You Are Never Too Old

Selma is a 12 year old Golden Retriever owned by a friend. She is in excellent condition and has been healthy throughout her life. Recently she and my friend were visiting. My friend explained that she was concerned because every time Selma was evaluated by her general veterinarian he recommended a dental. I looked at Selma’s mouth, some tartar, but not seriously diseased, I suggested a good cleaning sometime in the next 6 to 8 months. She looked surprised and exclaimed ‘she’s too old! The anesthesia will kill her !’.

‘Age is not a disease’, is a mantra we often recite at our office. Selma’s owner was gently reminded that Selma’s age does not prohibit anesthesia or the procedures that may help prolong her life, but as pets age other health issues do develop. Prior to any anesthetic or surgical event, we collect a baseline of information to be sure that the patient has no other conditions that could cause problems under anesthesia. Selma would have a blood panel, chest radiographs and her blood pressure checked prior to anesthesia. As long as these tests were normal she would be cleared for her dental. My friend looked skeptical, I think she was glad to have eight months to consider her options.

Over the years, I have seen patients that have not received dental care or other minor surgical procedures for only one reason, they were too old. The majority of these animals were well cared for, well loved members of the family. If not for the urban legion of age + anesthesia/surgery = death, they would receive the care they needed. I would argue that in many cases the pets would have lived longer and happier lives with the benefit of these procedures.

The anesthesia and surgical techniques used in veterinary medicine have advanced significantly, particularly over the past 10 years. We use short acting anesthetic agents that have fewer side effects. Veterinarians are also very aware of the need for pain management and we have a plethora of medications available to assist dogs, cats, and exotic pets with post operative pain. Surgical skills have also become more refined with lasers, laparoscopes, endoscopes and other instrumentation allowing less invasive (and less traumatic) techniques and shorter anesthesia times.

A colleague and I were discussing a case she had recently referred to me. The dog was geriatric, but he had been healthy and active up until recently. After extensive tests we had found only one significant health problem, a single tumor of the lung. My colleague asked, ‘how do you handle the issue of the pet’s age in discussing surgery with this owner?’ I explained that I do not feel that I should be factoring the pet’s age into my decision making. We had essentially ruled out any other major health issues. It was now time for the owner to consider the pets age and whether they will want to make the financial and emotional investment in caring for their pet, recognizing that the dog is geriatric and that he may live two more years after the surgery or six more months. Make no mistake, I will always be available to discuss the factor of the pet’s age, but ultimately it is the owner’s decision. The bottom line is, your pet is never too old to receive care, as long as excellent medical practices and good communication from your veterinarian create a sound foundation for your decision making.