People often ask, ‘what is the average lifespan for my pet?’, and it can vary quite considerably, but what we do see is that many pets are living longer lifespans than 20 or 30 years ago. This is due to many factors, but certainly advances in veterinary technology with imaging and blood tests have allowed vets to gain more information about disease processes, and advanced our understanding of illnesses so that we can treat quite complex cases successfully, with the aim of providing good quality of life at the forefront of our care.

There are many more safe and effective medicines to treat common conditions like heart disease or arthritis and it is even possible to surgically remove cataracts now in pets. The best way to ensure a long , healthy lifespan for your pet is to feed a good diet, but not overfeed, provide good quality, regular and appropriate exercise for your pet, groom them regularly, and keep up to date with vaccinations and parasite control. It really does pay off in their later years.