Senior Pets: Common Illnesses and Pet Insurance Plans
By epetsure
In honor of National Pet Week, we’re taking a closer look at senior pets. A pet is considered a senior once they are 7 years old, which in human years translates to around 45-55 years old, depending, on the size of the pet, and whether it’s a cat or dog.
Senior Pets suffer many of the same common illnesses that senior humans endure. Here is the top 9 to watch out for, as your fur baby gets older:
- Cancer
- Heart Disease
- Kidney/urinary tract disease
- Liver Disease
- Joint or Bone Disease (Arthritis)
- Diabetes
- Senility
- Weakness
- Vision and/or Hearing Loss
Many of the above listed illnesses can be treated and managed with regular visits to your veterinarian and strict medicine regimen.
As your pet gets older, it’s important to start taking certain things into consideration:
- Increased Veterinary Care: Geriatric pets should have semi-annual veterinary visits instead of annual visits so signs of illness or other problems can be detected early and treated accordingly.
- Diet and Nutrition: Geriatric pets usually require foods that are easier to digest, which may include anti-aging nutrients, and other special considerations.
- Weight Control: Geriatric dogs with weight problems are often at higher risk for other health issues. However, geriatric cats often suffer from weight loss, which also needs to be addressed.
- Parasite Control: Geriatric pets have lowered immune systems, and parasites may pose a higher threat to their weakened bodies.
- Maintaining Mobility: It’s important to keep geriatric pets moving with appropriate exercise, just like you would senior people.
- Vaccinations: These may change, as your pet gets older, so it’s important to discuss this and all your pet’s medications with your veterinarian.
- Mental Health: Senior pets can show signs of senility, so keeping your geriatric pet stimulated through interactions can help maintain their mental activity.
- Environmental Considerations: Older pets may need to have certain accommodations made for them, such as sleeping areas that avoid stairs, and spending more time indoors where it may be more comfortable than being outside in the elements.
- Reproductive Diseases: Geriatric pets that haven’t been spayed or neutered are at a higher risk for mammary, testicular and prostate cancers.
- Sensory Loss: Geriatric pets who experience vision or hearing loss may begin to act differently, such as over-reacting to sounds, or ignoring commands. This is not the result of your senior pet being disobedient, they are simply not on top of their game the way they used to be. In instances like this, gentle redirection, and unconditional support and love are the only right way to ensure your pet’s safety and comfort.
Pet Insurance for Older Pets
Many of the conditions listed above are covered by Pet Health Insurances plans. The only real catch is that the pet must be on the plan and have passed a certain time, in order for the coverage to take effect.
Since pre-existing conditions are never covered, if a pet parent, for example, decides to purchase pet insurance for their geriatric dog who’s already been diagnosed with kidney disease, then all of the care directly related to the kidney disease would not be covered, however any and all other illness that occur or are diagnosed after the pet insurance coverage takes effect would be covered.
The following Pet Insurance Companies offer Senior Pet Insurance plans that take into consideration a geriatric pet’s special needs:
Please click on each link to view their specific plans available for senior pets or browse our website to learn more.
