Lizzie has been listening to a lot of the seminars we have been holding at our hospital lately, about the needs of our senior patients.

Lizzie says: My dears, I have shocking news. Absolutely SHOCKING!!!

I have been listening very hard during the many teaching seminars that have been going on at our hospital this year, and from what I have heard, it seems that I am a SENIOR DOG - with special needs. I heard Mom say that by the time a dog turns seven, she is officially a "senior." While big dogs age faster than small dogs (a 7 year old Mastiff is older on the inside than a 7 year old Maltese), up to 23% of ALL apparently healthy seven-year-olds already have an underlying disease. Mom says that the senior years mark the time when your vet needs to take an extra-good look at you, at least once a year.

I can hardly believe she means ME.

I am only nine (well, I DO turn ten in May, but who's counting)? Lemme do the math here... I am, to be exact, 9 years and 9 months old. Which makes me over 50! IMPOSSIBLE!!!

Come on...I still run and play like a puppy (some of the time). And I'm not ALL that gray (except maybe a little, around my face). And I'm still very regular in my habits (except for that unfortunate episode last week involving the missing pesto and olive pizza, and I'm still claiming that the cats were more involved than me). And I'm only a little stiff, but I'm sure it's just the weather.

I DO NOT FEEL OLD. Mom says she doesn't feel old either, but she's the same age as me and she says it would be good for both of us to have a good check-up. She says that she will be very happy and relieved if it turns out that I have no health problems, but that if I do, it is better and easier to treat little problems now than big problems later.

So I am going to have some blood tests, and a urine test, and a very thorough physical exam next week at the hospital. Mom says that the only part that I really won't like is the 8 hour fast before my tests. That does sound terrible, but she promises that I can eat right after the test. (I think I'll avoid the olive and pesto pizza this time, though.)

I am going to read some more about these tests this week, so I can tell you about them. Also, I need to figure out the ages of my other dog and cat buddies at home, because if I need to have some tests, maybe they need to be checked out, too. (I shouldn't be the ONLY one to have these stinkin' tests...)

Now I just need to find a way to cop a look at Beaux and Sofia and Xena and Emmett's medical records. While I think of how to sneak them out, why don't you check your age? If you are older than seven, maybe you need to ask YOUR Mom or Dad to schedule a really good checkup at the vet for you, too!

DOG'S COMPARATIVE AGE IN HUMAN YEARS
5 "dog years" is equivalent to 36-42 "human years"
6 "dog years" is equivalent to 40-49 "human years"
7 "dog years" is equivalent to 44-56 "human years"
10 "dog years" is equivalent to 56-78 "human years"
12 "dog years" is equivalent to 64-93 "human years"
15 "dog years" is equivalent to 76-115 "human years"
20 "dog years" is equivalent to 96-120 "human years"

UPDATE #1: Well, friends, I have done some reading on the necessary tests for dogs and cats of my age group (seven and above). First, you need to remember that with all blood and urine tests, "garbage IN is garbage OUT". What does this mean exactly? It means that if your blood and urine is all "garbaged up" with a lot of fat (from those pork rinds you just ate) or from stress (which makes your sugar levels and cortisol go way high) or even because you wiggled around a lot while the Nurse was trying to collect your blood or urine, the sample could give false results. So you need to remember one thing, to get meaningful test results - just FART before your test. I know you'll remember this little gem of a reminder from me:

F = Fast for at least 6 hours before your test.
A = Avoid greasy, fatty, and spicy foods for at least 1 day before your test.
R = Relax for the blood draw, and try not to wiggle for the Nurse.
T= Try to save some urine in your bladder when you visit the vet, so a urine sample can be collected at the same time as the blood. The blood test results are much more meaningful if they can be compared with urine collected at the same time.

See? That's the sort of good, useful advice you'll get from your good friend Lizzie - those prissy Doctors will never tell it to you straight up in a way you can remember, like I do!

Here are the types of tests you want to ask your vet to run for you:

1. Kidney tests: BUN, creatinine, phosphorus, amylase, albumin, globulin.
These tests monitor the function and health of your kidneys. They are most reliable when combined with urine test results.

2. Liver tests: AST, ALT, Alk Phos, Bilirubin, GGT, cholesterol, protein.
These tests evaluate the structural integrity of the liver. They can be elevated if you are taking corticosteroids (like prednisolone) or medicines for joint pain.

3. Muscle and bone tests: CPK, AST, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium.
These tests can tell your vet about muscle damage, trauma, and inflammation, such as can be associated with early arthritis.

4. Pancreas: Glucose, amylase, lipase, triglycerides.
These tests tell your vet about carbo metabolism and the function and health of the pancreas - this important organ is responsible for preventing you from becoming diabetic!

5. Complete Blood Count: WBC, RBC, HCT, MCH, and more "alphabet soup":
All of these abbreviations are tests for anemia, infection, inflammation, leukemia, and function of the circulating red and white calls and the bone marrow.

6. Urinalysis: Specific gravity, protein, pH, glucose, ketones, bilirubin, blood, WBC, casts, epithelial cells, bacteria. This test assesses the health and function of the bladder and kidneys and, in older pets, is used together with blood tests for the early detection of kidney disease.

7. Intestinal Parasite Assessment: Checks for parasites in the intestinal tract, including those transmissible to children and adults, such as hookworms, roundworms, and Giardia.

NEXT WEEK: I'll tell you about my tests...keep your paws crossed that my blood and urine test results are good!

UPDATE #2: Bless my whiskers and paws, I was anxious and a little scared to hear the news about my test results. Especially since Mom looked at them for a very long time and even called a Doctor at the lab. (Did you know that the lab where the blood is run has 'specially trained Doctors who can talk to YOUR Doctor if she wants some advice?) But the news was really not at all bad. My liver, and kidneys, and thyroid, and pancreas, and electrolytes, and muscle and bone tests, and blood count, were all OK. My heartworm test and intestinal parasite assessment test were negative (this means good). My triglycerides and cholesterol were a little high, so I am going to have to watch my diet a little. And a special test Mom ran, a "urine cortisol/creatinine ratio", which looks at my adrenal glands, was a little bit high but some follow up tests Mom did were perfectly normal. So we are just going to watch my diet for now and check my adrenal glands, and my triglyceride and cholesterol levels, again in about 4 months. The only BAD news is that I don't get my favorite cream cheese anymore...