6446 N Crooked Rd~Parkville Mo~64152

816-505-5500

"Professional Veterinary Health Care"

Dr. Thomas Welsh

~Caring for your senior pet~

Properly caring for your pet during their golden years is extremely important to prevent disease.  Your pet ages much faster than you, and early disease detection is key to prolonging their lives.  We recommend some simple ways to keep your pet ahead of the curve when it comes to aging.  The term "senior" usually refers to a pet 7 years and older, but some large breed dogs may be considered senior as early as 5 years of age.  Veterinary medicine has come a long way in prevention and early detection of disease, so many pets are living longer than ever with the proper care.  Please call our office and schedule a senior wellness package for your loved one; because prevention is the key to survival.

~Recommended tests for senior pets

    ~Physical Examination - We recommend twice yearly physical examinations for all of our senior patients because their health can change so rapidly.  A physical examination will check for abnormalities of the heart, lungs, eyes, and also monitor any growths or tumors present.

    ~Blood Chemistries/CBC/Thyroid - Testing your pets blood yearly will help us detect early changes in organ function.  Because these changes usually progress slowly over time, it is important to have tests done annually to pin point when the changes occur.  Early detection means early treatment, and treating a disease before it is allowed to progress will extend your pets life. 

    ~Urinalysis - After obtaining a urine sample in our office, we can diagnose many problems that are common with our senior pets.  Dilute urine indicates the kidneys are not able to do their job by dumping "trash" from the body into the urine.  This little bit of information allows us to start providing supportive care to your pets kidneys, which may be as simple as changing their diet.  A urinalysis can also provide us with a simple way to diagnose diabetes, another common disease in our aging pet population.  Diabetes is a highly treatable disease in pets once they are regulated on an insulin regimen. This simple test gives us much insight on the overall health of your pet.

    ~Vaccine Titers - Since current research tells us we may be over vaccinating our pets today, we recommend testing your senior pets antibody levels for certain virus' before they are vaccinated.  Some research shows vaccines given to pets as adults may provide them with life long immunity.  Because every pet is different, and every pets immune system is not the same, we would rather test their antibody levels rather than assuming they are or are not protected.  To do this a blood sample is sent to the laboratory and antibodies in the blood are measured, it is then reported to us whether or not your pet has an acceptable level of immunity against a certain virus'.  If their immunity is low, revaccination may be necessary, if their immunity is sufficient no vaccines are given.  

    ~Thoracic/Abdominal radiograph - A x-ray of a pets chest or abdomen can reveal many things.  The most important being a mass or heart abnormality.  It is important to have current radiographs of your senior pet to catch health problems before it is too late.  We may be able to diagnose a splenic mass in time to surgically remove it before it ruptures, which could result in death. Again, the key to prolonging your senior pets life is early detection.

We know how important your pet is to you, and we're dedicated to keeping them with you for many years to come.