How can I enjoy the company of my older pet for longer?

It is a sad fact that pets age much more rapidly than their owners. Each year represents 5 to 10% of an animal's lifespan. You may well have heard the saying that one year of a dog's life is equal to seven human years though the truth is a little more complicated!

The good news

The good news is that pets are also living longer than ever before because of the same advances in medical care and nutrition that people have enjoyed. This gives us the possibility of several extra years of faithful companionship and love from our pets. But it also means that pets have a much longer period of retirement and are more vulnerable to age-related conditions. Fortunately, most of these problems can be successfully treated and even cured if they are detected at an early stage.

After Eights programme 

The Orchard Senior Care programme is designed to proactively and regularly check for the health problems of ageing pets. The object of the programme is to increase longevity, maintain health, and preserve the quality of life of your pet.

From the age of eight, we recommend that all dogs and cats should be examined every six months. 

One of these checks is normally with the vet at the annual booster vaccination while the other visit is an in-depth senior health assessment by a member of the veterinary team, including a range of health screening tests. These tests allow us to diagnose problems such as diabetes, liver or kidney disease, bladder problems, or heart disease. Health screens, such as blood, urine and blood pressure tests, help us to identify conditions that are not outwardly obvious.

If our examinations or tests reveal any abnormalities we will discuss these with you and recommend any further course of action that may be needed.

What is included?

The annual senior pet health check is a health assessment with one of our qualified staff and includes a physical examination and a range of tests to discover as much as we can about the health of the pet.

• Health review
• Physical examination
• Flea check
• Weight check
• Dental check
• Blood cell tests
• Blood chemistry tests, including liver and kidney
• Urine tests
• Blood pressure and thyroid test in cats
• Results reviewed by vet
• Results reported to you.

If your pet is over eight years old and has not been to the vets for six months, contact us now for an appointment.