Just like us, as our small friends age, their bodies start to show signs of wear and tear that may have gone unnoticed in earlier life. Unfortunately we can’t stop the ageing process, but with the help of Small Friends Veterinary Hospital, you can ensure that your senior small friend remains happy, comfortable, and with you for as long as possible. By performing a Senior Health Check, we are able to assess your senior small friend’s health and create a treatment plan if required.

What kind of problems can my senior small friend develop?
The most common thing an owner notices is a decrease in their small friend’s ability to move as freely as in the past. This may be due to arthritis or other joint problems, or perhaps due to the onset of heart or respiratory disease. Also, with age, different organ systems can begin to deteriorate and not work quite as well as they used to. This could include your senior small friend developing incontinence, renal disease, sensory deterioration (eg blindness, deafness) or even dementia.

If my senior small friend does have a problem, what can be done for them?
Obviously this depends on the specific nature of your small friend’s condition. In the majority of age-related health problems, we can make a significant improvement to your small friend’s health and well being if we act early enough.

How does a “senior health check” differ from my small friend’s normal Annual Health Check?
A senior health check includes an annual health check with some extras especially for our senior small friends. These extras may include:

• Urine examination
  A urine sample can give a lot of information about your small friend’s health.
  These tests give information about diseases such as diabetes, urinary tract infection, kidney or bladder stones or poorly functioning kidneys. You may be asked to collect a urine sample from your small friend before coming in for their health check.

• Blood Tests
  With our in house laboratory we can perform a full blood count that includes haematology, biochemistry and electrolyte tests, with results available on the spot. Biochemistry tests assess the kidneys, liver, cholesterol, blood sugar and other body organs and functions. Haematology looks for abnormalities such as anaemia, infection and blood disorders.

• Cardiac check-up
  Many older pets have undetected cardiac disease resulting in decreased ability to exercise, coughing and/or a swollen liver. If a problem is detected on examination, we can then move onto further investigations, if necessary, such as thoracic radiography or echocardiography. Most cardiac conditions, when treated correctly will respond well to the new medications we have available at present.

How much will my small friend‘s senior health check cost?
The price of a senior health check is dependant upon whether any further testing is required and performed. Without extra testing the senior health check is the same price as a regular consultation. If further testing is required, the price for each extra procedure can be discussed with Dr Matt before proceeding.