At Healthy Pets Veterinary Care, our goal is to allow you and your pet to share a long, healthy, and happy life. We start with guidance for your puppies and kittens and stand by your side with pet wellness plans for pets of all ages. This includes seniors, who may require extra care.
We take senior care seriously. We know puppies and kittens are fun and exciting, but we believe growing old together with your best friend is the most rewarding experience a pet parent can have.
As your pet ages, we will recommend additional examinations and diagnostic tests to make sure they’re healthy and happy for as long as possible.
For our senior pets (age 7 and older), we recommend semi-annual exams instead of the traditional once yearly visit. Unfortunately, pets age much more quickly than humans. As they get older, their health can change rapidly. Performing comprehensive physical exams twice a year is the first step to ensuring that nothing has changed regarding your pet’s health.
A thorough physical exam will allow our veterinarians to look for signs of:
There are many age-related diseases and illnesses that we can catch early with routine blood work. Early detection and treatment can save your pet’s life. Many diseases need chronic management, and the earlier we can implement treatment, the better (and usually cheaper) it is for you and your pet.
These are common age-related diseases we screen for through blood work:
When you come to Healthy Pets Veterinary Care, you’ll be seeing a friendly and caring team. One of your best decisions could be starting a wellness plan for your brand-new addition to the family.
One of the most common age-related diseases we see in older dogs is arthritis. It’s also likely one of the most under-diagnosed conditions in cats. This slowly progressing disease affects pets of all sizes, although we often associate it with larger dogs and hip dysplasia. The chronic pain associated with arthritis is often mistaken for simply the effects of age.
It can be tricky for owners to identify pain in cats because they are masters at hiding signs of weakness, but these are some common signs.
The best way for us to diagnose arthritis or cause of pain for your senior pet is performing comprehensive physical and orthopedic exams, as well as assessing their joints with an X-ray. If your pet has arthritis, we will recommend and implement a combination of traditional and cutting-edge therapies.
Unfortunately, we as pet parents may have to eventually make the most difficult decision of our lives. When is it time to let our pets pass on peacefully?
We believe that the quality of your pet’s life is most important, and we will do everything we can to make them as comfortable as possible. We provide hospice services and will come to your home for end of life care, or to perform at-home euthanasia.
Visit us in Boca Raton or Delray Beach, FL to learn more about how we do everything we can to make the later years of your pet’s life the best they can be. If you want to know more about senior care for pets, contact us today!
