This Pet Pointer is brought to you by : Eastwood Street Veterinary Clinic Eastwood St Ballarat :: Phone (03) 5331 1918 www.eastwoodvet.com.au

HEALTH CARE FOR YOUR ELDERLY DOG OR CAT

Caring for your old friend:

An older dog or cat is an old friend. So when your friend begins to slow down, put on a little weight or stiffen up, it needs your help and understanding. Unlike a fellow human, your friend can’t take responsibility for its care. Your friend relies on you!

When is your pet old:

The average life span of the dog is 12 years and for a cat is 14 years. Usually the larger the dog, the shorter the lifespan. Reportedly, dogs have lived as long as 29 years and a cat as long as 36years. However, your pet’s life can only be increased to anything approaching this age with proper health care and proper nutritional throughout life, particularly during the later years.

For most purposes during its life cycle, you should consider a dog or cat past middle age at 7 years. Larger breeds of dogs, despite maturing more slowly than other dogs, typically age more quickly and should be considered senior at 5 years.

The effects of Ageing:

As your old friend ages, two kinds of change occur. The first are age-related changes, such as hearing loss, changes in vision, or reduced activity. These are normal and cannot be prevented. The second kind are pathological changes or diseases, such as heart disease, kidney disease or dental disease. These are, to some degree, preventable or can be successfully managed.

The challenge is to provide the best possible health care to reduce the impact of these changes so your pet stays as healthy and active as possible.

HEALTH CARE FOR YOUR OLD PETS:

The health care your pet receives throughout its lifetime can help minimise and prevent disease as it ages. Proper health care includes periodic examinations by your veterinarian, routine Vaccinations, parasite control, regular exercise, dental care, and a diet that meets your pet’s changing nutritional needs.

Dog’s health care needs:

• Annual Booster, Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus.
•  Parasite Control - Regular Worming & Flea Control.
•  Proper Nutrition – Important, because dogs have a reduced ability to tolerate nutrient excesses with increasing age. Therefore, administer a diet with reduced amounts of protein, phosphorus, sodium and energy. If obesity or a tendency to put on weight is a problem, your dog may require a lower-energy, high-fibre diet.
•  Exercise – Important to maintain muscle tone, enhance circulation and help prevent obesity; but adjust to ability and need.
•  Dental Care – As in people, yearly cleaning and dental care throughout the dog’s life greatly assist in maintaining oral health, preventing tooth loss, tartar, periodontal disease and mouth odours common in older dogs.
•  Regular Veterinary Care – Very important because the risk of disease increases with age, so examinations for early detection should be more frequent. We recommended a check-up every 6 months for senior dog.
  

Cat’s health care needs:

• Vaccinations – Yearly, Feline Enteritis, Feline Rhinotracheitis Virus, Feline
  Calicivirus, Feline Flu.
•  Parasite Control – Worms and Flea Control.
•  Proper Nutrition – Although nutrient requirements are the same as young adult cats, the older cat is more sensitive to nutrient imbalances. Administer a balanced diet with levels of nutrients that avoid the harmful effects of excessive sodium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. If obesity or a tendency to put on weight is a problem, us a lower-energy, high fibre diet.
•  Exercise – Important to maintain muscle tone, enhance circulation and help prevent obesity; but adjust to ability and need. Playtime is an excellent form of exercise.
•  Dental care – Yearly cleaning and dental care throughout the cat’s life greatly assist in maintaining oral health, preventing tooth loss, tartar, periodontal disease and mouth odours common in older cats.
•  Regular Veterinary Care – Very important because the risk of disease increases with age: Six monthly examinations for early detection should be adopted.

In addition to the health care recommended above, the most important thing you can do for your old friend is to pay attention. Your observation can catch many potential difficulties before they become life threatening. When you take your pet to the veterinarian, you can give the vet details that may indicate a problem, or be prepared to answer any questions asked of you. The vet doesn’t see your old friend every day: eating playing or resting.

If appropriate, bring in a fresh sample of faeces and or urine (stored in fridge if necessary). Don’t be embarrassed or repulsed – this may avoid hospitalisation to collect such samples. It is important that you notice any changes in eating habits, activity, sleep or elimination and communication them to your veterinarian.

Diet Recommendations for your old Dog or Cat:

As dogs and cats, they experience significant changes in their ability to digest and absorb nutrients, while also developing a decreased ability to tolerate nutrient excesses and deficiencies. Proper diet can have a significant impact on your older pet. Properly formulated, a diet for senior pets should not contain excessive amounts of protein, phosphorus, sodium or calories. The diet should have greater amounts of vitamins, zinc, essential fatty acids and fibre. In addition, the cats diet should not contain excessive magnesium or alter the normal acidity of the urine.

Because of age-related changes, excesses of protein, phosphorus and sodium may contribute to, or worsen, kidney and heart disease, two of the major causes of death in dogs and cats. Due to lesser energy requirements, excess calories will add extra weight. This adds stress to systems already weakened by aging. If however, your pet seems too thin, it is important to make sure the problem isn’t anything more serious than not enough calories. As many commercial dog and cat foods are intended to ensure that the deficiencies do not occur at any stage of life, they are formulated for the growing puppy and kitten. They do not contain the nutritional alterations older dogs and cats require.

A wide range of special requirement diets are available from your veterinarian, such as the Eukanuba and ageing range, and Hills and Walthams Prescription Diets. Unless recommended otherwise by your veterinarian, gradually introduce any new diet over a 5 to 10 day period. Mix the new diet with your pet’s former food, gradually increasing its proportions until the changeover has been completed.