Health Concerns for Aging Pets

 Health Concerns for Aging Pets

by Melisse Conway, DVM

Like humans, a healthy lifestyle is a critical component of pet health and a key to longevity. Pets can experience age-related health issues, but with proper care, owners can maintain their pets’ quality of life.

Regular visits to the vet become even more important as your pet ages. Your veterinarian will have developed a health history for your pet, plus she’s specially trained to spot issues that may be hard for owners to see, such as kidney disease. Talk with your veterinarian to evaluate your pet’s risk of disease.

Pet owners can play a key role in their pet’s health. Consider your pets’ food and diet, and ensure your pet maintains a healthy weight, especially as they age. And look for subtle changes in behavior, like less interest in daily walks, that can indicate change in health.

Some common areas of concern among older pets:

Food and diet

Overweight pets have an increased risk of health concerns like increased pressure on joints, diabetes and liver disease. It’s particularly important to manage older pets’ weight appropriately, as their advanced age can compound their risk of these issues.

Talk to your vet about how much you should be feeding your pet. Your vet can also recommend foods that are best for your pet’s digestion or that include nutrients that may benefit them depending on their specific health concerns.

Behavior changes

Changes in behavior like reduced activity, responding less to commands, decreased interest in food, and difficulty moving around or having trouble with stairs could be signs that something more serious may be going on with your pet. Your vet can recommend treatments or lifestyle changes that can help manage your pet’s symptoms.

Dental health

Once a year, dogs and cats should be taken for dental cleanings, where they are put under anesthesia and given a full mouth cleaning, scaling, polish and x-rays. Owners should brush their pets’ teeth once a day with a toothbrush and pet-safe toothpaste. Dental chews, water additives and dental diets are among the products good for helping to maintain dental health.

Issues with internal organs: Unlike younger pets, older cats and dogs may be more at risk for diseases that affect their organs like kidney disease or thyroid disease. The symptoms of these diseases can be vague and hard for most people to notice, but your vet is specially trained to recognize as they start to appear.

Arthritis

Pets often experience joint disease or arthritis as they age. Some signs include having trouble sitting or standing, hesitating to jump or climb stairs, and being less interested in playing. Treatments like medication to relieve pain, or even acupuncture, along with proper diet and exercise to help maintain a healthy weight, can help to alleviate your pet’s arthritis symptoms.

Regular visits to a veterinarian is one of the best ways to keep your pet healthy. Over time, your vet will develop a comprehensive record of your pet’s health, which will allow them to see symptoms that are hard for owners to catch on their own. This complete medical history helps your veterinarian to detect any changes or spot potential concerns as early as possible.

Melisse Conway, D.V.M. is the medical director of SPCA Tampa Bay Veterinary Center in St. Petersburg, where she practices her passion of shelter medicine, preventive care, and soft tissue surgery. She has extensive experience as a shelter and community clinic veterinarian.