Special Care For Elderly Pets

Special Care For Elderly Pets.
Old period seems to prowl up on pets just as it does in people. Long before you expect it, Fido and Snowball are no longer able to bolt out the door or romp onto the bed. But with routine visits to the vet, regular exercise and good load control, you can help your beloved pet ward off the onset of age-related disease, one veterinary pundit suggests. "Aging pets are a lot like aging people with respect to diseases," Susan Nelson, a Kansas State University subsidiary professor of clinical services, said in a university bulletin release.

Diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, periodontal disease and heart infection are among the problems pets face as they grow older, she noted. "Like people, assigned exams and tests can help detect some of these problems earlier and make treatment more successful," Nelson added, making a significant reference to heartworm prevention and general vaccinations. "It's also impressive to work closely with your veterinarian," Nelson said, because "many pets are on more than one type of medication as they age, just match humans".

Cats between 8 and 11 years (equal to 48 to 60 in human years) are considered "senior," while those over the mature of 12 fall into the category of "geriatric," Nelson explained. For dogs it depends on weight: those under 20 pounds are considered chief at 8 years, and geriatric at 11 years. Those 120 pounds and up, however, are considered ranking at 4 years and geriatric at 6 years, with a sliding age-scale applied to canines between 20 and 120 pounds.