HASN'T it been so lovely to see beautiful spring weather? I have managed to make a start on tidying my garden and preparing for growing things in my greenhouse. I do enjoy my gardening and can completely relax as I tend to my plants.

I have been thinking a lot about elderly patients and their needs, and also what their owners feel we as vets should be doing to help their beloved pets. Should we be concentrating on preventative medicine to stop them becoming ill or should we be treating conditions as they develop?

There are many checks and tests vets can perform to monitor your pet’s health status. As your pet ages, many systems and organs in the body start to deteriorate, just as with humans. Once they are over eight years of age, they may be classified as an elderly pet. We can check a urine sample or take a blood test as routine screens for liver and kidney function and checking for diabetes.

Many older cats have over-active thyroid glands and this can be tested for as well.

There are many other conditions where blood tests can provide the diagnosis. Checking your pet’s eyes can give valuable insights into potential underlying conditions. Blood pressure checks are also very important and, as with humans, raised blood pressure can be an indicator of many conditions. It can also cause problems, so regular checks are recommended, especially in the older cat.

Recently, I checked a dog’s blood pressure and found one of the highest readings I have ever seen.

The dog is unaware he has high blood pressure and continues to live a normal life. The stress of knowing is often a major factor in how humans with high blood pressure feel.

But what if your elderly pet requires a surgical procedure? I know many clients are very fearful when they discover their elderly pet has a lump or requires an x-ray or other procedure where an anaesthetic is involved.

If your pet has had their elderly pet checks then your vet will be aware of the risks an anaesthetic would pose to them. Checks can be made immediately prior to the procedure as well. However, many owners are still apprehensive and rightly so. Often vets have to balance up whether surgery or leaving things alone is the best course of action. These are choices and decisions to be made between all parties concerned.

If you are really concerned about your dog having an anaesthetic and they have a mass which may be growing or bleeding or painful, then it may be possible to remove the growth using local anaesthetic with or without some degree of sedation. This is very dependent on where the mass is on the body and the temperament of the pet. Some dogs do not tolerate local anaesthetic injections (think about having local anaesthetic injections at the dentist) and it is more stressful than being sedated or anaesthetised.

Each case has to be taken on its merit and has to be discussed fully with your vet.

I have always been an advocate for performing some surgical procedures under local anaesthetic, if this is a possible option.

Recently, I was approached by one of my colleagues to look at Tara, a nine-year-old Leonberger dog weighing 65kg. Now this is elderly for this breed and anaesthesia is not without risks for larger dogs of any age.

Her owner, Duncan Taylor-Tait, was extremely concerned about the risks of Tara having anaesthesia.

Now, Tara had two large masses on her abdomen and concerns had been initially that these were mammary tumours (breast cancer). Test samples were taken from these lumps in a procedure called fine needle aspirates. Fortunately, the lumps were lipomas (fatty tissue) and almost certainly benign. They therefore did not pose any concern of cancer or spreading to Tara, but they were growing and causing a difficulty to Tara as she moved around and lay down. So, after consideration, we decided to remove Tara’s lumps under local anaesthetic.

One of the biggest concerns when doing surgical procedures using local anaesthetic is whether the patient will remain still and tolerate everything, and dealing with such a large dog was not going to be the easiest of tasks. However, Tara is a lovely natured dog. She was given an injection to slightly relax her, then the local anaesthetic agent was injected; this can be uncomfortable initially but, once it takes effect, the area becomes numb and pain free. The surgery can then be performed.

With two of the nursing team cuddling and reassuring Tara, myself and fellow vet Chris removed her lumps and sutured her skin closed.

Tara jumped up after the operation as if nothing had happened, unlike the humans, who felt a little stiff after the procedure!

Tara has been checked a few days after her surgery and she is her usual happy self, and the wound is healing well.

We also have an added string to our surgical equipment at Dunedin Vets, Tranent, where we can perform cryosurgery on certain types of skin lumps. This is the ability to freeze the tissue, which then causes cells to die. This is also very good for elderly pets or those with conditions which would prevent them from having a general anaesthetic procedure.

The position, type and size of the mass will determine if cryosurgery can be used. Usually, the pet requires a little sedation prior to the cryosurgery, which only takes a short time to perform. The mass should then shrivel and drop off – sometimes it does take two or three cycles of the cryosurgery at intervals of two to three weeks to completely remove the mass, but this has been a great benefit for many elderly pets.

This equipment is portable, so we are able to perform this procedure at our Dunbar branch too.

So, we are looking at all sorts of ways to help you and your elderly pet in the least stressful and risk-averse way possible. Just because your pet is getting a bit older, there are still many procedures and treatments which can be carried out by your vet to enhance your pet’s quality of life and ensure you can enjoy many happy years together.

Please feel free to ask your vet if you have any concerns.