![]() In all of these examples, I hope you can feel the gravity of the decisions. Ensuring senior dogs get the best quality of care However, the procedure was successful and he lived comfortably-without pain-for over six more months. Mckenzie’s decision to proceed with dental surgery for her own 18-year-old dog, Kip, wasn’t an easy one. He was owned by two wonderful women who hugged me and thanked me for more good times with him.ĭr. Their previous vet told them he was too old and not ok for anesthesia at 13. I made him not “old” for another 18 months. I pretty much begged them to let me do a dental. He was “old.” He also had severe dental disease. He had a murmur and cataracts and osteoarthritis. Yesterday I euthanized two of my long-term patients. I couldn’t agree more with her sentiment and I love her perspective. Kelly McGuire, and I asked for her permission to share them. Recently, I read the following remarks from my colleague, Dr. Surgery for senior dogs: A veterinarian’s remarks With your dog’s health history in mind, your vet can steer you in the right direction to make a sound decision on whether surgery is the best choice for your grey-muzzled companion. If your veterinarian doesn’t have the monitoring equipment he or she thinks would be best for your dog’s surgery, he or she may recommend referral to a board-certified veterinary surgeon for the procedure.Vets can routinely measure heart rate, oxygen levels, body temperature, blood pressure, and more. Your vet may also recommend more in-depth monitoring for your pet during surgery itself.Identifying (and managing) underlying health concerns before surgery can significantly reduce the risks of anesthesia. Performing a physical exam, diagnostic tests like blood work (including blood cell count and chemistry), X-rays, and sometimes even ultrasounds of the abdomen or heart (depending on what the surgery is and what the individual dog’s health history is) may be warranted before proceeding. Senior dogs can have underlying health issues that we don’t know about.A thorough work-up prior to anesthesia should be part of the plan for any dog that is having surgery, but this is especially important for older dogs.The good news is that many older dogs can do great during and after surgery, and we stand a chance at significantly improving their quality of life. But that doesn’t mean that surgery should be off the table for them. Senior dogs can have unique anesthetic considerations (see Is My Dog Too Old for Anesthesia) and may have more prolonged recovery periods than their younger counterparts. How to reduce the risks of surgery for your senior dog Let’s discuss how to reduce the risks of surgery for your senior dog and why quality care at every age is critical. The answer may not be what you’d expect.Īge is not a disease, and your dog is never “too old” to receive the quality care he or she needs, even if it requires anesthesia and surgery. As an integrative veterinarian with over 25 years of experience caring for senior dogs, I field this question from pet parents on a regular basis.
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