Senior Pet Care
Senior Pet Care From Our Scarsdale Veterinarian
At Central Animal Hospital, our Scarsdale veterinarian team is here to provide the highest standard of care to your pet. We even offer senior pet care services for older pets. What constitutes a senior pet? This can vary based on type of pet and breed. However, most cats are considered seniors around age 10, whereas most dogs are seniors around 7-10 years (depending on breed and size).
What Does Senior Pet Care Entail?
As your pet ages, he or she can become more prone to certain ailments and medical conditions. Specifically, senior pets need to be closely monitored for issues such as heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, kidney problems, and certain types of cancers. Furthermore, a pet’s digestive system can become weakened with age, so older pets may also need to be switched to a different food or make other changes to their diets.
Perhaps the best thing you can do to protect your senior pet’s health and wellness, however, is to bring them into a trusted veterinarian’s office for routine wellness exams and recommended diagnostics.
Senior Pet Care Services Offered
At Central Animal Hospital, we offer full-service care for senior pets. Typically, we recommend more frequent wellness exams for senior pets. Rather than the typical once-a-year visit, we encourage owners to bring their senior pets in at least twice a year. Our senior pet exams in Scarsdale are similar to any routine wellness exam, but are a bit more in-depth when it comes to dental care, bloodwork, and running diagnostics for certain medical conditions and diseases.
As part of your pet’s exam, we will also want to take the time to consider his or her changing diet and nutrition needs. Specifically, we’d like to assess your pet’s current diet and see if any changes need to be made to aid in smoother digestion or improved nutrient content. This is especially important with pets who may be at risk for diabetes due to weight gain in old age.
Parasite control is another important aspect of your aging pet’s health. As pets get older, their immune systems aren’t as easily able to fight off diseases or parasites. As part of your pet’s visit with us, then, we will likely want to review parasite control measures and check to ensure that your pet is up-to-date on any and all vaccinations.
These are just a few of the special steps we can take to protect and maximize your senior pet’s health and wellness in our office. Our veterinarians specialize in this level of senior pet care and will take the time to ensure your pet is as comfortable as possible.
Request an Appointment With Our Scarsdale Vet Today
If your senior pet is overdue for a wellness exam, don’t hesitate to schedule one with our AAHA accredited Scarsdale vet today. You can reach Central Animal Hospital to request an appointment by giving us a call at (914) 723-1250. We’re open seven days a week to serve you!
It can be hard to admit when we see the signs of old age in our animal companions, but the fact is that most dogs are considered seniors when they hit seven, cats around nine. Pets age much more rapidly than humans, which means diseases and illness progress quicker as well.
To ensure that your pet has the longest, healthiest, most comfortable life possible, Central Animal Hospital encourages you to bring your senior pet for exams and blood tests twice each year. This way, we can track how your pet is aging, and we’ll be more likely to catch any developing diseases before they’re big problems.
Blood tests are one of the most important parts of a senior exam. These blood screenings—often referred to as a “senior panel”— monitor red and white blood cell counts and reveal how well the kidney, liver, pancreas, and thyroid are functioning. Your vet may recommend a chest x-ray to ensure that the heart is a normal size and that there are no masses in the lungs.
Periodontal disease is always a threat to our pets’ health and comfort, and it’s particularly tough on older pets. That’s why a dental exam is always part of any senior pet screening as well.
Finally, make sure to let your vet know about any behavior changes in your pet. Once dogs and cat get to the geriatric stage, monitoring for signs of cognitive dysfunction—such as losing housebreaking, getting lost or wandering aimlessly—is very important.
Senior Pet Wellness In Scarsdale, New York
To schedule a senior pet wellness exam in Scarsdale, call us at (914) 723-1250.
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