Senior Pet Care

As your pets age, it can be difficult to notice the subtle changes that occur.

To ensure that your pet stays healthy and comfortable in their later years, it is important to bring them in for regular check-ups. Common diseases that we see in elderly pets include arthritis, kidney disease, and dental disease, among others.

Our team highly recommends annual exams (and ideally bi-annual exams) and annual blood work to monitor your pet’s health. During senior exams, we will also assess changes in appetite, activity, urination, breathing, and other potential indicators of illness.

It can be hard to notice when your dog starts to age and hard to realize just how old your dog truly is. In general, “toy” breeds become senior pets at age 9, medium-sized dogs become senior pets at age 7, and large breed dogs become senior pets at age 5.

As your pet ages, diseases may progress gradually or rapidly. To make sure your dog is not developing any underlying disease, we highly stress an exam every year (and ideally bi-annually), as well as annual blood work. This is especially important as dogs can hide signs of disease from us or even hide that they are not feeling well.

During your pet’s senior exam, we will also start to look for any changes in appetite, drinking, urination, activity, hair coat, or breathing, and will want to assess your pet’s level of discomfort from any arthritis.

Signs of possible disease in senior dogs include:

• Vomiting or weight loss
• Changes in stools (frequency, color, or consistency)
• Increase in urination, drinking, or incontinence
• Changes in hair coat (thickness, color, or shine)
• Decreased activity, exercise intolerance, or increased tiredness
• Decreased appetite or difficulty eating
• Difficulty walking or using the back legs.
• Pain when going up/down stairs, when moving, or when handled
• Coughing or difficulty breathing

It can be hard to notice when your cat starts to age, and hard to realize just how old your cat truly is. As your pet ages, diseases may progress gradually or rapidly.

To make sure your cat is not developing any underlying disease, we highly stress an exam every year (and ideally bi-annually), as well as annual blood work. This is especially important as cats can hide signs of disease from us or even that they are not feeling well.

During your pet’s senior exam, we will also start to look for any changes in appetite, drinking, urination, activity, hair coat, or breathing, and will want to assess your pet’s level of discomfort from arthritis.

Signs of possible disease in senior cats include:

• Changes in hair coat or decreased grooming
• Hiding, acting less social
• Changes in appetite and thirst
• Weight loss
• Changes in urination (increased frequency, blood in urine, urination outside the litterbox)
• Has a decreased or increased appetite or thirst
• Changes in stool (diarrhea, constipation, or straining to defecate)
• Wheezing or having difficulty breathing