Springfield's Full-Service Veterinary Hospital

To detect chronic diseases in dogs and cats while conditions are still in the early stages, our animal clinic recommends senior blood testing as part of your pet’s yearly physical examination beginning at 6 years of age. Blood testing can detect dangerous diseases such as diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, and chronic kidney disease in dogs and cats. Blood testing can also provide a baseline prior to a surgical procedure or for comparison in the event of an illness or when a veterinarian must administer long-term medication. Our animal clinic has an in-house laboratory for this exact reason, so our veterinarians can diagnose your pet and create a treatment plan for them as quickly as possible.

While it is not necessarily a more common condition, Deerfield veterinarians have found clients often ask about chronic kidney disease in dogs and cats as their pets age. For both canines and felines, symptoms of kidney disease can include drinking more often, urinating more often, housetraining changes, and weight loss. Unfortunately, kidney disease can result in the failure of one or both kidneys. Chronic kidney disease cannot be reversed, but there are medications and diets that can manage the effects and discomfort for your pet in some cases. Because life-threatening conditions like chronic kidney disease can go undetected until symptoms escalate, our animal hospital has developed elderly dog care and cat care plans featuring preventive measures such as screening blood testing.

Other common diseases our animal hospital sees in middle-aged and elderly dogs and cats are arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, thyroid disorders, cancer, and dental disease. Stiffness or difficulty rising after periods of rest, difficulty jumping, shorter walks or difficulty navigating stairs can all be signs of arthritis. Our full-service veterinary hospital is equipped with digital X-rays, which we use to check your pet for arthritis. Deerfield veterinarians can prescribe medications to help alleviate the arthritis symptoms.

Signs of heart disease can manifest as a change in activity level or behavior, exercise intolerance, and increased coughing. Like symptoms of chronic kidney disease, older pets with diabetes may drink more often, urinate more often, experience house training difficulties, and suffer weight loss. Thyroid disorders can cause a change in eating habits, weight gain or weight loss, lethargy, and hair coat changes.

At just 3 years old, most dogs and cats show signs of dental disease. Nearly 80% of elderly dogs and nearly 70% of older cats endure some form of dental disease. Similar to humans, chronic inflammation from the bacterial flora in the oral cavity of a pet with dental disease leaves it at risk for systemic disease of the heart, lungs, and kidneys. Signs of dental disease include bad breath, red gums, tartar build-up, loose teeth, excessive drooling, chewing habit changes, pawing at the mouth, or weight loss. Fortunately, a thorough dental cleaning and periodontal therapy can improve your pet’s oral health and decrease its risk of systemic disease.

So what can loving pet owners do to help prevent the onset of chronic diseases in older dogs and cats? In addition to regular preventive pet health care visits, you can promote overall health simply by brushing your pet’s teeth!

Many chronic diseases can have overlapping, generalized symptoms. In some cases, blood work is the only way to determine what is causing your pet’s clinical signs. Armed with the knowledge of exactly what is afflicting your loved one, our veterinary hospital can control and manage many diseases with medications that can greatly improve your pet’s daily quality of life while extending his or her life. If your middle-aged or geriatric pets are showing any of these signs, please consider screening them with senior blood panels.