Old age is not a disease but certain diseases can be age related. Some of the medical conditions that affect pets such as kidney and heart disease, diabetes and high or low thyroid levels often start to show between 7-11 years of age. This is why we believe it is important to begin monitoring older pets for these conditions from seven years old (around 49 human years), or earlier if pets are at risk from other factors such as breed and prior health problems.

As a pet owner, you are in the best position to look out for the early warning signs of aging and age related diseases. Here are some of the signs that can indicate change and require action:

Change in appetite.

Weight loss or gain.

Loss of housetraining.

Excessive drinking.

Excessive urination.

Bad breath or bleeding gums.

Plaque or discolouration of teeth.

Appearance of lumps and bumps.

Cats are very good at hiding illness. Whilst they are predators they are also small enough to be prey, thus their survival instinct dictates they hide ill health. This can be to the extent that some cats will hide altogether.

The clues we look for are often very subtle intuitive signs. Being closest to your cat, your observations can be very significant.

Our primary focus with senior pets is wellness - trying to give each and every one of our pets the best quality of life possible. To do this effectively we need to identify disease processes before they become a problem.

A Senior Check Program involves a visit with us twice a year, the aim being to see your pet every 2-3 pet years.

Throughout the senior life of your pet we aim to identify subtle changes in urine concentration, blood pressure and weight, along with other changes you may have noted at home such as appetite, drinking excess water, unusual behaviour or decreased activity level. If there are abnormalities detected in initial testing, further investigation or more frequent testing may be recommended.

A properly formulated diet will have a significant impact on the health of your senior pet and our health care team are trained to advise you on the best nutrition for your pet.

The approach to your senior pet is that of a pet care partnership combining your observations at home with our examination. Typically most of the diseases we are keeping an eye out for in senior pets are controllable with simple diet changes and/or medications.

Our ongoing monitoring allows us to ensure we have the correct combination of treatment in place for your pet, as well as assisting you to provide the best lifestyle and home environment possible.

The whole aim of our senior healthcare program is to make the life of your pet long and healthy. We take pleasure in helping you to achieve this.

Over the past few decades life expectancy of pets has been increasing. This is due to a number of factors including an emphasis on preventative healthcare programmes to detect problems at an early state so treatment can commence sooner, advances in vet medicine enabling vets to successfully diagnose and treat more conditions, and a greater understanding of the nutritional needs of pets throughout different life stages.

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