As our pets age they need a little extra care to preserve their comfort and quality of life. By the time your cat or small dog is over age 11 and your medium to large size dog is over age 7 they are considered a senior citizen. At this point it becomes recommended to bring your pet in every 6 months to help monitor aging changes.
Yearly geriatric blood work can monitor organ function for any signs of decline. Preventative supplements, medications, and lifestyle changes can be suggested to help increase your pet’s comfort while managing aging conditions.
Arthritis
It is important to observe for signs of pain your geriatric pet may be showing: Do they have difficulty laying down or getting up? Are they reluctant to climb stairs or jump onto furniture? Does any stiffness seem to be preventing them from moving around normally? Are they losing muscle mass in their limbs? Remember: limping is a sign of pain, not just old age! There are many methods that can be suggested to help your pet manage arthritic pain.
Quality of Life
When it comes time to make hard decisions about your pet’s quality of life, we will help in whatever way we can. Sometimes it helps to view things from a more objective stance and in those cases a quality of life handout can be helpful. When there is no longer adequate quality of life and the human-animal bond is affected, we offer euthanasia and cremation services through Pet Services. If you would like to order a special urn for your pet’s remains please go to our cremation service provider’s web site at http://www.petservices.us. If you have questions please email or call Kathi Bruggeman who has always been extremely helpful.
