I have a 17-year-old female cat that appears to be in perfect health. I take her in annually for a checkup and booster shots for distemper, calici virus, rabies and herpes virus. For the past several years, her doctor has recommended a complete physical, including blood tests, urinalysis and X-rays to screen for heart and abdominal disease.

However, the cost is $250, not including the boosters. Should I continue giving her the recommended boosters? And, do you advise giving her a complete physical? She is primarily an indoor cat and only goes out on my patio for brief periods; she does not leave the back yard, nor do other cats and dogs enter.

As pets age, the incidence of infectious diseases decreases dramatically.

However, the incidence of chronic, degenerative diseases increases. The most common chronic, degenerative diseases I try to prevent and treat include periodontal infections (the most common disease in dogs and cats), heart disease, kidney failure, various cancers, thyroid disorders, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease. The only way to diagnose these disorders is through regular physical examinations and laboratory testing, such as those tests you mention. Here’s what I do in my practice for older dogs and cats:

First, instead of vaccines, I run a blood-antibody (titer) test to determine if vaccines are necessary. If the titers are low and there are no diseases present, we decide if vaccines are needed and then vaccinate only for those disorders indicated by the testing.

For older normal pets, we do an annual physical and blood and urine testing; pets with chronic diseases usually require evaluation every three to four months to monitor their disorders.

Finally, to decrease costs, any time one of our healthy patients (of any age) is anesthetized for a procedure (usually a dental cleaning or wart/tumor removal,) we do an EKG, urinalysis and X-rays for $45. By doing these tests when the pet is already asleep, we can keep the costs low for pet owners and get a lot of health information in return.

Finally, make sure your doctor prescribes the correct diet, based upon your cat’s health and age. I hope this helps. You’ve obviously done a good job to get your cat to live 17 years, so keep up the good work.

— Dr. Shawn P. Messonnier is a veterinarian and pet care advocate.