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Your pet enters the senior years around age 7. As
your pet ages his health can change rapidly. Aging
pets can develop diseases like diabetes, heart disease,
endocrine disease, and cancer that don't present obvious
symptoms until the disease has progressed to a serious
level. So it's especially important for you to be alert
to changes and bring your pet in as needed. Early
detection of problems can help with disease prevention,
treatment, and ease or minimize suffering. We
want to work with you to make your pet's life as happy
and healthy as possible.
Here are some things you can do to care for your pet
as he ages.
- Establish baseline bloodwork so that future changes
will be more easily noticed.
- Identify existing health problems.
- Schedule routine check-ups. You may find
your pet needs to be checked more often as he ages.
- Speak up for your pet. Tell us about changes
in weight, appetite, elimination, behavior, skin
and coat, and mobility
- Ask us about nutrition for your aging pet.
- Ask about annual screenings for life threatening
diseases like FIV (feline HIV), FeLV (feline leukemia,
heartworms (feline and canine), and tick borne diseases.
Watch for any changes in your pet and report them
to us immediately. Signs you should watch for
are
- Pet not acting like himself
- Interacting less with family and other pets
- Responding less often or less enthusiastically
- Changes in behavior or activity level
- Having difficulty climbing stairs
- Having difficulty jumping
- Having difficulty rising from a resting position
- Tires or lags behind during walks
- Pet seems to be in pain
- Exhibiting increased stiffness or limping
- Losing house training habits
- Drinking more often
- Urinating more often
- Limping or appearing stiff
- Changes in eating patterns
- Noticeably gaining or losing weight
- Change in sleeping patterns
- Pet seems confused or disoriented
- Changes in skin, coat, or appearance of new lumps
and bumps
- More frequent scratching
- Bad breath or swollen gums
- Pet showing tremors or shaking
AGE
CHARTS
 
COMMON MEDICAL CONDITIONS IN AGING PETS
Many of these conditions, if detected
early in the disease process, can be treated
or cured prolonging your pet's comfort, health, and longevity.
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periodontal disease,
gingivitis, oral cancer
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85% of dogs & cats over 6 years of age
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bad breath, red gums, swollen gums, tumors
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heart disease, tooth loss, kidney & liver
disease, systemic infection, cancer progression
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inflammatory, degenerative & cancerous
disease
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common in older dogs, less common in cats
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decreased appetite, weight loss, vomiting,
diarrhea, increased thirst & urination
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hypoalbuminemia, lipid metabolism disturbance,
anemia, bleeding disorders, liver failure
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kidney failure, kidney stones, kidney infection,
kidney insufficiency
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10% of dogs over 12 years, 1% of all pets
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decreased appetite, weight loss, vomiting,
diarrhea, increased thirst & urination, back
pain |
progression to kidney failure, heart disease,
electrolyte upset, fluid balance disturbance,
death
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cardiac disease, pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema
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6.7% of all dogs, data not yet gathered for
cats
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decreased stamina, coughing, difficulty breathing,
weight loss, discomfort/pain
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progression to renal & liver disease, poor
vascular profusion, eventual death
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Joints
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arthritis, hip dysplasia, back disease
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20% of adult dogs & cats
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lameness, reluctance to walk/exercise, decreased
appetite, discomfort/pain
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progressive disease, reduced mobility, neurologic
deficits
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diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism,
hypoadrenocorticism, hyperadrenocorticism
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3% of cats & dogs
higher in older pets
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noticeable weight change, increased appetite
without weight gain, vomiting, increased water
consumption, frequent urination, change in energy
level
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heart failure, kidney failure, secondary metabolic
disease
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cancers of the skin, spleen, liver, lymphoid
tissue, etc.
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50% of pets over 10 years
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bleeding, lumps, irritated skin, identified
mass, swollen lymph nodes, vomiting, diarrhea
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can progress to organ failure or death |
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cataracts, dry eye, glaucoma
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many ocular disease are inherited; often develop
after 8 years
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gray, bluish hue at the center of eye, rubbing,
pressing head against objects, swelling, redness,
irritation, tearing
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difficulty seeing, corneal ulceration, can
progress to blindness, loss of eye |
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Gastrointestinal Disease
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inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, cancer,
colitis
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common among all cats and dogs
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vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, fluid gain
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further weight loss, disease will progress
to potential death
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