# 8-( - First Senior Check Up *sniff*



## Duke's Momma (Mar 1, 2007)

I'm so sad! I suppose if he looked more senior I'd be better with it. She did all kinds of senior stuff - all checked out good. I'm just not ready for him to be a senior!

Hey - does he get senior discounts?


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

How old is he?

My Jasmine (lab/golden) is 8 1/2 and finally it seems like age is catching up to her. She is really grey around her face, tires more easily and is a bit grumpier with the fosters. It makes me so sad, too.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Daisy's due for a senior check up too. I've been wanting to have one done on her for about a year now but everytime I take her in, they tell me she's not ready ... she's doing too well. I should insist. But with her recent surgery and then the complications afterwards, she had a lot of tests and x-rays done then. I think if there was anything seriously wrong, they would have discovered it then?

Seems like just yesterday we brought these dogs home as babies, but so many memories :heartbeat


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

Bentley is 8 1/2 and we don't really do anything different in the way of check-ups than we've done in his earlier years. He only gets vaccines once every 3 years, but I do take him in for an annual checkup. My vet and I are on the same page with the approach: a good physical examine and if there doesn't seem to be any concerns, we leave it at that. He has no chronic health problems (especially since he began eating low carb formulas 3 years ago).

To some degree I think that some of the "senior health" packages sold by some vets are somewhat of a marketing gimmick - like dog food labeled for specific breeds or activity levels. Sure, if you do enough tests, you can probably find something not at a perfect level in a blood chemical profile; it just seems a bit overdone to do tests on a regular basis on an asymptomatic dog.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Old gold is the best!


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## weedrea (Mar 29, 2009)

My golden's 7 years and 11 months. He's getting a little techy this weather quicker than before...wants more tummy rubs (like 24x7) but other than that (and a few grey hairs), he still acts like a puppy....long may it continue! Don't think I'll put him onto Senior food for a while as he's quite slim and still very active (a little too much sometimes!!).


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## Abbydabbydo (Jan 31, 2007)

My friend Di took her Pom in at 13 and they said we really should run senior tests. She was like hey he's a puppy to me! Stop making me pay for stuff I don't need <I should have used all caps cause she goes to my vet and the techs told me about it too> Owen lived three more years bless his fluffy heart.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

This is something to CELEBRATE!! No sniffles allowed. And to top it off everything checked out good! Another reason to CELEBRATE!!


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Abbydabbydo said:


> My friend Di took her Pom in at 13 and they said we really should run senior tests. She was like hey he's a puppy to me! Stop making me pay for stuff I don't need <I should have used all caps cause she goes to my vet and the techs told me about it too> Owen lived three more years bless his fluffy heart.


 
Actually 16 years is a normal life span for a Pom. Who knows if he may have lived longer if she did the senior tests. It is like people, if you wait till there is a problem chances are it is already too late to do something about it. I do noot see a vet recommending "senior tests" as making you pay for stuff you do not need. JMO


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

My vet never charged more for Cody's senior checkups. I say hooray for a good checkup, and to my way of thinking, eight isn't a senior Heck, Cody's brother Toby lived to twice that age!


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## mybuddy (Mar 2, 2007)

Duke's Momma said:


> I'm so sad! I suppose if he looked more senior I'd be better with it. She did all kinds of senior stuff - all checked out good. I'm just not ready for him to be a senior!
> 
> Hey - does he get senior discounts?


Duke is 8? Buddy will be 7 this month. Is he a senior? I thought he was middle aged. Buddy doesnt even seem middle aged. He still jumps on me. What is involved with a senior exam? Jo Ellen..when will you do it? Do you know what they do? I wonder if I should take Buddy for one.


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## magiclover (Apr 22, 2008)

I'll tell you one thing. Old Gold is tough stuff!! After 2 weeks in boarding and a flight over the Atlantic my old girl Magic is in perfect shape! Her 10 month old sister Jazz had a UTI and diarrhea. And to think I was worried about Magic. : I do understand your feeling though. I actually am learning to take each day with her as a gift. I enjoy how she still loves life and am so impressed with her stamina.


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## Duke's Momma (Mar 1, 2007)

Hi, everyone.

Duke was 8 in April. When I said that everything checked out good I meant the palpitations of the abdomen (more than usual), she checked out his spleen, a few bumps here and there, etc. His heart rate is good.

However, all that said, ever since he ate the rancid furry thing his electrolytes have been off. Now, after doing urinalisys again after 3 months, they are elevated from even March. (and his liver enzymes are also up after taking him off the denamerin - back on it as well now)

She's suspicious of early renal disease. She said just bad genes unfortunately. Thought it was the pancreas so we changed his food a few months ago. Now another change is in order to an RD and off the metacam. Which means that we are switching to gabapentin which will help in several different ways - aches & pains and inflamatory issues plus an added boost in his seizure meds.

My sweet, sweet boy. Age is catching up with him. He still fraps a bit and definately the golden circles when someone else comes over. What with all of the medical issues and everything, the vet says he'll age a bit quicker. *sigh* Strangely, I have tears in my eyes.

How can we love an animal with such an all consuming love?


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Don't let him apply for Social Security, just yet. 

I was not aware he was having issues, sorry. Have they put him on any antibiotics for his liver/kidney issues?


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## Duke's Momma (Mar 1, 2007)

AmbikaGR said:


> Don't let him apply for Social Security, just yet.
> 
> I was not aware he was having issues, sorry. Have they put him on any antibiotics for his liver/kidney issues?


No worries - how could you have known? I haven't said much because everything was still in the high normal. Now, we've stepped over into the low problem area. Still nothing from his kidneys showing up in his blood and that's good.

He was on antibiotics a few months ago for a UTI that was horrible - she said that he probably had this for several months and I am thinking that it was actually in November sometime as that's when I remember him being "not quite right"

No antibiotics now, though. For his liver he's on denamarin and milk thistle. For the kidneys we've just changed food to a low protein pretty much nothing food. Now we've got to get hm on either a renal support food or a senior diet.

Duke's had lots of issues in his 8 short years - 3 blockages, a horribly broken back leg, 2 ACL surgeries, allergies, high thyroid, a history of UTI's and a seizure disorder since he was 1 1/2. With all the meds he's on he's had a toxic liver and I know there's more, but just can't think of them right now.

He's on more meds than my 87 year old mother! But, he's our best friend and we love him like crazy. We think he's handsome and well worth all of it. I just want him to feel as good as he possibly can for as long as he possibly can. 

I'm going to attach some pictures of "some" plastic that caused his last blockage. And, this wasn't all of it, just the stuff that I cleaned out of his poop. He vomited a bunch more that the vet threw away and in the spring I found more piles but didn't bother cleaning the plastic out of those. Oh, my boy!

I had to put the big one of him in because he's just sooooo handsome! It was taken spring of last year.


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