Senior Clinics
Help your pet enjoy their senior years
As a caring owner you’ll know that healthy food, exercise, loving attention, and the occasional treat are all key to ensuring your pet lives a happy life. Knowledgeable veterinary care is also essential and our aim is to keep your pet healthy and active for as long as possible. Pets today reach a much greater age than they used to, putting them at risk of developing health conditions like those that older people experience.
Watch out for any changes!
An important part of caring for an older pet is to keep note of any differences you see in them and to share these with your vet or veterinary nurse. These could be things that you hear, smell, or feel on your pet, any of which may help us identify disease early and save your pet unnecessary discomfort. Some changes are easy to spot, such as your pet being a bit stiff when getting up or developing lumps and bumps on their body. However, sometimes they’re more subtle, especially in cats, where simple behavioural changes can sometimes be early indicators of hormonal changes or organ problems.
When is your pet classed as senior?
Recent research suggests that a dog is classed as senior at around eight years old (dependent on breed) and at 12+ years, they are geriatric. For cats this is slightly different. They are classed as senior at 11–14 years old and super senior at 15+ years.
Noticing symptoms early and seeking veterinary advice will greatly benefit your pet’s health, we’ll work with you to understand the changes and what they mean long term.
Common signs of age-related illnesses:
- Change in appetite/weight gain or loss
- Increased or decreased thirst
- Uncharacteristic changes in behaviour
- Difficulty getting up from resting or increased sleeping
- Difficulty climbing stairs, jumping onto surfaces, or getting in/out of the car
- Reluctance to exercise, play or lagging on walks
- Changes in vision or hearing
- Appearance of lumps and bumps
- Reduced ability to groom or keep themselves clean
- Increased vocalisation or separation anxiety
- Disorientation, staring at walls, looking distant
- Change in toileting habits
- Bad breath
Specialised Consultations for Older Pets for just £85
To help support our senior patients and their owners, we offer Senior Pet Consultations with our experienced nurses developed specifically for older, yet still healthy, cats and dogs. The 30-minute consultations cost £85 and include a thorough physical nose-to-tail check, looking specifically at: eyes, weight, ears, heart rate and breathing, teeth, coat and joints.
We also run blood tests (including a thyroid check for cats) and urine tests, to check for any early signs of disease.
We’ll discuss the check-up findings with you to agree together any changes in food or exercise that your pet might benefit from, and arrange further monitoring, vet examinations or tests if necessary. Follow up tests might include additional blood tests and urinalysis.*
If you’re worried about your senior pet, call your local surgery and book a Senior Pet Consultation today.
*Terms and conditions: Senior Pet Consultations are for dogs and cats aged 8 years and over, that are otherwise healthy and that haven’t been seen in the surgery for one year or more (apart from for routine appointments and vaccinations. To qualify for the Senior Pet Consultations pets should have no ongoing health conditions.