Our Senior Wellness Consultations can help your cat remain fit and healthy as he or she ages and helps us catch any potential problems earlier, when they are much more manageable. Regular veterinary exams can actually help your pet live longer, too!
As your cat ages the risk for developing certain diseases increases greatly and more attention and special care are necessary. By educating our clients to recognize health changes and by performing wellness testing on our aging patients, we are committed to detecting possible health concerns in their early stages. As we know, cats are experts at hiding illness/pain and usually exhibit very subtle changes, if any. Symptoms of very serious diseases may not become evident until they are quite advanced. More advanced diseases can be more difficult to treat and are not always as responsive to treatment as diseases diagnosed early.Some early signs to watch for include an increase in the amount of water they drink, very small or very large urinations, weight loss, an increase or decrease in appetite, trouble with mobility and jumping, a dull coat, muscle loss and/or an increase in sleeping times.
Senior cats are prone to a decline in kidney function, diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, hypertension, dental disease, arthritis, liver disease, cardiac disease, cancer, pancreatitis, glaucoma and senility. If your cat is overweight, the risk for developing many of these problems is much greater. However, even when watching for these signs, many diseases can remain undetected without the help of diagnostic tests. We would like to work closely with you to evaluate your cat’s overall health and to monitor the physical effects aging has on both their mind and body. Our wellness testing gives us a complete picture of your cat’s health and includes a full physical exam, blood screening and urinalysis.
As discussed in our dult cat wellness section, we recommend that you bring your pet in for a baseline exam and diagnostic workup even before they reach senior status. This will give us a record of what is normal for your cat so we can keep track of any changes. Thereafter, your senior cat will benefit from more frequent veterinary exams and diagnostic testing, usually biannually, and will be accustomed to wellness testing procedures.
Most symptoms that are commonly attributed to age are easily treated and can greatly improve your cat’s quality of life in a variety of ways. These methods include identifying, preventing, and reducing pain, recommending an appropriate nutrition and exercise plan, and suggesting environmental modifications to keep your pet comfortable.
Our goal is to work together to achieve longer and healthier lives for your cats, through preventive medicine. We will design a wellness plan based on your cat’s health status and individual needs. If you have any questions, we would be happy to discuss our senior wellness program in more detail. Call us today to schedule your cat’s Wellness Consultation!