Senior Dogs

I just got back from the vet with Lolly. Its hard to believe by looking at her, but she's a senior girl. I went ahead and got some comprehensive blood work done that they recommend senior dogs get done yearly. It was an extra $90 added on to the bill, but well worth it I think.

Just wondering how many people take preventative measures like that with their older dogs ..

I do for my cat Freckles. She's 14, a "geriatric" cat according to the vet. She, not voluntarily, gave a urine sample for an early detection test for kidney disease.
It's worth it to me to be certain she is healthy.

How old is Lolly? I guess I never realized she was that old.

Max is 9 and we have bloodwork done so often, I'm pretty sure they run all the necessary tests but I think I'll ask next time. Thanks for the info!

I do! I think it is well worth knowing in the begining then you can catch it in time to at least try to cure what is wrong.

I get them done every other year on Nanook (13 year)

Thanks for the information Aly!!
Mine are all still very young, 3 of them are 2, and Riley is just over a year old, but I will remember that in the future!!!

Big hugs to Miss Lolly girl!!!!!

and Reecie too, of course:D

I would like to but honestly can't afford it right now... with me starting my own business and all, we celebrate the month where all bills are paid on time - if at all.

I do keep a strict eye on her to see if she is showing signs of arthritic movement and constantly checking her fatty tumors to make sure their size/shape/consistency hasn't changed suddenly. I tried to switch her to a senior version of her dog food, but within the first week, her allergies reared their ugly head and I had to go back to the ormal stuff (she's allergic to lots of food :( )

I don't know what I would do if she suddenly got sick. I certainly would find the moeny SOMEWHERE, but its more than that... she's my big baby and my heart would break.

My vet has never mentioned yearly blood work for Disney. She is 12+ years old and will be going in for her annual visit in June so I guess I'll ask about it then. The only thing they've mentioned was a few years ago her eyes started getting a little cloudy and they said she probably wouldn't see a rabbit at 50 yards like she used to.

I do with Sheba,
but mostly because she had a blood platelet problem.
She gets blood work done yearly.

Maybe this is a stupid question, but what sort of test should they do yearly? Angus's vet visit is coming up soon so I would like to be prepared.

He has tests done twice a year for his thyroid and his yearly boosters. We also took him for a ultrasound almost 2 years ago to make sure he wasn't having any problems becuse his blood test then didn't look exactly right (blood count was off).

Yep, I was at the vet last week and he told me that now the bloodwork is more important than most of the shots. The only one he has to have is rabies. He said with the other shots, older dogs can go up to 3 years without having them. The bloodwork just insures everything is at it's proper level and will detect problems if it isn't.

Lolly is almost 8, but she acts a lot younger. She's soooo energetic and healthy. She could romp around in the park all day every day if we had the time!

When the vet calls tomorrow with the blood results, I can say exactly what they check for, but I think its pretty much everything. I hadn't really considered Lolly a senior until this morning :o so I was glad my vet suggested the tests. I think early detectin of any disease or illness is so crucial.

Valerie - its opposite with Lolly. The rabies shot lasts for 3 years so she didn't get one, but got the rest of the vaccinations today.

Its important that all my animals are vaccinated because I have so many fosters in and out. I'm careful with quarantining and everything, but you can never be TOO careful I guess!

Kia will be 6 this year.... at what age is a dog considered a senior? :)

I think at 7 years old they start getting to be considered a senior.

Thanks Aly! :D

We do with Alex. We just had work done about a month ago, and he'll turn 12 (:eek: ) in June! He's getting so old, especially for a giant dog.

Sadie has been getting bloodwork since she was 9. This August she will be 12. I had to ask for the bloodwork to be done - no vet ever suggested it. I have been to several vets over Sadie's years and haven't met one that stands out to me.

Right now Sadie is dealing with a heart murmur that started about a year or 2 ago. It is still mild but it's not something that will go away. The vet made no suggestions on what I can do for it except to feed her a senior diet but I have begun giving her supplements that I read are helpful (Wysong's c-biotic and EFA). I hope she can survive many years with this.

Good for you on researching it yourself!

I've learned to listen to vet's suggestions, but to also educate myself on issues. They are wrong or uneducated about things more often than I'd like to admit :o

I too am trying to find a vet who I can totally trust. There is one in town who I do like a lot. I've been meaning to get all my animals transferred to that clinic, but their current vet is so close that I keep just going there. Its not a bad vet by any means, I just like the other one much better. Well, I guess they were kinda bad when I took Chance in with a HIGH fever and they didn't do anything to bring it down. When I took Chance to the other vet, they got rid of his fever in an hour.

I didn't think a dog was a senior until it was 10 or older. But what do I know. Oreo is 14 and 1/2 and we think she will live forever because she is the orneriest of the bunch. (you don't MAKE her do anything unless you want bit!) I guess I would also say that I think it depends on breeds. Like with smaller dogs like Oreo they tend to live until 12-14 years or older so their senior age would be different than a large breed who may only live until 8 like a Great Dane. Then 6 would be senior.

I always have the blood tests done on my senior dogs. I also have it done on newly adopted dogs. When I took Penny Lane to her first vet visit, they found low protein levels. As a result they were able to dig a little deeper and found a large ovarian cyst. My vet charges $80 for the extended tests. This is from a hand out my vet gave me:

Level I Baseline Screening
Beginning at a "human relative age" of 40 years, this basic screening uses blood tests
to evaluate internal organ function, especially the liver and kidneys, and monitors changes in red and white blood cells. It provides a "snapshot" of your pet’s health to help us monitor changes in the years to come.

Level II Senior Profile
Beginning at a "human relative age" of 45-50 years, the Level II profile is more thorough than the Level I Screen. In addition to the Level I blood tests, we check your pet for hypertension and glaucoma. A urinalysis is included, which aids in detecting early stages of kidney disease, one of the more common problems seen in older dogs.

Since dogs can't really tell us where they hurt or if they don't feel good - the blood tests can be an early warning system.

With Jake (going on 8 years old) we do all of the preventative stuff (all the vaccines, teeth cleaning etc.). He has to have lab work before his teeth cleaning. My vet will sometimes do labs before prescribing a medication or something. Other than that, we don't have annually-scheduled labs. I think if he was going to be on any medications long-term, I'd have his liver and kidney labs checked at least once a year.