Animalcare has recently launched a campaign with the aim to ‘Make Senior Easier’ and improve quality of life in older pets.
The company has developed resources to support practices in caring for geriatric pets and also to educate owners in how they can maintain the wellbeing of older pets.
With greater longevity in dogs and cats comes increasing incidence of conditions associated with older animals. Hyperthyroidism, as an example, is prevalent in more than 11% of cats over ten years¹. Owners can often not recognise or be aware of the signs of such conditions, sometimes dismissing them as being normal with ageing. Animalcare’s campaign aims to highlight the importance of offering appropriate care to older animals and to increase owner awareness of signs to look out for in their ageing pets.
Animalcare invites vet practices to request their free resource pack by visiting their website. The pack will help practices build stronger client relationships as well as promoting client education and help owners in supporting and caring for their older pets.
The Animalcare ‘Make Senior Easier’ pack includes:
- A video offering top tricks and tips to help practices get the best out of the ‘Making Senior Easier’ campaign
- Health check materials, including a ‘senior triage form’ to be completed by owners and a ‘senior pet assessment form,’ which can act as a checklist for practice staff
- Condition handouts for owners, detailing common age-related problems
- Engaging social media posts
- Generic short articles on age-related issues for use in e-newsletters and on websites
Kirsty Cavill RVN commented on the campaign: ”In my role as a RVN and canine rehabilitation therapist, I often come across senior pets with underlying conditions which are adversely affecting their health but could be managed successfully through a multimodal approach and structured treatment plan. By adopting a proactive approach to senior pet care and by helping owners to understand how to best support their pets through this life stage, we will strengthen the bonds with our clients, to ensure the highest standard of care is afforded to all senior patients.”
James Beaumont, Brand Manager at Animalcare, added: “Unfortunately, some signs of a gradual decline in the health of senior patients can go unnoticed. Other changes, perhaps behaviour-related or toileting accidents, can have a significantly adverse effect, not just on the animals but on their owners too. This is why proactively addressing some of the signs of an animal ‘just getting old’ is an important tool for building existing client relationships, as well as making a difference both to animals and their owners.
“As life expectancy increases and numbers of senior pets continue to grow, veterinary care tailored to the needs of these animals has never been more relevant and it is also a huge business opportunity for practices. To help them capitalise on this opportunity, we have created our Make Senior Easier campaign and hope that the resources we have created will improve owner awareness and give practices the tools they need to achieve the best clinical outcomes for older pets and their owners.”
Practices can contact their Animalcare Territory Manager or contact Animalcare’s head office on 01904 487687 or on their website for more information.
¹ Caney, H.C., et al. 2016 AAFP Guidelines for the Management of Feline Hyperthyroidism. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 18(5), 400-416.
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