What a Senior Wellness Check Involves at Middle Brighton Vet and What We Are Looking For

One of the great privileges of veterinary practice is watching the same pets grow older year after year. You see them come in as puppies and kittens, a little chaotic, full of energy, and then over time they settle into themselves. They get wiser. They get more affectionate. They slow down in the loveliest way.

That journey into the senior years is also when staying close to your pet's health becomes one of the most valuable things you can do for them. Not because something is necessarily wrong, but because this is the stage where the small things we notice together can make the biggest difference to how long and how well they thrive.

Senior wellness checks are how we do that together.

When is a pet considered senior?

Age means different things for different animals, which surprises a lot of owners.

Dogs in small and medium breeds are generally considered senior from around seven years. Large breeds get there earlier, a Great Dane at six is in a genuinely different biological chapter from a Maltese at the same age.

Cats tend to reach their senior years from around ten, though many live beautifully well into their late teens. They are remarkable like that.

Rabbits arrive at their senior years earlier than most people expect, usually around five to six years.

If you are not sure where your pet sits, just ask us at your next visit. We are always happy to talk through what their life stage means for their care.

Why do senior pets benefit from a different kind of check?

A routine annual health check is about confirming that everything looks as it should. A senior wellness check is about looking more carefully at the things that tend to shift quietly as a body matures.

The good news is that many of the conditions that develop in older pets, arthritis, kidney disease, thyroid changes, heart changes, dental disease, are very manageable when we find them early. Early detection almost always means more options, gentler interventions, and better long-term outcomes for your pet.

You are the expert on your pet's everyday life. You see them every single day. We want to hear everything you have noticed, however small it seems. The slightly stiffer morning get-up. The water bowl that needs refilling more often. The toy they are not as interested in as they used to be. Those observations are genuinely useful to us and they make your pet's care better.

Seeing senior pets every six months means we have more reference points to work with and can notice shifts that might not stand out in isolation.

What do we actually look at?

Every senior wellness check at Middle Brighton Vet is a whole-body assessment. Here is what we work through together.

Weight and body condition

We weigh your pet and assess their body condition. Gradual weight changes are easy to miss at home but can tell us a lot. Changes in muscle mass, even without obvious weight loss, are something we look at closely.

Heart and lungs

We listen carefully with a stethoscope. Heart murmurs, rhythm changes, and early lung changes can all be picked up well before they cause obvious symptoms. In older dogs especially, cardiac disease is common and very manageable when we find it early.

Whole body assessment

We work through the abdomen, lymph nodes, skin, coat, eyes, ears, and overall mobility. We are looking for anything that is subtly different from last time, anything that gives us a useful data point. We will always share what we find and what it means.

Mouth and teeth

Dental disease is one of the most common and most treatable sources of discomfort in senior pets. We check the teeth and gum line at every visit. Good oral health also supports heart, kidney, and liver health over time, so this one matters more than it might seem.

Common things we can find and help with early

This is really the heart of why senior wellness checks matter so much. When we look regularly, we routinely pick up:

• Arthritis and mobility changes (often very manageable with the right support)
• Dental disease
• Kidney disease
• Heart disease
• Thyroid disorders
• Diabetes
• Weight and muscle loss
• Lumps and skin changes

Early diagnosis means earlier treatment, better outcomes, and more time with your pet feeling like themselves. That is the whole point.

Blood and urine testing - why it is worth it

We recommend a senior blood and urine panel at least once a year for pets over seven, and twice yearly for older animals or those managing known health conditions.

We know testing a pet who seems perfectly healthy can feel hard to justify. We understand that. But this is genuinely one of the most useful things we can do, it gives us a picture of organ function that a physical exam simply cannot provide on its own.

• Full blood count: red and white blood cells, platelets. Anaemia, infection, and inflammation show up here.
• Biochemistry panel: kidney function, liver enzymes, blood sugar, calcium, electrolytes.
• Thyroid level (T4): particularly important for cats over ten, where hyperthyroidism is very common and often looks a lot like normal ageing.
• Urinalysis: kidney disease, diabetes, and infection can all show up in urine before they show up anywhere else.

If there is one thing we can say honestly: the cost of a blood panel is almost always less than the cost of treating something that has had time to progress. And more importantly, finding things early means we can do more about them.

How often should senior pets come in?

For most pets in their senior years, we recommend moving to six-monthly visits rather than annual ones. Things can change more quickly at this stage of life, and seeing them twice a year means we are always close to what is happening.

Questions we hear often

My pet seems completely fine. Do they really need more frequent visits?

This is the most common question we get, and we love it because it means your pet seems well. The honest answer is yes, because many of the conditions we are looking for have no outward signs in the early stages. A pet who seems perfectly well may have developing kidney disease or early cardiac changes that blood tests and a thorough exam will pick up. Finding those things early genuinely changes the outcome.

What is the difference between a wellness visit and a sick visit?

A wellness check is a scheduled, proactive assessment when your pet seems well. A sick visit is about a specific concern. Both matter, but they serve different purposes. A wellness check is about staying ahead of things and giving you the best possible picture of your pet's health before anything becomes obvious.

Is the blood panel really necessary every year?

For pets over seven, we genuinely recommend it. It is one of the most useful investments you can make in your pet's long-term health and comfort.

My dog is eating and playing normally. Is that not a good sign?

It is always a good sign. It just is not the whole picture. Pets are very good at appearing well even when something is quietly developing. Normal appetite and energy do not rule out kidney changes, early cardiac disease, or thyroid problems. That is exactly why we keep looking.

Come in for a senior check

If your pet is in their senior years, whether they have just arrived there or are well and truly settled in, a dedicated wellness check is one of the most loving and practical things you can do for them.

Give us a call on (03) 9592 9811 or book online. We are on Hampton Street in Brighton, open Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm and Saturday 8am to 2pm. We would genuinely love to see them.