Terry Parkway Animal Hospital

11/20/2024

Fur real, fall is the best season ever 🍁

11/19/2024

November is !

Younger animals sure are cute but you might be surprised how well an older animal can fit into your lifestyle!

If you are able to, consider making a home for an older furry pet this month ❤️

11/18/2024

Holiday decorations are festive, but they can also be tempting toys for curious pets! Keep your furry friends and family safe by placing decor out of reach.

11/18/2024

How many of you have said. My pet is old. They don't need to keep getting their shots or prevention. They stay inside and only go out to use the bathroom so they are fine. Our pets are living longer and healthier lives now because we have so many ways to detect problems faster. Especially as they get older. There are so many ways to give them a longer and active life why wouldn't you make sure they have all they need? One of the best ways to keep on top of things is to make sure they are coming in for their annual visits. As they get older. Dr. Salles will recommend doing a baseline blood workup so that we can keep up with any problems that are creeping up. Kidneys, heart and other organs show us through the blood how well they are working. With those diagnosis Dr. Salles can get a protocol going early. Who wouldn't want that for their furry family member.

11/18/2024

How can wellness care extend the life and the comfort of my dog?

Regular wellness checkups include a thorough physical exam that would also include blood work and testing that can pick up on diseases before they’ve progressed. And anything that we can detect early before your pet becomes symptomatic usually carries a much better prognosis. Wellness will help extend your pet's life because you're being proactive and preventative rather than reactive. Your vet will make sure their blood work looks good, that they’re not detecting any early kidney disease, and they give urine tests to ensure we don’t see any stones or underlying infections in the bladder. They’ll often give their heart a listen.

There are things that you can do to help with your dog’s wellness as they age, too. Giving them well-balanced meals will help meet their nutritional needs and could even slow down arthritis that can occur in a lot of pets, reducing the need for medications. Regular dental cleaning and dental exams will help clean the tartar and plaque and remove the bacteria that can get into the bloodstream and affect the liver, kidney, and heart. Far too many senior dog parents overlook dental care or don't think it's necessary, but that's a big step in wellness and vitality in the dog.

A dog with kidney issues is a good example of how wellness care can extend the life of a pet. If an eight to nine-year-old dog goes to the vet and they do a blood panel and it comes back showing that their kidney numbers are elevated, the vet can recommend diet changes and provide supplements that improve the kidney function. On the other hand, if the veterinarian sees those results for a dog at 12 years old and the dog is in full-blown kidney failure, options are extremely limited.

11/18/2024

Lets start our cancer talk on how to spot the signs your pet may have a problem. Although Dr. Salles does see cancer in a few of our patients. It seems to come in waves. We will go a long time without diagnosing any form of cancer to seeing several cases at one time. The most typical that is seen is lymphoma, sarcoma's and mast cell tumors which is what our sweet Freddy had. They all start out as lumps that can be detected while giving a good once over the whole body. Dr. Salles mainly sees them in mid-age to senior pets. So lets grab our Monday morning coffee and find out what you as a parent can do to make an early diagnosis.

Keeping them healthy and happy. That is what we are here for.

Cancer. It’s a six-letter word none of us want to hear and it affects 50% of senior dogs older than ten. While that alarming statistic has grown in recent...

11/18/2024

Embrace the boundless energy and adorable antics of a tiny hamster or bask in the gentle companionship of a cuddly guinea pig – which small pet steals your heart?

11/18/2024

November is Gratitude Month, a perfect time to reflect on the many blessings in our lives.

Let's take a moment each day to express our thankfulness, spread kindness, and appreciate the beauty of each moment. Gratitude turns what we have into enough. ✨

11/16/2024

Where do cows hang out on the weekend? The moo-vies. 🎥🐮

11/15/2024

Please note Dr. Salles will be out of the office on the following dates for personal reasons. Our awesome Techs Susan and Casie will be in the clinic to help with anything. We may be having some specials those days so stay tuned.

11/15/2024

11/15/2024

Dive into the profound language of pure souls. 🐾✨

11/15/2024

What are the most common health problems in senior dogs?

Going back to the breeds, arthritis and joint disease are significant issues veterinarians often see in giant or large breed dogs. On the other hand, dental disease is a big one that they see in smaller dogs. Of course, both of those can occur in large and small breed dogs, and they’re the two most common issues that they see in senior dogs.

The other issues veterinarians see a lot in senior dogs are arthritis and weight gain. These two things go hand in hand because these dogs are moving less, but people are feeding them just as much. And they tend to gain weight, which makes it worse on the joints, so it’s like a snowball rolling downhill.
Other health issues veterinarians see in as dogs as they get older are:

Kidney issues
Heart disease
Vision loss
Cataracts

Does my senior dog still need their annual wellness exams or semi-annuals, vaccines, and preventive care?

