Dr Patrick Mahaney Treats a Senior Canine Patient with Laser Acupuncture
As my veterinary practices integrates western and Chinese medicine to improve a pet’s overall wellness and reduce reliance on medications potentially having side effects, I have many patients that are well into their senior years.
When is a pet considered senior? That question has multiple answers and perspectives. I consider most pets senior at seven years of age. Smaller dogs tend to show fewer traditional geriatric signs (arthritis, mobility problems, etc) at seven years of age as compared to larger dogs. Larger dogs having reached age seven are less prone to periodontal disease and other metabolic illnesses (Cushing’s disease, diabetes mellitus, etc) in comparison to smaller dogs. Regardless of age, it’s important to prevent and manage illnesses before potentially life altering chronic diseases (obesity, arthritis, etc) emerge.
Recently, AOL’s PawNation asked me to contribute my veterinary perspective to their column on senior pet health titled Ask the Expert: Your Senior Pet.
Question 1: Is it common for aging dogs to get arthritis in their later years? How can I tell if my dog is suffering from it?
Answer 1: Read the answer to question 1-5 by following this link.
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Copyright of this article (2012) is owned by Dr Patrick Mahaney, Veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. Republishing any portion of this article must first be authorized by Dr Patrick Mahaney. Requests for republishing must be approved by Dr Patrick Mahaney and received in written format.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I used to think that a 7 year old cat was Senior. Now that’s extended to 10 or 12 years old – or maybe even older considering the specific cat.
I’d love to hear about kitty patients in your practice, their health complaints and what you do for them.
As an aside, when you go home with cat scent on you, does Cardiff react to the cat scent?
Cardiff does like to sniff my clothes when I come home from treating my patients. At the same time, I could be carrying an infectious organism on my clothes, so I change as soon as I arrive home and put my “contaminated” clothes in the wash. I have to promote my pooch’s safety both abroad and at home!
Thank you for your comments,
Dr PM
Just out of curiosity, what precautions do you take between clients?
I’ve always wondered why I’ve not seen anyone disinfect a stethoscope. Does that happen and I’ve just not seen it?
I always wash my hands (soap/water and sometimes alcohol wipe) and alcohol off my stethoscope and laser before I use it on a different patient. Sometimes, I’ll change clothes between patients.
Dr PM