Preparing for Cat and Dog Osteoarthritis Conversations and Veterinary Visits
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In this concluding guest blog post in our three-part series on cat and dog osteoarthritis in light of the importance of pain awareness and pain management in senior animal care, Dr. Kaitlyn Krebs, DVM, MBA, DABVP, Assistant Professor of Clinical Primary Care at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, offers tips to help animal owners/caregivers prepare for and get the most out of their veterinary visits.
For more information on cat and dog osteoarthritis, please see prior guest blog posts from Dr. Krebs on why animal owners/caregivers are essential to identifying osteoarthritis and actionable strategies for owners/caregivers to recognize signs of discomfort among cats and dogs and what veterinarians and animal owners/caregivers can do to help manage osteoarthritis pain and maintain mobility for dogs and cats.
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What approaches can owners/caregivers use to help prepare for and get the most out of their veterinary visits for cat and dog osteoarthritis conversations and management?
Being prepared for your veterinary visit is helpful both to you, as the owner, to get the most out of the visit, but also so the veterinarian can help your animal and reach a diagnosis and treatment plan that works for the whole team. If you notice signs of arthritis in your pet, it’s better to schedule an appointment to discuss findings with your veterinarian sooner rather than waiting for an annual exam. This can give you time to try different approaches and report back to the veterinarian to see what is or is not working. Coming to the [veterinary] appointment with videos of the pet moving at home, or specific changes to behavior that you’ve noticed at home can be helpful to lead to a diagnosis as well, as these signs may not always be apparent in the clinic.
“If you notice signs of arthritis in your pet, it’s better to schedule an appointment to discuss findings with your veterinarian sooner rather than waiting for an annual exam.”
Once arthritis has been diagnosed, pets may need to be seen more frequently than annually and may require additional blood work or other monitoring depending on the medications they are on. Typically, veterinarians recommend senior pets are evaluated every six months to stay on top of any developing diseases or comorbidities, including arthritis.
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Depending on the practice you go to, there may be the option to do one of these appointments as a telehealth/telemedicine visit, which can be especially useful if your animal is fearful at the vet. Telemedicine appointments are also great if you keep detailed records (more details below), since your veterinarian won’t be able to be hands-on with your pet to assess pain. By keeping records at home to share with your vet during a telehealth appointment, the vet will have a more complete picture of how your pet is doing, and the conversation can focus on ways to keep your pet comfortable and mobile.
“Coming to the [veterinary] appointment with videos of the pet moving at home, or specific changes to behavior that you’ve noticed at home can be helpful to lead to a diagnosis as well, as these signs may not always be apparent in the clinic.”
Having an idea of how your pet has been doing in between veterinary visits is helpful, and tracking data such as time spent walking/playing, how their mobility is in general, and weight can help you as the owner look at trends and assess how they are doing overall. Tracking habits of your dog or cat daily can seem like a chore, but if you make it part of your daily routine, the data provided can be extremely valuable.
As with people, checking weight daily may not be motivating, so weighing your dog or cat weekly or every two weeks can help gauge weight loss progress. There are even apps out there that allow you to track data on your phone! If you notice significant trends in the data (i.e., >50% decrease in active minutes per day), it might be time to schedule an appointment with your vet before their biannual checkup.
“Having an idea of how your pet has been doing in between veterinary visits is helpful, and tracking data such as time spent walking/playing, how their mobility is in general, and weight can help you as the owner look at trends and assess how they are doing overall.”
At the end of the day, managing arthritis in your pets at home requires some change management on your part as an owner as well. Adapting to the household changes and mobility changes of your pet can take time and patience but will lead to an improved quality of life for your pet. As you help your pet through these changes, you have the opportunity to strengthen the bond between you and your pet as well. As I tell all my clients, you know your pet better than anyone, so making sure you advocate for them and help to manage their pain will help you both live life to the fullest.
*Please note: C+B® does not have any financial, employment, personal, or family relationship with any products named in this blog post series, including Help ‘Em Up® Harness or Blue Dog Designs.