services Throughout the Month of May.

How Can You Better Provide for your Pet as They Get Older?             

At Thomasville Veterinary Hospital we recommend annual exams for dogs and cats under the age of 7. After your pet passes the age of 7 we do recommend they be seen bi-annually for their senior wellness exam. By using a continuous wellness program, we use preemptive diagnostic testing to identify and treat illnesses that can be effectively managed if discovered early. If a problem or abnormality is identified in your pet during their senior wellness exam, your veterinarian may recommend additional radiographs and/or ultrasounds be performed. These tests and procedures also provide important initial data that helps us thoroughly monitor your pets’ health throughout their lifetime.

At Thomasville Veterinary Hospital we offer 4 unique packages for the senior pet. Depending on your budget our Veterinarians and technical staff can help you decide which plan is best for you and your pet.

Gold Standard

1. Senior wellness exam (includes physical exam, intraocular pressure test, schimer tear test, rectal exam, & fundic exam.)
2. Major panel w/CBC
3. Thyroid Hormone test (t-4)
4. Abdominal Radiographs
5. Urinalysis w/ sedimentation
6. Abdominal Ultrasound

Silver Level Two

1. Senior wellness exam (includes physical exam, intraocular pressure test, schimer tear test, rectal exam, & fundic exam.)
2. Major panel w/CBCw/ (t-4)
3. Abdominal Radiographs
4. Urinalysis w/ sedimentation

Bronze Level Three

1. Senior wellness exam (includes physical exam, intraocular pressure test, schimer tear test, rectal exam, & fundic exam.)
2. Major panel w/CBC    

Senior Cardiac Bundle

1. Senior wellness exam (includes physical exam, intraocular pressure test, schimer tear test, rectal exam, & fundic exam.)
2. Major panel w/CBC
3. Thyroid Hormone test (t-4)
4. Chest Radiographs & Echocardiogram
5. Senior EKG
6. Senior Blood Pressure Check

Some Signs of Hidden Illness in Senior Pets

• Limping or stiffness after daily exercise.
• Abnormal growths or unusual bumps.
• Decreased tolerance for exercise.
• Abnormal breathing patterns.
• Changes in urination, thirst or appetite.
• Unusual changes in weight, skin, and hair.

Periodic preventative senior healthcare is the best way to avoid these problems. Start by scheduling a senior wellness exam for your pet today.

Common Problems that Effect Aging Pets

• Cancerous Masses – These are most commonly associated with aging felines and large breed canines. However, they can be a serious problem with any senior pet.
• Heart Failure – With pets facing problems with heart failure, early diagnosis is critical. The life expectancy of your pet can be extended if the illness is diagnosed in its early stages.
• Dental Disease – This is the #1 health disorder in senior pets. Only by performing regular dental examinations will your veterinarian be able to keep periodontal disease under control.
• Kidney and Liver Disease – The Kidneys and Liver are particularly important organs in your pet’s body. Though we can sometimes feel abnormal lumps and changes in size or shape during a physical exam, laboratory test are usually necessary to help us determine how these key organs are functioning.

Thomasville Veterinary Hospital Embraces Feline-Friendly Handling Guidelines to Make Vet Visits Easier for Cats

Thanks to the new Feline Friendly Handling Guidelines recently released by the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the International Society of Feline Medicine, veterinary visits for cats should become a little easier in the future,

While cats outnumber dogs as pets (according to the latest statistics from the American Pet Products Association, there are 78.2 million households that own dogs versus 86.4 million that own cats), cats receive significantly less veterinary care than dogs. Cat owners often express a belief that cats “do not need medical care.” According to Dr. Michele Gaspar, DVM, DABVP (Feline), “there is a misconception that cats are independent and they don’t need the level of care that dogs do.” Cats are just as prone to disease conditions as dogs, if not more so.  Preventative health care is necessary to prevent certain diseases, as well as provide early disease detection.

Additionally, many cat owners cite the difficulty of getting the cat into a carrier, driving the cat to the clinic, and dealing with a scared or stressed cat at the clinic as reasons for fewer visits. The goal of the feline-friendly handling guidelines is to reduce these barriers by helping cat owners understand feline behavior, preparing the cat and the client for the vet visit, creating a cat-friendly environment at the veterinary practice, and training veterinary staff on how to meet the unique needs of their feline patients.

The guidelines suggest that by understanding the unique social and behavioral characteristics of cats, and by recognizing early signs of fear, vet visits can be made less stressful for both cat and owner. Some people think the cat is mean. In reality, most are just frightened. Here are some recommendations to ease that fear—and your frustration:

1. Make the transport carrier your cat’s home away from home: Use your cat’s carrier as a comfortable resting, feeding, and play location. To do this, keep the carrier out and accessible at all times, not just when you’re getting ready to take your cat somewhere. Line it with a soft blanket, lay favorite toys inside, and drop in treats every now and then. If your cat still doesn’t want to get into its carrier, consider getting a different carrier. It’s best to use a top-loading carrier with a top portion that’s easily removed. This feature lets veterinarians allow cats to stay in the bottom portion of the carrier during most of the visit, which makes cats feel more secure.
2. Train your cat to be a savvy traveler: Get your cat used to riding in the car, beginning when it’s young for best results. Start by getting your cat into its carrier and carrying it around your house. Then graduate to getting your cat into its carrier and taking short drives around the block. Eventually build up to making a fun trip to the veterinarian for a meet-and-greet play session with no exam. After all these outings,even if you don’t leave your house, give your cat a fun reward, like a treat. Before heading to a veterinary appointment, give yourself plenty of time to get the cat into the carrier. And if you have time to spare, that’s all the better: Letting your cat wait in the carrier before leaving can ease its stress.
3. Let your cat play: Create a hiding place for your cat in the carrier by placing a towel or blanket from your home inside. Also, drape a towel or blanket over the outside of part of the carrier. Cats feel more secure when they have a place to hide, and the simple presence of a familiar blanket or towel may comfort your cat during your visit to the veterinary office.
4. Travel on a an empty stomach: Pets often get motion sickness. If you avoid feeding your cat before traveling, you’ll decrease the chance that your cat will get carsick. Plus, it might be more willing to partake in the treats the veterinary staff has to offer. This could make the visit more pleasant for your cat, for you, and for your veterinarian.

Thomasville Veterinary Hospital, in response to these guidelines, is changing its approach to feline handling in the exam room and throughout the hospital. Our attempt is to make cat visits less stressful not only for the cat but  for their owners as well.

1. Synthetic feline facial pheromone will be sprayed in exam room and on materials used around patient. This has been shown to calm cats.
2. While waiting in the exam room, a comfortable place for the cat to hide (other than its carrier) that staff can easily remove without disturbing the patient will be provided.
3. Warm towels will be placed on exam tables.
4. Staff that is specially trained for handling cats will be used during exams and performing diagnostics.
5. Minimal restraint will be used whenever possible.

These guidelines go into great detail on how to interact with cats in the practice. They offer recommendations for working with fearful or aggressive cats, ranging from pre-visit techniques that may include medication to using various restraint methods, stressing the need to be sensitive to each individual cat’s response.

If you have a feline family member and have experienced difficulty with veterinary visits, please consider trying these guidelines. If you need any assistance, contact your veterinarian for help on how to implement these suggestions with your pet.  You can visit www.thomasvillevet.net for more information on these guidelines or for other links that may help you with your particular situation.