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THESE DAYS, with advances in veterinary medicine and nutrition, our pets are living longer than ever before - which of course is great news! However, the less good news is that with advancing years their body organs may begin to function less efficiently. As a result, many older pets suffer from a wide range of age related diseases.
These commonly include:
Impaired hearing
Impaired vision
Arthritic joints
Kidney disease
Heart disease
Weight gain
Liver disease
Incontinence
Mental confusion
Dental problems
Thyroid gland disease
Lumps and bumps
So thats the bad news! What about the good news? The good news is that regu-lar health checks are the best method of looking after your pet particularly as they grow older. With regular veterinary check-ups, problems can often be picked up at an early stage. This means treatment can be started sooner, hopefully ensuring a much better quality of life for pets as they grow older.
A health check consists of a full physical examination. Because many of the ageing changes affect internal organs such as the kidneys and liver, urine and blood tests and sometimes radiographs may be required as well. Happily, having identified any problems, we now have better treatments than ever before for your pet. New forms of medication and changes to your pets diet can make a real improvement to many of the conditions covered in this article.
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