Alicia Pacific Veterinary Center and Dr. Christina Haney have had the pleasure of working with many aging pets from as close as the neighboring homes on Pacific Island to as far away as West Hollywood. These aging pets have been brought in by their loving owners for physical exams just to see how they are doing, and to make sure they are being maintained in the best health possible throughout their golden years. Many of these pets have received clean bills of health way into their teen years, but others have had life threatening diseases diagnosed on routine yearly testing and Dr. Haney has had the opportunity to intervene early and extend the lives of these pets by months to years.
Dr. Haney has seen numerous geriatric pets over the years, and the most important pearl of wisdom some can offer is to have your geriatric pets seen by a veterinarian at least once a year starting at the age of 7 and as they continue to mature, increasing those veterinary visits to twice a year. These veterinary visits should not just consist of the doctor touching and listening to your pet, they should also consist of routine senior blood work and full body x-rays. Dr. Haney has diagnosed many cats with early kidney disease and has been able to alter their diets, and supplement their nutrition to help keep them healthy and in good spirits for years while battling this slow, degenerative disease. She has also found asthma, intestinal diseases, periodontal disease, and arthritis in older cats that could have gone unnoticed resulting in a lesser quality of life, and potentially a shorter life span without medical intervention.
Dr. Haney has also seen many dogs where their owners have complained of them just not acting right, and with routine blood work and x-rays Dr. Haney has diagnosed a tumor on the spleen. Most of these patients have been able to go to surgery and have their spleens removed, which has resulted in them returning to a cancer free state. These routine diagnostics and the surgeries to remove the notable cancer have resulted in these dogs living several months to several years longer than expected. Dr. Haney has also noticed arthritis, bone tumors, painful dental disease, and skin tumors, that were all able to be taken care of with simple medical, periodontal or surgical procedures, and the pets have been able to go on to live high quality lives.
Alicia Pacific Veterinary Center and Dr. Haney cannot stress enough the importance of having your geriatric pets seen by a veterinarian on a regular basis. Remember dogs are considered geriatric at 7 years of age, giant breed dogs at 5 years of age, and cats are considered geriatric at 10 years of age. Pets are living longer and healthier lives with the knowledge of veterinarians today, and with the technology available to treat the diseases as they age. The residents of Laguna Niguel have the ability to have their pets cared for with the best doctors and technology the industry can offer, these advantages should keep their beloved pets healthy and happy in their homes for many years.
