by Dr. Abby DeuelEver heard the age-old sayings that a cat has nine lives and one year in dog years is equivalent to seven years in human terms? There is some merit to thinking about the longevity of your pet. As human life spans have increased in society, so too can our pets' life spans. A little bit of preventative medicine can mean all the difference in the world.
How old is my cat?
A cat becomes senior after nine years of age and geriatric after fourteen years of age. The equivalent in human years is about one cat year for every 5-6 human years. Therefore, if your cat is ten years old, he or she is about 55 years old.How old is my dog?
Dogs are a little trickier since larger dogs do not live as long as small dogs. For small dogs, senior age is from nine to twelve years and while a large dog is would be considered senior when they are older than six years. The equivalent in human years for every dog year is between 6-8 human years, with the higher numbers applying to bigger dogs. If you have two dogs that are ten years old, the smaller one would be 56-60 years old and the larger one would be 66-78 years old.Health tips
Based on the guidelines above, it is safe to say that animals age quicker than people. Regardless of how old your pet is in human years, it is a great idea to have them checked out regularly by a veterinarian. Diseases that are more prevalent in senior pets include diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Many older pets also begin to suffer from arthritis and joint stiffness. Weight gain can occur due to decreased exercise, increased calories intake, or an underlying endocrine disease such as hypothyroidism.Take this simple quiz below to see if your pet is exhibiting signs of aging. If you answer yes to more than two of the questions below, it is probably time to have them seen by a veterinarian.
- Drinking more often than normal?
- Peeing more often?
- Eating patterns changed? (ie. Increased or decreased)
- Hard to get up the stairs?
- Having accidents in the house?
- Changes in haircoat or skin?
- New lumps or bumps seen?
- Less energy?
- Difficulty navigating the house as if confused?
- Scratching or licking a lot?
- Changes in weight? (either increase or decrease)
- Bad breath or difficulty eating?
- Changes in breathing pattern?
- Just not himself/herself?
- Seizures/shaking?
Recommendations
Every veterinarian is different about how often they would like to see a senior pet. At least once a year is the minimum. This would enable a veterinarian to do a thorough physical and ask questions that may highlight changes associated with early signs of a disease. Whereas twenty years ago, there were not as many options for senior pet diseases, we now have a variety of pain relievers, heart disease medications, nutritional options for arthritis/organ dysfunction. In some cases, a check up every six months is recommended to monitor disease issues more closely. For example, if a dog is diagnosed with seizures, they will be put on medication that needs to be monitored regularly to ensure that the treatment of one disease (seizures) does not cause another (liver failure).| Dr. Abby Deuel, Veterinarian Deuel Veterinary Services, P.C. 2047 N Broadway Ave Salem, IL 62881 Phone: 618-548-6755 Fax : 618-548-6855 deuelveterinaryservices.com |
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This article appeared in the November 2012 issue of the Holistic Touch Therapy Newsletter.