Yes, absolutely. In fact, many veterinarians would tell you that these things are much more important as a dog ages. Considering how fast dogs age and how stoic they are, it’s all the more essential to stay on top of their health. Why? Dogs are pack animals by nature. Dogs are somewhat instinctually programmed to not show pain, and usually, by the time they do show you something, it's already pretty advanced and they can't compensate for it anymore. That's why it's very important to continue taking them in for examinations and perhaps do that even more frequently than you had in their younger years.

As they become senior pets, your vet will recommend that dogs continue certain vaccines based on their lifestyle and risks. As their bodies age, they are more susceptible to certain diseases, so you and your vet will want to keep them well-protected. And the more we can prevent, the fewer senior dog conditions your vet will have to treat.

Does my dog still need regular wellness exams as they get older?

Yes. After the age of seven, those in the veterinary industry usually consider dogs to be seniors. Dogs should get bi-annual wellness exams as they get older, but it's more important as they age and become seniors because six months to them can equate to two to three years, and sometimes even longer based on their life expectancy.

11/15/2024

It has been over a year since the horrible fire in Lahaina, Maui. A place so near and dear to my heart. Doctor Salles and I gave not only personally towards sending help. The clinic gave specifically towards the Veterinarians that were devastated by the fires. Here is an update on how the generous donations have helped a year later. There is so much more that needs to be done. In that year time only 1 house has been started and so much still needs to be done.

Read more at avmf.org

11/15/2024

Saddle up and embrace the beauty of the great outdoors!

It's time to reconnect with nature and your animal companions during 🐴☀️

11/14/2024

November is Pet Diabetes Awareness Month. We really can't talk about Senior Pet Month with out talking about diabetes. They go together. Most cases are seen in older pets. So grab your coffee this morning and lets find out what diabetes is and how and what we can do if we think this might be a problem with our furry family members.

Keeping them healthy and happy all their lives. that is what we are here for.

A general overview of canine and feline diabetes, plus the efforts the Diabetes PetCare Alliance is making to diagnose affected pets and provide clients with the proper resources.

11/14/2024

What is the life expectancy of a dog?

Most veterinarians will tell you that the average dog lives anywhere from 13 to 15 years old. This is also a very broad question, however, because it depends on the breed and the size of the dog. In general, the smaller the dog, the longer the lifespan, the larger the dog, the shorter the lifespan. 15 to 16 years is old for our smaller dogs such as Chihuahuas and Yorkies, whereas 9, 10, or 11 is senior for our giant or large breed dogs such as Mastiffs, Great Danes, or St. Bernards.
How does getting older impact the health of my dog?

As mentioned, old age itself is not a disease but just as in humans, it’s going to take your dog a little longer to recover from certain injuries or problems that they experience as they age. Also just as with humans, dogs’ nutritional needs change as they get older. There are plenty of differences between the way dogs and humans age as well, with the biggest one being the fact that dogs are very stoic about illnesses. In fact, they’ll suffer in silence until the problem has advanced. Older dogs will often experience arthritis, eye conditions such as cataracts or nuclear sclerosis, and benign or malignant skin growths. All of these are reasons why you should have your senior dog seen by a veterinarian more than once or twice per year, as catching these things early will help your dog to avoid pain and hopefully help their prognosis.

As dogs age, there may be some things that you need to do as the pet owner to accommodate them and keep them happy. This might include some changes around the house because they're developing some arthritis, so you might consider putting their bed downstairs if they’ve been sleeping upstairs. Perhaps they can't walk as far as they used to go so, while you don’t want to give up their walks altogether, you might consider taking them for more walks at shorter distances.
How can wellness care extend the life and the comfort of my dog?

Regular wellness checkups include a thorough physical exam that would also include blood work and testing that can pick up on diseases before they’ve progressed. And anything that we can detect early before your pet becomes symptomatic usually carries a much better prognosis. Wellness will help extend your pet's life because you're being proactive and preventative rather than reactive. Your vet will make sure their blood work looks good, that they’re not detecting any early kidney disease, and they give urine tests to ensure we don’t see any stones or underlying infections in the bladder. They’ll often give their heart a listen.

There are things that you can do to help with your dog’s wellness as they age, too. Giving them well-balanced meals will help meet their nutritional needs and could even slow down arthritis that can occur in a lot of pets, reducing the need for medications. Regular dental cleaning and dental exams will help clean the tartar and plaque and remove the bacteria that can get into the bloodstream and affect the liver, kidney, and heart. Far too many senior dog parents overlook dental care or don't think it's necessary, but that's a big step in wellness and vitality in the dog.

A dog with kidney issues is a good example of how wellness care can extend the life of a pet. If an eight to nine-year-old dog goes to the vet and they do a blood panel and it comes back showing that their kidney numbers are elevated, the vet can recommend diet changes and provide supplements that improve the kidney function. On the other hand, if the veterinarian sees those results for a dog at 12 years old and the dog is in full-blown kidney failure, options are extremely limited.