Senior Pet Care

Caring For Your Senior Pet

For senior patients at Animal Medical Clinic of Gulf Gate, we recommend twice annual physical examinations to monitor any potential changing health trends. Like puppies and kittens, senior pets benefit from more frequent veterinary visits because they are more susceptible to disease and illness, and their immune systems gradually weaken with each passing year.

Our trained medical team also recommends specific services like blood work, urinalysis, x-rays, and glaucoma screening to benefit the health of senior pets. These measures assess organ function, vital bodily systems, and tests for common age-related health concerns.

Signs of age-related conditions at home can be subtle and often become observable only as a pet's discomfort worsens. Fortunately, there are a few ways that we can help detect potential health concerns before they intensify. This includes:

• Bloodwork aids us in identifying general conditions, like anemia and infection. Bloodwork also reveals age-related conditions common in senior pets, like diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, and much more.
• Urinalysis provides a solid representation of your pet's overall health status. Urinalysis results can also help us to identify diabetes, urinary tract infections, and liver disease.
• X-rays provide us with information that may not be discernible through a physical examination or bloodwork, like arthritis and cancer.
• Glaucoma screening measures the pressure in each eye quickly and painlessly. Glaucoma can cause permanent blindness, so this test is especially important for senior pets.

As your senior pet's caretaker, you know your pet best. If you notice any sudden changes in their health or behavior, please do not hesitate to call us and schedule a visit.