Results of Screening of Apparently Healthy Senior and Geriatric Dogs

Annelies Willems; D Paepe; S Marynissen; P Smets; I Van de Maele; P Picavet; L Duchateau; S Daminet

doi:10.1111/jvim.14587

Results of Screening of Apparently Healthy Senior and Geriatric Dogs

Annelies Willems, D Paepe, S Marynissen, P Smets, I Van de Maele, P Picavet, L Duchateau, S Daminet

Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in health care of elderly dogs; however, scientific information about physical and laboratory examination findings in this age group is limited.

OBJECTIVES: To describe systolic blood pressure (SBP), and results of physical examination and laboratory tests in senior and geriatric dogs that were judged by the owner to be healthy.

ANIMALS: Hundred client-owned dogs.

METHODS: Dogs were prospectively recruited. Owners completed a questionnaire. SBP measurement, physical, orthopedic and neurologic examination, direct fundoscopy and Schirmer tear test were performed. Complete blood count, serum biochemistry, and urinalysis were evaluated.

RESULTS: Forty-one senior and 59 geriatric dogs were included. Mean SBP was 170 ± 38 mmHg, and 53 dogs had SBP > 160 mmHg. Thirty-nine animals were overweight. A heart murmur was detected in 22, severe calculus in 21 and 1 or more (sub)cutaneous masses in 56 dogs. Thirty-two dogs had increased serum creatinine, 29 hypophosphatemia, 27 increased ALP, 25 increased ALT, and 23 leukopenia. Crystalluria, mostly amorphous crystals, was commonly detected (62/96). Overt proteinuria and borderline proteinuria were detected in 13 and 18 of 97 dogs, respectively. Four dogs had a positive urine bacterial culture. Frequency of orthopedic problems, frequency of (sub)cutaneous masses, and platelet count were significantly higher in geriatric compared with senior dogs. Body temperature, hematocrit, serum albumin, and serum total thyroxine concentration were significantly lower in geriatric compared with senior dogs.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Physical and laboratory abnormalities are common in apparently healthy elderly dogs. Veterinarians play a key role in implementing health screening and improving health care for elderly pets.

Original language	English
Journal	Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.14587
Publication status	Published - 17 Oct 2016

Keywords

Age-specific reference interval
Blood pressure
Canine
Creatinine ratio
Elderly dogs
Urinary protein

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10.1111/jvim.14587

Results of Screening of Apparently Healthy Senior and Geriatric Dogs
Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Final published version, 376 KBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

Cite this

@article{3a257bd0722640e1947370194baa61ea,

title = "Results of Screening of Apparently Healthy Senior and Geriatric Dogs",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in health care of elderly dogs; however, scientific information about physical and laboratory examination findings in this age group is limited.OBJECTIVES: To describe systolic blood pressure (SBP), and results of physical examination and laboratory tests in senior and geriatric dogs that were judged by the owner to be healthy.ANIMALS: Hundred client-owned dogs.METHODS: Dogs were prospectively recruited. Owners completed a questionnaire. SBP measurement, physical, orthopedic and neurologic examination, direct fundoscopy and Schirmer tear test were performed. Complete blood count, serum biochemistry, and urinalysis were evaluated.RESULTS: Forty-one senior and 59 geriatric dogs were included. Mean SBP was 170 ± 38 mmHg, and 53 dogs had SBP > 160 mmHg. Thirty-nine animals were overweight. A heart murmur was detected in 22, severe calculus in 21 and 1 or more (sub)cutaneous masses in 56 dogs. Thirty-two dogs had increased serum creatinine, 29 hypophosphatemia, 27 increased ALP, 25 increased ALT, and 23 leukopenia. Crystalluria, mostly amorphous crystals, was commonly detected (62/96). Overt proteinuria and borderline proteinuria were detected in 13 and 18 of 97 dogs, respectively. Four dogs had a positive urine bacterial culture. Frequency of orthopedic problems, frequency of (sub)cutaneous masses, and platelet count were significantly higher in geriatric compared with senior dogs. Body temperature, hematocrit, serum albumin, and serum total thyroxine concentration were significantly lower in geriatric compared with senior dogs.CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Physical and laboratory abnormalities are common in apparently healthy elderly dogs. Veterinarians play a key role in implementing health screening and improving health care for elderly pets.",

keywords = "Age-specific reference interval, Blood pressure, Canine, Creatinine ratio, Elderly dogs, Urinary protein",

author = "Annelies Willems and D Paepe and S Marynissen and P Smets and {Van de Maele}, I and P Picavet and L Duchateau and S Daminet",

note = "Copyright {\textcopyright} 2016 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.",

year = "2016",

month = oct,

day = "17",

doi = "10.1111/jvim.14587",

language = "English",

journal = "Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine",

issn = "0891-6640",

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T1 - Results of Screening of Apparently Healthy Senior and Geriatric Dogs

