Palliative Care for Geriatric Dogs: Caring for Your Senior Pet

At Care Animal Clinic, we understand the importance of ensuring our furry friends lead healthy and fulfilling lives. Throughout our years of practice, we have explored various holistic treatments, and one that has consistently proven beneficial is acupuncture for dogs and cats. This ancient practice, while unconventional to some, offers a wealth of benefits that any pet owner should consider. Acupuncture works by stimulating specific points on the body, promoting healing and restoring balance. Our veterinarians have seen firsthand how this therapy can effectively address a range of issues, from chronic pain and arthritis to anxiety and digestive problems. Many pets experience significant relief after just a few sessions, enhancing their overall quality of life.  O ne of the standout advantages of acupuncture is its holistic approach. Unlike traditional medications, which may come with unwanted side effects, acupuncture provides a natural alternative. Our veterinarians often integrate this therapy into comprehensive treatment plans, ensuring a well-rounded approach to pet health and wellness.

When a cat coughs or gags from a hairball, it can sometimes be productive, bringing up a wad of hair from the stomach. Other times, it may be a brief episode without anything being expelled. Check the stools in the next days for hair covered in feces. Increasing your cat’s daily brushing will help reduce the amount of hair she swallows.  If you notice frequent gagging or coughing, it’s important to consult your veterinarian for potential dietary changes and diagnostic tests to rule out any serious medical issues. While there are many over-the-counter hairball remedies available, dietary changes can also be beneficial. Regular brushing is the most effective way to minimize swallowed hair and reduce hair accumulation in the stomach. Dietary changes can include feeding moist food while reducing dry kibble. Technically a hairball in the stomach is called a trichobezoar. Trich meaning hair, bezoar meaning a small concretion often found in the stomach. After brushing, use a moistened washcloth to gather any loose hair; this can be particularly helpful. As a fun fact, in 'Harry Potter,' Snape poses the question, ‘Where do you find a bezoar?’ The answer, interestingly enough, is in the stomach of a goat. Cats in the wild also bring up hairball with undigested matter. These observations are often missed by tourist but reported by natives living amongst the animals.

Dog training is crucial for effective communication between you and your dog. It helps dogs understand the boundaries and rules needed for life alongside humans. When dogs are trained, they're more likely to be welcomed in dog-friendly places like outdoor cafes and retail stores. Training builds trust and strengthens your bond with your dog by increasing shared understanding of acceptable behavior.

Care Animal Clinic is a trusted veterinary hospital in Brookfield, WI, offering expert pet care, advanced services, and treatments. Call (262) 781-5993.

Cats have two anal sacs under the tail on each side of the anus. The sacs have glands that produce a thin liquid made from apocrine glands (sweat) and sebaceous oil glands. A narrow duct connects the sac to the external surface on the anus. The anal sac liquid has a pungent odor with a mixture of various bacteria and fungi. They are similar to skunk scent glands, however cats are not able to shoot the anal sac material in the direction of the feared animal. The sacs are located under the skin on each side of the anus. Under healthy conditions, the glands will empty with bowel movements or when the cat is frightened. When alarmed the sacs are expressed by the muscles around it. The pungent odor leaves a scent marking territory and a warning to other animals something bad happened here that was scary. That is one reason some animals are afraid at the veterinary facility. In a safe home environment, cats rarely empty the anal sacs. They are not suddenly terrified. If the ducts are not cleaned daily with self grooming, the liquid can start to dehydrate causing a plug in the duct. Older, obese or arthritic cats cannot get under the tail to clean the area with daily tongue grooming. The dried anal sac material forms a dark plug at the duct of the anal sac easily viewed when the tail is elevated. The sac can be palpated from the outside. A full anal sac is approximately 1 cm in diameter, at that point they need expressing. A gloved hand can carefully express the sacs to relieve the pressure. Some full anal sacs will rupture causing an abscess of the skin. Topical treatments and possible antibiotics are needed to heal the wound. Impacted anal sacs can lead to pain and a variety of associated issues. The cat may be less active, hiding, dehydrated, lame, and have selective appetite. Addressing the underlying issue of obesity, pain, with lack of grooming the area can prevent another episode of impacted anal sacs. Have a look under the tail, if black dots are seen on each side of the anus, covering the duct openings, the area can be gently lubricated, moistened, and the duct cleaned of the pasted debris. Consult your veterinarian for learning how to express the sacs. Most anal sac expressions can be done awake if performed gently. Some cats require a skilled tech hold to express the sacs of the dehydrated material which is often a dark paste consistency.

Both dogs and cats have an oil scent gland on the top of the tail near the base. The supracaudal gland is described in Miller’s Anatomy of the Dog as having fewer hairs per follicle associated with sebaceous glands that produces oily discharge. The area of the tail may have benign enlargement and become hairless with age. The oil glands can serve in grooming to repel water from the fur. The gland is prone to the follicles being plugged causing blackheads or comedones. The follicles can be cleaned of superficial dead skin and the comedones squeezed to relieve the plug. Stud tail is a common term used to describe over active tail glands with hair loss and excess oil production. In advanced cases of stud tail, glands have excess discharge and odor due to an infection of the follicles requiring medical attention. Rarely the gland develops tumors requiring removal of the area or tail. 

In most literature and dog training, this is called a play bow or a stretch. However this style of bow, occurs when the abdomen is painful. Most people do not notice it since it can occur hidden. This dog, my dog, was under a table doing this. The dog with upper GI pain is subdued, tail down and tucked under not playful.  The spittle image is just to show you the issue with bubbles in the upper GI that slows natural gas passage. Many dogs clear this issue of GI pain with the vomiting spittle, or eating grass then vomiting, or some dogs panic, eat a sock or foreign object which now complicates the problem making it a foreign body requiring surgery.

In most early bloats, signs of abdominal pain can be missed. Dogs may go into a bow position unnoticed. They often will cough and gag spitting up foamy material. They may start eating odd objects, making the situation worse if they ingest socks or other foreign materials to alleviate the pain. The small bubbles of one of the salivary glands when over active may accumulates in the esophagus and duodenum blocking the stomach. Also a possible culprit of foam bloating are the bubbling surfactants in many man-made liquids for cleaning. The foaming action, such as in cleaning products, can start gas accumulation in the stomach. The bubbles of saliva and surfactants have a reduced surface tension around air bubbles. The foaming bubbles can last an extended time. Fortunately, the bubbles can be broken up by simethicone found in anti-gas gel capsules. Early administration of multiple gas gel capsules of 125mg can alleviate the early uncomplicated bloat. Elevating the front legs also helps the dog to burp. A Heimlich maneuver, under the rib cage with the front legs elevated, can help remove the excess gas. When bloating is not addressed early, the stomach can turn on itself making the situation a dire emergency surgery. Seek immediate emergency help. There are other potential causes of bloat, but uncomplicated bloat can be quickly treated medically. I've seen bloat in any age and breed of dog.

Foot care matters, all movement such as walking, running and jumping starts in the feet. Long-haired dogs need the excess hair trimmed to allow the pads to touch the ground for traction. When the pads are covered with hair, the feet slip with shifting of weight causing injuries in the joints and back.