By Dr. Jonathan Alford
Congratulations – your dog has been a loyal companion for you and your family for a number of years. Our job at Animal Care Center is to help your dog to enjoy the fullest quality of life possible by preventing disease and by catching problems as early as possible to treat them most effectively.
Unfortunately, as you know, our canine companions do not share the same life expectancy as humans. That is where the old “doggy years” math comes into play. It is true that on average a dog ages approximately seven years each calendar year when compared to humans. Small breeds of dogs tend to live longer (into their mid to late teens) than larger breeds, and giant breeds (i.e. Great Danes and Mastiffs) tend to have even shorter life expectancies. These are all just projections based on averages, of course many dogs exceed expectations and some fall short. The point of knowing this information is to know how best to protect and care for your canine.
We recommend a thorough physical exam each year with any vaccinations and other tests that may be indicated for your dog. Remember, if your dog goes in once a year for a check-up that is the equivalent of you going to see your doctor every seven years. A lot can change in a year’s time for your furry friend. As your pet gets older it becomes even more important to have these visits. Annual blood tests to screen for a variety of health concerns are of vital importance in disease prevention. I know of so many cases of dogs with various diseases, in particular in our senior patients that could have been managed so much more effectively if caught early with a simple blood test. Keep in mind, that age is not a disease, but with aging comes an increased risk of developing various and sundry diseases.
A Complete Blood Count (CBC) is exactly what the name suggests, a count of the cells in your dog’s blood. Blood is composed of red blood cells (RBC’s), white blood cells (WBC’s), and platelets. RBC’s transport oxygen to all the tissues of the body and are low with anemia. Anemia can make your dog tired and increase respiration rate and effort to compensate among other things. WBC’s are responsible for fighting disease among many other functions. This count is usually elevated when your dog has a systemic infection or inflammatory response as well as some cancers. Platelets are essential for blood clotting secondary to injury in a very complex series of steps.
A Chemistry Panel is used to screen for various diseases including those affecting the liver, kidney, bowel, pancreas, etc. There are reasonable steps that can be taken to treat these conditions and others which are especially effective if started early in the disease process.
Thyroid testing is another good idea especially in senior patients as well as dogs with a weight problem and difficult to manage skin conditions. The thyroid hormone influences your dog’s metabolism as well as many other body functions. If this hormone is low, there is a supplement that can be given at a low cost that can improve your dog’s quality of life and potentially aid in weight loss if needful.