An Ounce of Prevention

We believe older pets have different medical needs and benefit from specialized services and testing. That's why it's a good idea to establish a baseline that can be used as a benchmark for measuring changes before your pet reaches "senior" status.

Scheduling your senior pet for twice-a-year physical examinations is another important step since pets age 5-7 years for every year of human life. Consequently, problems can develop much faster in dogs and cats than in humans. Just as more frequent examinations and more extensive laboratory tests are a reality for middle-aged people, increased attention is important for disease detection in pets reaching the seven-year mark. Therefore, frequent veterinary visits are important to diagnose treatable conditions.

Your veterinarian may wish to run specific tests to ensure your pet is healthy to catch problems early. These procedures are common.