Many humans suffer from chronic diseases every day. Just like us, our pets can be affected by chronic diseases that require them to have ongoing professional care. At Ridgetowne Animal Clinic, we excel in caring for pets with chronic diseases, enabling many of them to enjoy long, fulfilling lives.
What is a chronic disease?
Chronic disease is defined as being a long-term illness that can rarely be cured and must instead be managed. In many instances, chronic conditions can be treated and their symptoms can be safely managed with long-term medications. With proper treatments and therapies, the progression of chronic diseases can be slowed and sometimes prevented from progressing altogether.
Examples of Chronic Diseases
- Allergies
- Arthritis
- Cancer
- Chronic pancreatitis
- Chronic kidney disease
- Cushing's and Addison's Disease
- Diabetes
- Heart disease (Congestive Heart failure)
- Hepatitis
- Hypertension
- Hyperthyroidism (cats)
- Hypothyroidism (dogs)
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Screening Pets for Chronic Diseases
Depending on your pet’s age, species, breed, lifestyle and health status, screening for chronic illnesses will likely be a part of his or her routine wellness appointment. Scheduling regular wellness appointments and screening pets for chronic diseases ensures an early diagnosis and prompt treatment. When diagnosed early on, most chronic conditions can be effectively treated and managed.
Helping you to manage your pet's Chronic Disease
There are a number of things that we can do to help manage your pet’s chronic disease, such as:
- Creating realistic expectations for the long-term management of their condition
- Preventing the progression of the disease wherever possible
- Managing your pet's pain
- Managing other symptoms
- Nutritional counseling
- Choosing the best medications to help manage her condition, including minimizing any negative side effects
- Increasing your pet's quality of life
- Creating a plan for how often further checks are needed
There may be no single cure for your pet’s chronic disease, but, with our support, you can be sure that it will be managed as effectively and successfully as possible, giving your pet a happy and comfortable life. To find out more about how we can help, please contact us today.