Geriatric years begin around 7 years of age for small to medium dogs and cats.  It begins a few years earlier for giant breeds of dogs. Because our pets age approximately 7 times faster than humans, we stress the importance of an annual physical examination, vaccines and routine geriatric blood work. Thorough check-ups and preventive care can help detect serious health problems. Routine wellness and geriatric blood work includes a test to evaluate organ function. It tests for liver, kidney and pancreas functions along with a complete blood count that evaluates red blood cell and white blood cell values in the body. Thyroid function is evaluated.  Hypothyroidism causes symptoms like overweight, dermatitis and intolerance to cold. Urinalysis is required at times to evaluate kidney function. Many other tests like ECG, blood pressure, chest radiographs and abdominal ultrasounds are available to further diagnosis conditions depending on the basic test results and symptoms presented.