There are two constants to my early mornings: Coffee and Beatrix. Beatrix is our 11 year old Bouvier. She raised our kids. She has dragged toddlers away from busy roads by their diapers, stood her ground in front of charging donkeys (a story for a later time), and terrified every delivery person in Sedgwick county before ferociously licking them to death. In the past three years I've noticed her energy start to decline. She can't get up the way she used to or move with the effortless grace of her breed. She has incontinence and has "christened" every couch in our home. It's a story we all know and hate to tell. The story of aging with a pet. Our bond with them is so strong. They have been through so much life with us. Its very hard to watch them decline. As a result, there are few things we wouldn't do for them to ensure these later years are the best they can be. So we thought it would be helpful to have a list of our top tips for caring for your senior pet.
- Watch for arthritis. All of a sudden your beloved geriatric isn't getting up as quickly, climbing onto the couch or bed, or moving quite to so spryly as they used to. Many times this is the onset of arthritis in some form. Thankfully, we have many solutions for this ranging from daily medication to monthly injections. Just ask our staff!
- Weight control. There are few things that have been proven to be as effective as keeping your senior pet lean. Watch those treats! Our staff will give you an ideal weight for your pet at each wellness examination as well as helpful tips to help your pet achieve this weight. Studies have shown that lean body condition can extend life by up to 2 years! Lean body condition has been shown to reduce the risk of everything from arthritis to cancer. It's well worth the effort.
- Keep an eye on dental health: chronic dental infection and pain are leading causes of "aging" behavior that many consider normal. And remember: pets don't show dental pain as a rule. It's disease that develops over long periods of time. They get used to it. But the decline is real and can be reversed. Your pet will receive a dental evaluation at each wellness visit. You will receive a digital image of their teeth and several options for care. These range from a comprehensive evaluation and treatment procedure (COHAT) to simple cleaning and evaluation procedures (PDP). We can tailor these options to suite your budget and your pets needs.
- Wellness check ups every six months. Dogs age quickly. We hate that. But, having your senior pet examined every 6 months gives us a better chance to keep up with changes as they occur.
- It has never been easier or more cost effective to get senior wellness lab work every year. These tests steer our decisions about what medications we can use to help your senior pet and also give us an accurate overview of organ function and general health (not to mention parasite control, tick exposure, and heart worm status). We have worked very hard to make these senior bundles quite affordable to encourage our clients to have these done on a regular basis for their senior pets. Results will show up quickly in your portal and a member of our staff will call and discuss the results as well.