Senior Pets – Have Earned the Best!

When it comes to Senior dog care, puppies and their counterparts across the species are fun and adorable BUT older pets are truly special.

Senior Dog Health & Wellness

Over the years, our senior dogs have earned their place in the family – they know the rules and routines of daily life and are a stable caring presence in the home.

Many pet parents struggle with seeing a beloved pet grow old — it can be challenging but few things are more rewarding than to repay their lives of loyalty and friendship with the extra care they need late in life.

Senior Dog Care Video Script

Dr. Follett: Senior pet care is often a very important part of veterinary medicine. As our pet ages, their care needs change, as well. They’re not the same as they were when they were younger, but we can help them greatly during this time. One of the big areas that we have is decrease in mobility and the pain with our pets. We can control pain, but helping with their mobility is really important.

Dr. Follett: This is a Help ‘Em Up Harness. It supports the dog, not only in the front, but in the back and gives them a boost, as they need it. This can be used on small dogs, as well as large. There are also some other different options if your pet just needs help with getting up in the rear.

Dr. Follett: Other things that can affect our dogs as they age are hearing and vision loss, and there are ways that we can help you deal with that in terms of teaching your pet hand signals or using different light cues to help them hear or see.

Dr. Follett: Other areas have to do with our appetite and hydration. Keeping our pets eating well and drinking well will help prevent them from getting other diseases.

Dr. Follett: The last area that we deal with is almost like doggy Alzheimer’s. Cognitive dysfunction is common in dogs as they age. There are a number of different supplements that we can use.

Dr. Follett: It’s really important that we keep them happy and healthy in these senior years.

Dogs Get Older Quicker than Humans

Because our dogs’ age at a quicker rate than we humans do, senior dog care is vital for a good quality of life. It’s important that senior dogs receive appropriate preventative care, along with early detection screenings to identify any health concerns or diseases in their earliest stage.

Age is not a disease BUT with age comes disease!!

Dogs aged 7 years or older should visit the veterinarian twice yearly for wellness exams. These exams are key to detecting health problems that could endanger your pet. Our pets are susceptible to some of the same ailments that aging humans face, such as cancer, diabetes, kidney problems, liver, and intestinal disorders, arthritis, dental disease, and vision impairment.

You can be your dogs best advocate when it comes to their health. Keep a watchful eye for anything unusual or out of character for your dog.

Some dog aging warning signs to watch out for include:

  • Unexplained weight loss or gain
  • Excessive thirst and/or urination
  • Change in appetite – loss, “finickiness” or ravenous
  • Lethargy
  • Behavioral changes – slowing down, sleeping more, anxiety, pacing, wandering, etc.
  • GI upset – Vomiting, diarrhea
  • Skin lumps/bumps or irritation
  • Bad breath – plaque, tartar on teeth or bleeding gums, tooth loss, etc.
  • Lameness or difficulty getting around
  • Frequent illnesses