Geriatrics

After the age of seven, animals enter a dangerous period of their life. From this point onwards, the risk of a number of medical conditions becomes much more likely than before.

•  Oral cavity, teeth: there is an increase in the incidence of plaque and tartar, as well as periodontal disease and gum tumours, resulting in difficulty in taking food, pain, and bad breath.
• Gastrointestinal tract: there is an increased risk of gastrointestinal cancers, inflammatory diseases of the small intestine and colon, pancreatitis.
•  Liver: higher incidence of degenerative liver disease, inflammation and cancer.
•  Kidneys, urinary system: renal failure, kidney (urinary) stones, inflammations, infections.
•  Cardiovascular and respiratory systems: heart failure, blood stasis in the lungs, dyspnoea, increased incidence of pneumonia (brachycephalic dogs are particularly susceptible to this).
•  Joints, musculoskeletal system: osteoarthritis, inflammation, spinal degeneration.
•  Tumours: increased incidence of cancers of the skin, breast, internal organs, lymphoid tissue (lymph nodes).
•  Endocrine glands: diabetes, hyper- and hypothyroidism, adrenal cortex.
•   Eyes: cataracts, glaucoma, dry eye syndrome.
•  Behaviour: changes in manner, orientation disorders, failure to recognise owners, change in eating habits, changes in diurnal activity (sleep-wake), vocalisation.

When a dog or cat turns seven years old, it becomes a senior animal. From this point onwards, it should be under the care of a veterinary geriatrician. This is because the adaptive and regenerative capacities of individual tissues and organs are declining, as a result of which we can see the first signs of the ageing process in dogs and cats. Maintaining a high quality of life for aged animals will be possible as long as continuous observational care combined with the prevention of age-related diseases is undertaken. Much can be done by owners and carers themselves – by observing changes in behaviour and paying attention to disturbances in physiological functions: frequency of urination, faeces, decrease or increase in appetite and body weight, orientation disorders, deterioration of coat and skin quality, visual disturbances, deterioration of hearing, difficulties in movement, etc.

The ideal situation for your pet is to join the Geriatric Programme offered by the KUROSZ Clinic. As part of this programme, we undertake regular tests to create a set of standards for specific medical parameters, for each individual animal. This allows us to detect even minor deviations from the norm early on, even before clinical symptoms occur. Early detection of the disease will help prevent further progression, improve comfort and extend the patient’s life.

As part of the Geriatric Programme, developed by our clinic’s specialists, we offer:

•  a screening programme to detect diseases at risk for the patient at an early stage, before clinical symptoms appear,
•  additional examinations specifically selected for the individual patient’s condition,
•  a full range of diagnostic tests performed at the clinic or at the specialist veterinary laboratories with which we cooperate,
• consultations on diet and nutrition for elderly animals,
• the special attention we give to our patients and their owners.

The extended clinical examinations that are performed during geriatric consultations consist of the following diagnostic procedures:

• temperature, mucous membranes, crt, lymph nodes,
• thorough auscultation of the heart and lungs,
• thorough examination of the abdominal cavity,
• assessing the condition of the skin and hair coat, examining the presence of any skin lesions or tumours,
• ears, otoscopic examination,
• the condition of the teeth and periodontium, the presence of cancerous lesions,
• ophthalmological examination: conjunctiva, cornea, ophthalmoscopic examination (if necessary, we perform additional examinations: Schirmer test, fluorescein test, fundus of the eye, local anaesthesia of the cornea enabling a more thorough examination),
• rectal examination: presence of nodules, diverticula, perianal gland,
• prostate and testes (in males) and a thorough examination of the mammary glands (in females),
• motor disorders: orthopaedic, neurological examination,
• the nutritional status of the body.

The carer has the option to choose a geriatric diagnostic profile for their pet: from basic to extended. This is dependent on both the patient’s condition and the owner’s preferences.