Laporte Animal Clinic & Supply
4200 W. County Rd. 54G
Laporte, CO 80535  (970) 490-1999
Senior care

Here at Laporte Animal Clinic, we understand the special needs of senior dogs,
cats, exotics and horses.

We offer specialized care, such as arthritis medications, geriatric bloodwork
screenings to detect early changes in liver, kidney or other organ functions, and
specialized dental care.  

We recommend more frequent physical examinations for older pets.  Twice yearly
examinations are a minimum. We will check your pet's heart, lungs, teeth, joints and
discuss proper care that will help your pet's comfort and well-being. The age at which
a pet is considered geriatric may vary widely by breed.  Generally, larger breed dogs
age more quickly that small breed dogs.  As a rule, we recommend beginning senior
bloodwork at no later than age 7 in all dogs, but large and giant breeds should be
screened as early as 5 years old to detect early changes.  

We recommend that cats over 7 years old be examined at least twice a year and
have geriatric bloodwork done yearly.  Cats have different tendencies than dogs as
they age, including high levels of kidney disease, and thyroid gland tumors that can
cause hyperthroidism (with effects on the liver and heart as well).  If detected early,
many problems can be treated with medications and specialized diets and help
extend your pet's life by many years.

Similar to small animals, we recommend twice yearly examinations on senior
horses.  Though horses "age" at different rates depending on their specific use and
breed, we recommend starting senior care exams at 15 years old.   Dental
examinations and corrections of even minor problems are very important as horses
age to ensure that the teeth can function properly and the horse has no oral pain.
Proper nutrition can be discussed at examination time to ensure that your horse is
neither too thin or too fat.   Bloodwork to aid in the diagnosis of metabolic problems
may be indicated.

Dental care is important in all mature animals, including dogs, cats, horses, rabbits
and guinea pigs.  Many exotics will develop problems with overgrowth of their
incisors and molars that need to be trimmed.  Older dogs and cats frequently have
cavities and dental abscesses that can be treated.  Make an appointment today for
your senior pet to have a complete physical and discuss what we can do to help
them live active, happy lives for many more years.
3333 W. County Rd. 54G
Laporte, CO 80535  (970) 490-1999
Laporte Animal Clinic & Supply