November is Seniors' Month! November 2016
As is the case with the human population, our pets tend to live longer - thanks to medical and nutritional advances. Veterinarians often hear from owners that their pet is "just getting older and otherwise doing fine". Though age itself is not a disease, we will see physiologic changes occurring in our senior dogs and cats. Addressing these changing needs will help to make our aging pets more comfortable in their Golden Years.
Your senior dog or cat will have special nutritional needs. As animals (and people) age, their body metabolism slows down, and often there is a decrease in activity as well. Thus, fewer calories are needed. Older animals may also require special diets for certain health conditions, such as arthritis, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, or cancer. Diets can make an important difference in slowing down certain disease processes, thereby increasing the longevity of your pet.
Arthritis is very common in aging pets. Your pet may not just be slowing down due to age; he/she may be in discomfort and pain. Dogs and cats do not tend to whimper when they are painful. This is especially true with chronic pain conditions such as arthritis. If arthritis has been diagnosed, weight management is important, and a pain medication trial as prescribed by your veterinarian will often reveal how much more active your pet can be once the inflammation and pain are controlled.
Early disease detection is important in older pets - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! As animals age, metabolic changes happen. Also, the immune system is less able to fight off disease. Early signs of disease may seem like your pet is just getting older, but in fact can be subtle hints that there might be a more serious underlying condition present.
Good oral health is also important. Periodontal disease has been linked to systemic diseases such as kidney disease and complications in diabetic patients. This is understandable when we realize that in an infected mouth we get a constant showering of bacteria into the bloodstream. Many clients report a noticeable increase in energy level (in addition to the resolution of bad breath) in their senior pet once the infected mouth has been taken care of.
Senior pets may have a lower tolerance for certain drugs. This is why bloodwork is recommended prior to starting your aging pet on medications. Bloodwork will also detect certain diseases which become more prevalent with age, such as kidney disease (dogs and cats) and hyperthyroidism (cats).
Last, but not least, geriatric patients have a greater need for comfort. They can get easily disoriented and confused - the routine they are used to should be changed as little as possible. Arthritic patients often find slippery floors difficult to walk on - make sure their nails are trimmed so they have more traction while walking. Consider putting down runners and rugs (they can befastened with carpet tape to the underlying floor) on your slippery floor. It is no fun doing the splits at an advanced age! Provide extra, good quality bedding to reduce the chance of pressure sores - elderly pets tend to sleep a lot more! Slow down and walk at your dog's preferred pace.
To sum it up, senior dogs and cats have their unique set of challenges, but with some foresight and care we can give them the chance to age gracefully with as good a quality of life as possible.