Geriatric Care

Getting older is a fact of life. Cats and small dogs are generally considered geriatric at the age of 7, while larger breed dogs tend to have shorter life spans and are considered geriatric at 6 years of age. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s website,

“Due to improved veterinary care and dietary habits, pets are living longer now than they ever have before. One consequence of this is that pets, along with their owners and veterinarians, are faced with a whole new set of age-related conditions.”

As pets get older, it is necessary to adjust their health care requirements; just as you wouldn’t give the same care to a five year-old as to a 40 year-old, pets of different ages require different care. At Silver Maple, we adjust our yearly wellness examinations to fit your pet’s stage of life. For example, we recommend that our geriatric friends visit us once every six months for checkups. At these checkups, blood tests, urinalyses, and fecal exams are important to ensure that health problems are detected immediately; changes in diet or home environments could be necessary with geriatric pets as well.

Because we adjust your pet’s visits to fit their stage of life, and address the unique qualities of your pet’s breed in every visit, you can be sure that your pet is getting the best care possible at Silver Maple.