Senior Lab Panels

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 Animal companions age 7 and over (younger in large or giant breed canine compnaions) are considered seniors. Lab panels for seniors are more extensive than the basic wellness panels of younger patients (see annual wellness panel below). Senior patients are more prone to certain degenerative conditions (such as degenerative kidney disease in felines) and hormonal changes (e.g.: hypothyroidism in canines, hyperthyroidism in felines) that are not always possible to detect on physical examination. Thus senior lab panels include all the tests of a wellness panel, plus a urinalysis and thyroid panel. The sooner these changes are caught, the greater success in slowing the progression of disease, disease management, and in some cases improvement of organ function.