AU - Willems, Annelies

AU - Paepe, D

AU - Marynissen, S

AU - Smets, P

AU - Van de Maele, I

AU - Picavet, P

AU - Duchateau, L

AU - Daminet, S

PY - 2016/10/17

Y1 - 2016/10/17

N2 - BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in health care of elderly dogs; however, scientific information about physical and laboratory examination findings in this age group is limited.OBJECTIVES: To describe systolic blood pressure (SBP), and results of physical examination and laboratory tests in senior and geriatric dogs that were judged by the owner to be healthy.ANIMALS: Hundred client-owned dogs.METHODS: Dogs were prospectively recruited. Owners completed a questionnaire. SBP measurement, physical, orthopedic and neurologic examination, direct fundoscopy and Schirmer tear test were performed. Complete blood count, serum biochemistry, and urinalysis were evaluated.RESULTS: Forty-one senior and 59 geriatric dogs were included. Mean SBP was 170 ± 38 mmHg, and 53 dogs had SBP > 160 mmHg. Thirty-nine animals were overweight. A heart murmur was detected in 22, severe calculus in 21 and 1 or more (sub)cutaneous masses in 56 dogs. Thirty-two dogs had increased serum creatinine, 29 hypophosphatemia, 27 increased ALP, 25 increased ALT, and 23 leukopenia. Crystalluria, mostly amorphous crystals, was commonly detected (62/96). Overt proteinuria and borderline proteinuria were detected in 13 and 18 of 97 dogs, respectively. Four dogs had a positive urine bacterial culture. Frequency of orthopedic problems, frequency of (sub)cutaneous masses, and platelet count were significantly higher in geriatric compared with senior dogs. Body temperature, hematocrit, serum albumin, and serum total thyroxine concentration were significantly lower in geriatric compared with senior dogs.CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Physical and laboratory abnormalities are common in apparently healthy elderly dogs. Veterinarians play a key role in implementing health screening and improving health care for elderly pets.

AB - BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in health care of elderly dogs; however, scientific information about physical and laboratory examination findings in this age group is limited.OBJECTIVES: To describe systolic blood pressure (SBP), and results of physical examination and laboratory tests in senior and geriatric dogs that were judged by the owner to be healthy.ANIMALS: Hundred client-owned dogs.METHODS: Dogs were prospectively recruited. Owners completed a questionnaire. SBP measurement, physical, orthopedic and neurologic examination, direct fundoscopy and Schirmer tear test were performed. Complete blood count, serum biochemistry, and urinalysis were evaluated.RESULTS: Forty-one senior and 59 geriatric dogs were included. Mean SBP was 170 ± 38 mmHg, and 53 dogs had SBP > 160 mmHg. Thirty-nine animals were overweight. A heart murmur was detected in 22, severe calculus in 21 and 1 or more (sub)cutaneous masses in 56 dogs. Thirty-two dogs had increased serum creatinine, 29 hypophosphatemia, 27 increased ALP, 25 increased ALT, and 23 leukopenia. Crystalluria, mostly amorphous crystals, was commonly detected (62/96). Overt proteinuria and borderline proteinuria were detected in 13 and 18 of 97 dogs, respectively. Four dogs had a positive urine bacterial culture. Frequency of orthopedic problems, frequency of (sub)cutaneous masses, and platelet count were significantly higher in geriatric compared with senior dogs. Body temperature, hematocrit, serum albumin, and serum total thyroxine concentration were significantly lower in geriatric compared with senior dogs.CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Physical and laboratory abnormalities are common in apparently healthy elderly dogs. Veterinarians play a key role in implementing health screening and improving health care for elderly pets.

KW - Age-specific reference interval

KW - Blood pressure

KW - Canine

KW - Creatinine ratio

KW - Elderly dogs

KW - Urinary protein

U2 - 10.1111/jvim.14587

DO - 10.1111/jvim.14587

M3 - Article

C2 - 27747924

JO - Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine

JF - Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine

SN - 0891-6640

ER -

Results of Screening of Apparently Healthy Senior and Geriatric Dogs

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