A very wise person once said, “The biggest problem with pets is that they don’t live long enough.”
As our pets age, problems are more likely to develop. Good senior care has the goal of minimizing those problems, catching them early, and treating the problems which do develop in order to keep our beloved pets with their family.
Common Senior Care issues include: Kidney disease, heart disease, arthritis, and thyroid disease, amongst others. Some of these can be very subtle in their onset, so the veterinarians and staff at Buckeye Veterinary Clinic will recommend tests to help detect these problems when the history and physical exam indicate a problem may be developing.
A commonly run test is comprehensive blood work, including an evaluation of thyroid hormone levels. This is a simple set of tests, which only require that about a teaspoon of blood be drawn from your pet. This blood will be sent out to a reference laboratory, (commonly IDEXX), and the results are usually back within twenty-four to forty-eight hours. We know how important time is to both you and your pet.
Once a problem is discovered and treatment is started, regular rechecks and tests will be done to monitor the progression of the problem and the effectiveness of the treatment.
In some cases, the veterinarians here at Buckeye will recommend your pet be seen by a specialist to better address your pet’s specific problems. We are fortunate in Northeast Ohio, in that we have multiple board certified specialists in a variety of specialties in close proximity.
Links & Resources
Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital
The Ohio State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital