Senior Pet Care

Did you know that when your pet reaches 8 years of age, he or she is considered a senior? 

Because a pet’s life span is so short relative to that of their human owners, health conditions tend to develop much more rapidly, threatening the health of the animal if unobserved and untreated. While a once-annual veterinary visit may be adequate for younger pets, Ingersoll Animal Hospital believes that all pets 8 years and older gain significant health benefits from wellness exams twice a year.

These wellness checkups will give your veterinarian an opportunity to minimize potential health risks through early detection and treatment. With appropriate veterinary care and nutrition, your dog or cat’s senior years can be a healthy and happy time. As our pets age they face age-related changes. Although we cannot stop all of these changes, we can prevent or successfully treat many of them.

You know your pet better than anyone, so it’s up to you to report any changes you see to our veterinary staff.(link contact)  Wellness screening starts at often begins at home.  You may notice changes in your pet’s normal activity, such as changes is water consumption or appetite, vision or hearing, behavioral changes, dental problems, arthritis or changes in weight. During senior wellness exams the veterinarians at Ingersoll Animal Hospital will perform a comprehensive exam, the most important step in finding chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis, dental or heart disease.

We also recommend that you bring your pet in for physical examinations and lab work more often now. Lab work gives our veterinarians a “look inside the body” that cannot be done with an exam alone. Remember your dog or cat ages 5 to 7 years for every one of yours. This suggests that health problems in your pet can progress 5 to 7 times faster; therefore, more frequent checkups are necessary.

By working together, we can prevent or treat many problems that could rob your pet of its quality of life.

We recommend that if your dog or cat has not been recently examined and had blood tests, he or she should be scheduled for a Senior Wellness Exam and Lab work.

There are two levels to the Senior Wellness Program, the Basic Plan and the more comprehensive Premium Plan.

The Basic Plan includes an office visit, physical examination, complete blood count, and chemistry panel (checking for kidney and liver disease, diabetes, anemia and others), a thyroid test (for cats)  a urinalysis,  and a glaucoma test (for dogs).

The Premium Plan includes all of the above plus a urine culture and radiographs (x-rays) of the chest and a blood pressure.  In an effort to encourage your participation in routine Senior Wellness to aid in the early detection of problems we are providing the packages at a reduced cost compared to the prices of the tests performed individually.

By sharing life and love with you, your pet has given you a priceless gift. Now that your pet has earned senior status, you have an opportunity to give something in return: the special love and care that can make the “golden years” happy and healthy. We encourage you to make an appointment soon to discuss how we can make these years the best of your life together.