Managing the Geriatric Dog & Cat

Topics will include:

• Who and where are your senior and geriatric patients?

• How to create a geriatric safe clinic environment

• How to live well while being old – Practical care for the geriatric patient(incontinence, cognition, seeing, hearing, pain, dental disease, decubital ulcers, smelly bodies etc…)

• Old and older: ready or not here they come (anesthesia for geriatric pets)

• Case study: Fix the fixable, palliate what’s not 

• Case study: managing mobility issues in dogs

• Raising awareness of osteoarthritis in cats and treatment options

• Palliative care and hospice

• Getting it down and keeping it down – dealing with inappetence, nausea and vomiting

• Assessing Quality of Life

• Navigating euthanasia appointments 

• Just say no to needles – alternative routes for pre-euthanasia sedation

• Cultural and religious beliefs surrounding death and dying

The 5 Elements of Hospice

Veterinary hospice care is a unique case approach centered around education, preparation, and support for the pet and the client. Understanding what this service includes and what it does not include will help veterinary professionals solidify their role as animal advocators, strengthen the human animal bond, and maintain the highest level of client care.

Getting it down and keeping it down – dealing with inappetence, nausea and vomiting

Nausea, vomiting, inappetence and anorexia are common clinical complaints in hospice dogs and cats. There are multiple reasons and causes for each problem and many different approaches to treatment including pharmacological and non-pharmacologic. Careful choices based on the underlying etiology can lead to success. Preventing caregiver aversion during these events is essential.

Assessing Quality of Life

Assessing the quality of life of a family pet is a delicate balance between managing client emotions, the progression of the disease, and the happiness of the pet. These key issues are not always in harmony and it is the job of the veterinary professional team to manage and balance each party’s interests with the natural developments of biology. Understanding common trends in both people and their pets helps better identify their needs, address their concerns, and make a decision that does the “most good” for all involved.

Managing mobility issues in geriatric patients: case study

Mobility issues caused by osteoarthritis, degenerative myelopathy, GOLPP (geriatric onset laryngeal paralysis polyneuropathy) are common in specific age groups and breeds of dog. There is no cure for these diseases, but we can help these pets and their owners. Treatment must be multimodal and integrative to address both the source of problems but also the secondary changes that have occurred(e.g. central sensitization because of pain, and muscle weakness). Drugs play a role, however physical modalities, diet, addressing anxiety and making the patient’s home environment easy to navigate are equally important to overall improvement of Quality of Life for these pets. This session will use a case to highlight how treatment choices are made and altered over time.

Top Tips for Creating a Geriatric Safe Clinic

Senior and geriatrics are a large part of the pet population. If you can demonstrate that your practice is senior friendly it will be attractive to a lot of clients. These sessions will provide you with tips that facilitate visits for this special population from start to finish. This includes 3 key areas and times: 1. Before the visit, the arrival, and the waiting areas 2. Beyond the waiting room and behind the scenes: procedure areas, accommodation, operating rooms, and recovery areas and 3. the “send-off”. Many are simple fixes, for example making access easier for dogs with osteoarthritis, preventing slips and falls and ensuring correct positioning during procedures.