Seniors on consultations

Senior; grey snouts...

Our pets are reaching increasingly high ages. The care we can offer them is getting better and better. Just like people, the senior citizens among our dogs and cats need special care to maintain their quality of life for as long as possible.
As an owner, you are of course aware that good care and sufficient exercise are very important for the health of your dog or cat. As your pet gets older, you will notice that the care is more intensive and the amount of exercise often becomes significantly less or more difficult. It is an art in itself to keep your pet healthy, vital and active for as long as possible.

Just old or ill?

Especially in older animals, it is very important to detect changes in behaviour and health as early as possible. Many changes that older animals undergo are labelled as 'it's part of ageing' and physical complaints vary greatly. The most striking features are changes in body weight, faster fatigue and more sleep, stiff walking, difficult to stand up, slow/slow eating possibly accompanied by bad mouth odour, poorer condition of the coat, more barking/miaowing or the development of bumps on the body. These complaints indeed often arise from 'getting older', but they are certainly things that can and often must be treated if you want to give your pet a comfortable old age.
The above symptoms can be associated with joint problems, dental problems, heart failure, arthritis, kidney failure, thyroid problems or dementia. The lumps could be malignant tumours. Any of these conditions is unpleasant for the animal and potentially life-threatening. So early detection and treatment and/or measures to inhibit further deterioration of health are very important.

At some point, the aging process affects the organs and makes them less capable of functioning. The failure of these organs greatly increases the risk of developing diseases (such as diabetes and kidney failure). It is very difficult to distinguish between 'old age' and an incipient disease. Especially for you as an owner. Does your pet sleep a lot because of old age or because of a starting disease? Most signs of illness creep in slowly and it is very difficult to notice subtle differences if you see the cat or dog every day.  In addition, many animals, especially cats, are very good at disguising symptoms such as pain. It is wise to have your aging pet checked regularly by the vet. The time of the annual health check and vaccination is very suitable for that. But for the real senior citizen, a six-monthly check-up is recommended.

It can make a difference of many years in life expectancy if a condition is detected and treated in time. Many of the physical changes that accompany ageing cannot be cured, but they can be influenced. The vet can prescribe supportive medication.

Senior consultation

We have therefore put together a special package for you and your pet: the senior consultation. This means that we extensively check your pet for the most common aging problems in the senior dog or cat. We discuss with you whether there are already health problems so that we can focus on them during the examination. All findings of the examination will be discussed and lead to an advice regarding nutrition, medication/supplements and possible (other) additional examinations. For a senior consultation, therefore, extra time is planned.

The senior consultation for dogs includes the following: consultation of at least 30 minutes with full physical examination, standard blood test where the most important organ functions are checked, and urine test.
Possible additional examinations based on the results of the above-mentioned examinations are not included in the price, but will of course only be carried out after consultation with the owner.

The standard senior consultation for cats includes: a consultation of at least 30 minutes with a full physical examination, a standard internal blood test in which the most important organ functions are checked, and a urine test. In addition, we also perform a blood pressure measurement on cats, because hypertension is a common problem in cats, which often goes unnoticed.

Possible additional examinations following the results of the above-mentioned examinations are not included in the price, but will of course only be carried out after consultation with the owner.

For pet owners with a small budget we offer a budget senior consultation. Here we schedule at least 20 minutes and do, in addition to a complete physical examination, a urine test, as this is an important indicator for various diseases.

Are you interested in the senior consultation? Then you can make an appointment by telephone or at the counter.
It is best if you collect some urine beforehand. The assistants can give you tips on how to collect the urine and provide materials if necessary. Please note that the urine should not be older than two hours before the examination!  If necessary, you can hand in the urine earlier than when the appointment for the senior citizens consultation is scheduled, so that we already have the results when you come to the appointment.

Please indicate clearly that you want a senior consultation when making the appointment, so that we can take this into account when planning the necessary time. Special rates for the complete package of a senior consultation only apply if a senior consultation was requested in advance when making the appointment.

From what age are we talking about senior?

The above ages are guidelines only. They may vary per individual or per breed. If your pet is younger, but you would like an extensive senior check because you have the idea that there are already signs of ageing, then this is of course possible.