subject: Age Appropriate Health Care For Your Pet Is Important For A Healthy Life [print this page] The good news today is that dogs are now living longer. Thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, our pets are living longer than ever. As our pets age, they face a variety of conditions that can adversely affect their health during these golden years. Preventive measures can keep many health ailments at bay.
Your pet's health care needs change with age. The following are age appropriate care recommendations for cats and dogs:
*Physical examination, check congenital defects
*Vaccinations at each visit
*Fecal examination for worms
*Worming medication and ear mite treatment
*Heartworm prevention started monthly
*External parasite check for mites, fleas and ticks & treatment
*Nutrition, and behavior consultation
As our pets age, just as we age, the incidence of chronic degenerative diseases increases. In most cases, a physical examination or lab test will reveal these diseases before the pet ever acts sick. In fact, by the time the pet exhibits symptoms, the disease is often in an advanced stage, compounding treatment and adding to the expense of keeping the pet healthy.
Many of the older pets seen by your veterinarian have one or more problems identifiable on a physical examination or laboratory test, yet they still look healthy. This is the best time for your veterinarian to intervene and gives the optimum chance of treating the disease with natural therapies. Detecting diseases early maximizes the chance for successful treatment or even cure, with the least out of pocket expense.
Importance of Annual Blood Tests
An important part of preventing diseases in your pet is regular physical examinations and lab tests. The older your pet becomes the more important and more comprehensive the blood screening becomes. Blood work allows us to evaluate things we cannot see on a physical exam and gives us a more complete picture of your pet's health.
With annual blood tests, your veterinarian can identify potential problems early and intervene with treatment or further diagnostics early on. With problems being identified and treated early, your pet will have a better prognosis for long-term health. Each value on a blood screen has a reference range of what is normal for most pets. Annual screening will let your veterinarian know where your pet falls in that range. So if your patient ever gets sick, your veterinarian will know what changes in the blood work are significant or abnormal for him or her.
Your pet should receive blood and lab testing at least once a year in pets under five years of age and at least twice per year in pets five years of age and older. Talk to your veterinarian in Lewisville and Carrollton, TX for more information on how to properly care for your pet as he or she ages.
