Senior Pet Care In Portland With Peninsula Dog & Cat Clinic
Caring for a geriatric animal poses somewhat different challenges than looking after a young, vigorous adult. If you are puzzled over various aspects of senior pet care in Portland, who better to turn to than our Portland veterinarian, Dr. DeRemer? Here are answers to some of the most common senior pet care questions we field at our animal hospital in Portland.
Senior Pet FAQ
- How old is “senior?” Most cats and small to midsize dogs are considered to enter their geriatric or senior phase at around age 7. Large breeds of dogs don’t live as long, so their senior years may begin a bit sooner. This is the age you’ll want to start arranging for Portland senior pet care.
- Why does my senior pet require more frequent wellness visits than he used to? We recommend serving Portland senior pets with two wellness evaluations per year instead of just one because their risk for certain disease begins to rise dramatically with age. Senior pets are more vulnerable to hypertension, diabetes, organ failure, gum disease and cancer, so we need to watch their health more closely.
- Why am I having trouble communicating with my senior pet? Senior pets can become hard of hearing and develop cataracts or other age-related eye disorders just as humans do. We will check for these issues during each Portland senior pet care exam. We will also check for signs of dementia, another possible reason your pet isn’t responding to your commands.
- My senior pet has slowed down a lot. Is this a problem? Pets naturally become more sedentary as they fall prey to osteoarthritis and their reflexes become less sharp. Too little activity, however, can make joints even stiffer while also promoting obesity, a major cause of serious systemic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
- What can you do to help my senior pet stay healthy? Our Portland vet can recommend gentle activities to help your pet keep moving, retain flexibility and control his weight. Changing his diet may also support these goals. We also treat age-related conditions as early as possible to help your pet enjoy a longer, happier life.
- Can you provide pain management for my senior pet? Our Portland vet can provide a variety of pain management services to help your pet cope with joint pain or other age-related discomforts. These may include anti-inflammatory medications and nutritional supplements such as fish oil or glucosamine. Severe cases of joint pain may respond to surgical procedures such as joint fusion or replacement.
Schedule Portland Senior Pet Care Services from Our Vet
Our Portland veterinarian is skilled at serving Portland pets of all ages, so if your beloved friend is getting older, don’t hesitate to bring him to our animal hospital for the special care he needs. Call our animal hospital in Portland at (503) 285-7661 for an evaluation. We want to be your trusted resource for Portland senior pet care services!