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We do senior blood work on all our mature dogs. We do it on our beagles and we do it on our own dogs. We did it with Manny when he first came in. He had some borderline numbers so the vet wanted to wait and then do a recheck.

Manny went in for a dental and we did a recheck on his blood at the same time. Turns out that he has hypothyroidism - basically the thyroid trickles down or totally shuts down. This was no biggie for us because our own dog Shep also has hypothyroidism. We found his by doing a routine senior blood work up.

Shep is 60 pounds, so he gets a little purple pill twice a day. His monthly medication costs about $20. Manny, being substantially smaller, gets a little green pill, and his is even cheaper.

Sometimes the symptoms of hypothyroidism are somewhat masked by things that one would anticipate in an older dog. Weight gain, slowing down, maybe a little loss of hair. This is why it is so important to get bloodwork done when a dog heads into the "senior zone".

The difference when you diagnose and treat the disease is amazing! Both Shep and Manny act 5 years younger. Manny has lost a lot of his bloat and his energy level is through the roof (comparatively speaking). Shep is the same way. This once again dispells the myth that old dogs are no fun, or are just too mellow. Get the leash out and Manny is a maniac.

Older dogs may occasionally cost a bit more, but when we spend the money on bloodwork or medication or dentals, we know that that money is going to contribute greatly to extending the life and well-being of the dog. Since we believe that dogs, just like people, have a right to feel as good as they can as they age, and we have a responsibility to make sure that they do, spending the extra money is a no-brainer.