Keeping a (Professional) Eye on Your Pet’s Health
Continuing on the series of things you can do to extend the life of your cat, we turn to regular health check-ups. As mentioned previously, I am sure some veterinarians might disagree on the order of importance, but this series includes things that you can do to extend the health of your cat, and since you are the one who sees your cat day-in and day-out, you are the one who controls its health for the vast majority of its life. Spending quality time (#1) as well as not letting your cat become obese (#2), have large effects on the lifespan of your pet, in my opinion.
However, getting regular health check-ups (typically once a year) at your local vet clinic is a very close third and critical for keeping your cat healthy for a long time.
Apple is 13 and just got a clean bill of health from her annual check-up, although blood tests did indicate kidney function on the low end of normal.
Most times, people will be taking their cat to the vet when they suspect their cat is ill. This is critical because early treatment of various health problems usually leads to better outcomes. You might recall in the case of Liddle, if he had gotten antibiotics early in his mysterious disease, there is a chance he might have recovered.
Outside of care for sudden illness, regular check-ups are very important. Vets are professionals who are trained to spot health problems that most pet owners might overlook or fail to notice. Here is a short list of things that the vet will examine during a regular check-up - from the American Animal Hospital Association. In addition to the vet checking the exterior of your pet, they will also listen to the heart and lungs. This is quite important for older cats, but even younger cats can benefit from such an examination as you can catch diseases (some hereditary) early in their life and come up with a good management plan or treatment options.
During the regular check-ups, you can also get various diagnostic tests performed (blood, urine, fecal analysis) and keep up to date on vaccinations. There are several diseases known to affect cats and dogs that can be prevented through the administration of safe and proven vaccines.
Here are a couple of quotes from veterinarians to help drive home the point.
"Pets age more quickly than people do. They have a faster metabolic rate, faster heart rates, and shorter life spans, so physiology and pathology go a little quicker as well. Many people have a physical check-up once a year by their doctor or they get screening blood tests, ECGs, ultrasounds, and other tests. Many conditions can be detected early and dealt with. If you would be checked yourself once a year, shouldn’t your pet, who is growing, aging, changing so much faster at least have a health check-up that often? "
"A physical examination (PE) is an invaluable resource that provides veterinarians insight into the health of their patients, who cannot speak and explain what may be troubling them. You may be unfamiliar with what knowledge is gained through a physical exam because your physician may not always perform one. That’s because you can tell your doctor where you hurt, but our dogs and cats cannot verbalize where their pain lies. Much like pediatricians, veterinarians oftentimes rely on silent clues to unveil what’s ailing their patients. "
Farve is 17 and in good health. During the last annual visit, the vet detected some motion in his thyroid, therefore we will have to keep an eye on the potential development of hyperthyroidism in coming years.
Of course, if you have a great pet but a limited budget, you can still monitor your pet's health on your own. There are plenty of resources online that will let you know what to look for to decide whether or not you need to see the vet. Here is a fairly comprehensive list of what to watch out for in your cat.
Lastly, some might wonder how often one needs to get "regular" check-ups. The most common frequency is yearly/annual. Some veterinarians recommend twice per year for older pets. In the case of cats, kidney disease is a common cause of mortality. It is often a disease that progresses silently until there is a "tipping point" at which point they start to experience signs of kidney/renal failure rather suddenly. This is one of the reasons why you might want to consider trips to the vet more often than annually - with an older cat. You might catch kidney disease in the early stages when it is easier to manage with dietary modifications.
At RejuveCat we are consulting with veterinarians about developing treatments for age-related diseases. During this process, it will be critical to know the condition of the pet patients. Those who have been getting regular check-ups for most of their lives will have a leg up on others as the history of health and other biomarkers will be well developed. Knowing the health status and trends will help tailor the treatments. How often do you take your pet to the vet? Do you have a success story of catching and treating a disease early? Let us know in the comment section below.