Autumn, a 12 year old dog came to see us because she seemed to have problems with her hind end. Her owner was worried about her hips because she was having trouble walking and especially on the stairs. Sure enough in the exam room, she seemed to be crouching as she walked and was uncomfortable. We were suspicious of arthritis due to her age and decided to go ahead with Early Disease Detection.

This is labwork that we use in older pets to screen for multiple diseases that are more common in our seniors. This can include kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, cushings disease, anemia, infection and abnormalities with minerals and electrolytes. A urinalysis is also included for our senior animals.

Animals cannot communicate with us to let us know how they are feeling or where it hurts. The labwork we checked at Autumns visit was also going to provide us with baseline values before starting her on an anti-inflammatory for arthritis.

Much to our surprise, Autumn had a severe urinary tract infection. She uses a doggy door into her backyard at home so during the summer months her owner does not see her bathroom habits. Once we started her on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories for the infection and discomfort, Autumn improved tremendously. Her mobility is back to normal.

We rely on labwork in addition to a good patient history and complete exam to help us treat our patients that cannot speak!

To learn more about our Early Disease Detection in senior pets, please call us at (902) 893-2341