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“Our Commitment To Your Pet Lies In The Quality Of Our Care”
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How DO I CARE FOR MY AGING PET? (Some of the information has been sourced from AAHA Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats) “Our Commitment To Your Pet Lies In The Quality Of Our Care” Pets are predisposed to many conditions. We do recommend presenting your pet for assessment every 6 months or more frequently. Middle age is considered to be approximately 7 to 8 years of age for most dogs and cats. As pets enter their senior years, more frequent testing and more extensive examinations are recommended as organ systems, species, and breeds of dogs age at different rates. We do want to provide your pet with the high quality of veterinary care as you would expect from human health care. Based on the information that we gather we will be in a far better position to make recommendations appropriate for your pet. We do this from the information that we gather from you, by observing your pet’s actions while in the examination room, as well as a detailed clinical examination. Our interest is in educating you on how to better look after your pet as they age by drawing attention to:
A frequent finding in senior pets, which often is a life-limiting ailment, are malignant neoplasias. We are quite cautious when we dispense medications. We avoid indiscriminate use of drugs. We design a treatment plan appropriate to your pet. Should your pet be prescribed medications we request that you do not change the dose or frequency without consulting us. As a carer you share responsibility for monitoring side effects or complications. To ensure a successful outcome we will contact you from time to time, and need to work in partnership. Should the need arise we will refer you to a specialist. We will be there to guide you when your pet is presented with a debilitating or chronic disease, or with euthanasia. We no doubt take into account the impact your pet has on you. You will need to consider the realistic ability (financial, physical, and time constraints) to adequately care for your pet. As a pet carer, it is expected that you would provide:-
While you may already be doing all of the above as well as upholding the rights of pets as noted below, you would be very surprised to know that a significant number of pets do not enjoy this level of care. As a pet carer we expect that you will uphold the rights of animals, which are listed below. These freedoms form the cornerstone of animal ethics and welfare. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst
Freedom from Discomfort
Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease
Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour
Freedom from Fear and Distress
As you can appreciate the problems are many and will need to be identified. It is therefore recommended that your pet is seen by us at the earliest, to prevent the problem progressing and causing other complications. Early recognition and treatment means that your pet will recover sooner, and will therefore be far more comfortable. It is not only significantly more difficult to treat a pet in an advanced stage of the disease, as well as far more expensive, but one also has to take into account the significant pain and stress your pet is under by not being treated at the earliest. We sincerely recommend that you please call us on (03) 9700 0857 or (03) 9700 1307 to schedule an appointment at the earliest. We do not believe in berating our clients for presenting the pets late, as we believe that this is counter productive. It is not our intention to cause you any embarrassment, offence or anxiety. Our approach is now that you have presented your pet to us, how do we go forward from here, not only keeping your pet’s welfare at heart, but also working with your wishes and limiting factors. We do approach all cases presented to us with a level of sensitivity. As pet health care professionals we will present our assessment and treatment in a professional manner and factually as possible. You may not be aware that in older pets multiple problems often arise as aging affects all body systems. As pets age they become increasingly vulnerable to diseases. The three leading causes of non accidental death in pets are cancer, kidney disease and heart disease. Older animals seldom suffer from a single disease. One problem may markedly influence the course of another. Ageing is characterised by progressive and irreversible change. Pets are likely to start having diseases associated with ageing between 7 and 13 years. Smaller dogs tend to live longer than large dogs. The quality and length of life of older pets can be improved through regular health checks (every 6 months). A thorough clinical examination will help define some of these problems. Because we do care for the welfare and interest of your pet, we do go out of way to ensure that your pet can access medical or surgical attention in time of its need. It would also interest you to know that:-
If you have not used our services before, we do suggest that you try our services and see the differences for yourself. From our analysis we find that over 30% of all new patients are referred to us by existing clients, and a further 25% of all new patients are brought in by existing clients. Our clients travel from as far as Camberwell, Clayton, Fitzroy, Ringwood, Chelsea, St Kilda, Port Melbourne, Pakenham, to name but a few. From the level of service we provide, you would come to understand that we are not your average Veterinary Services provider. We do recommend that you bookmark our web address www.petcarevet.com.au Our staff are very friendly and courteous. We are very easily accessible. We are located at 234 Power Road, Endeavour Hills, at the intersection of Power Road and Heatherton Road, Endeavour Hills, just off the Monash Freeway. Please note that parking is at the rear.
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