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AAHA Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats
Senior Care Guidelines | Senior Care Resources | Senior Care FAQs
AAHA released the AAHA Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats in March
2005, to provide a framework for practitioners dedicated to enhancing
the well-being of senior pets. The guidelines were approved by the AAHA
Board of Directors at its October 2004 meeting and published in the March/April
2005 issues of the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association and Trends magazine.
"As pets enter their middle age and senior years, around six to eight
years of age for most dogs and cats, more frequent testing and more extensive
examinations are recommended than for younger pets," says Mark Epstein,
DVM, ABVP, chairperson of the AAHA Senior Care Guidelines Task Force.
"These guidelines were developed as a resource to help veterinary practice
teams provide optimal care for aging pets."
The guidelines promote the early detection of disease in senior pets by
recommending more extensive laboratory testing beginning in middle age
to establish baseline values and twice yearly examinations and testing
once a pet reaches his or her senior years. The guidelines outline common
clinical conditions as well as aspects of screening, diagnosis, treatment,
anesthesia, pain management and surgery that are particular to senior
pets, and provide a framework to help practice teams evaluate an aging
pet's quality of life and assist clients with the end of life decision-making
process.
"Only about 14 percent of senior pets undergo regular health screening
as recommended by their veterinarians," says Dr. Epstein. "We hope that
veterinary practice teams will use these guidelines as a framework to
develop senior care and screening programs in their practices."
The AAHA Senior Care Guidelines were developed by a task force composed
of seven expert veterinarians, representing a broad range of specialty
fields. The guidelines are sponsored by an educational grant from IDEXX
Laboratories.
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