1347. Why bother to screen your older dog's health?

TOA PAYOH VETS toapayohvets.com       Date:   04 April, 2013   Focus: Small animals - dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs & rabbits. Health Screening For the Older Dogs Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS First written: 21 September, 2011 Date:  04 April, 2013 toapayohvets.com  Be Kind To Pets Veterinary Education Project 2010-0129 Most dog owners in Singapore live hectic lives. There are just too many distractions and too much work or enjoyment. After an intense period of love and care for their new puppies, the senior dogs are just left alone as there is no time for them after their puppy hood. It is usually too late for many old dogs when they are sent to the veterinarian for some chronic disease problems. Veterinary costs become high as the dog is in poor health and need more intensive care.   Senior dogs are: Small and Medium-sized breeds: Over 7 years Large and Giant-sized breeds: Over 5 years. For those who may want their senior dogs to live longer, here are the following health screening recommendations by Toa Payoh Vets: 1. Veterinary examination every 6-12 months including examination for tumours and growths, ear infections, eye diseases and skin diseases. Skin diseases are the top 3 cases in Toa Payoh Vets. An educational video is at: Video: Microscopic exam of ringworm  2. Blood tests to check for blood disorders, diabetes, liver and kidney diseases. Special veterinary diets can be given to prevent further health deterioration when such health screening show disorders of the liver and kidneys, prolonging the dog's life. 3. Urine tests to check on bladder and kidney infections and presence of urinary stones. Urine tests for bladder stones 3-months or periodically after operation as advised by your vet, but many Singaporean owners don't bother and bladder stones recur 3 times.  Some owners euthanase their dogs when stones recur but others incur high veterinary costs to get them operated. Monitoring of the urine and X-rays as advised by your vet after bladder stone removal would have prevented much medical costs.  5863. Five surgeries for bladder stone problem in a Shih Tzu 4. X-rays for arthritic hip joints (can't stand up easily), spinal column, heart and lungs. X-rays for bladder stones 3-months or periodically after operation as advised by your vet. 5. Ultra-scans of the abdomen for abnormal growths of the internal organs. 6. An MRI scan of the brain for brain tumours. 7. Dental check up and scaling every year. Prevention of oral tumours and oro-nasal fistulas (carnaissal tooth abscesses) in the old dog can be done if the owner checks his or her dog's teeth at the vet yearly. 5957. Oro-nasal fistula: Follow up 6 years later 6. Heart check for murmurs and heart diseases. 7. Stool test for blood, parasites. 8. Blood tests for allergens affecting your dog. 9. A report and discussion about the delay in senility, obesity, behavioural problems, skin problems and any questions related to each individual dog. 10. Excision of small skin, mammary, circum-anal and other tumours.  Tumours detected early can be excised saving the dog's life and reducing veterinary costs. Delaying treatment results in tumours growing and multiplying as in the circum-anal tumour. Many Singapore dog owners delay removal of their senior dog's tumours till they grown big, become smelly and bleeding, messing up the apartment. In such cases, the anaesthetic risks are very high and the dog may die on the operating table. An example of the investigation tests and surgeries done for one older dog with heart disease and another with gum tumour is shown below Case 1: Heart disease confirmed in an old companion Cardiac Tamponade in a Labrador Retriever - Pt 1 Cardiac Tamponade in a Labrador Retriever - Pt 2 Case 2:  Get tumours excised by your vet when they are smaller  Old dogs are very high anaesthetic risks as they are seldom in the best of health unlike younger ones. Everyone is happy when the old dog does not die on the operating table after surgery. But every vet will have cases of old dogs dying on the operating table as it is impossible to get good clinical outcomes when the vets undertake high-risk anaesthetics. This is one main reason why some vets discourage or reject old dog surgeries. "The old dog will pass away before the circum-anal tumours grow much bigger," one vet said to the owner. But the dog lived longer, splattering the apartment with blood from the bleeding tumour and requiring frequent cleaning up.   \ 5646 - 5648.  Mammary adenoma. A kind Buddhist teacher. No further news from the teacher as at April 4, 2013 When a dog dies on the operating table, it is just too emotional for everyone including the operating veterinary surgeon. Such  deaths may be bad-mouthed by the owner or the family members to friends and recorded on the internet forum. The bad news adversely affect a vet's reputation that takes so much time and effort to build. So it is understandable if a vet does not want to operate on high-risk cases. I do avoid such cases if possible as deaths on the operating table means a beloved family member that has been growing up with the family children who have become adults is lost forever. The average life-span of a big breed dog is 12 years. Oldest small breeds in Singapore can live up to 20 years. However, many die before they are 10 years of age due to bad health and other preventable causes such as bacterial infection of the heart valves due to severe gum diseases (preventable by regular 2-yearly dental scaling and checks), pyometra (preventable by early detection or spaying), kidney diseases, diabetes and  tumours like breast, gum and circum-anal tumours (much less occurrence in a male dog that has been neutered). Many diseases such as circum-anal tumours rarely occur in male dogs that have been neutered. If you don't wish to neuter your dog, please check his backside monthly as small circum-anal tumours are easily removed and cost you less too.   Tumours like breast tumours are best removed when they are small.   Case study. Breast tumours have spread to two breast. If excision is not done, all 10 breasts will be cancerous. The surgery was done at Toa Payoh Vets in 2008 and the owners had not returned as at April 4, 2013. Make an appointment with your pet shop groomer if you have a close working relationship with them and needs pet transport to the vet of your choice. Or tel 6254-3326, 9668-6469 for an appointment to discuss health screening for your senior companion. Or e-mail judy@toapayohvets.com your requirements.  Updates will be on this webpage: www.toapayohvets.com/surgery/20080807Senior_Dogs_Health_Checks_ToaPayohVets.htm   Advert for Veterinary Technicians  or Nurses For Toa Payoh Vets BE KIND TO OLDER DOGS & CATS --- GET TUMOURS REMOVED EARLY --- WHEN THEY ARE SMALLER.  More case studies, goto:  Cats  or  Dogs To make an appointment: e-mail judy@toapayohvets.com tel: +65 9668-6469, 6254-3326 toapayohvets.com  Be Kind To Pets Veterinary Education Project 2010-0129

Toa Payoh Vets Clinical Research

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