It’s a sad fact of life that nothing lasts forever. There isn’t any more tragic reminder of this than a dog getting old. As much as we would like them to remain young bouncy puppies forever, as your dog ages things start going wrong. It is common to put many of these changes down to ‘ageing’, but there are a great many that are serious conditions. Today we will discuss some common ageing changes; why it isn’t always sensible to ignore them; and what we can do to help your dog live out their golden years in comfort.

Table of contents

“He’s not painful, he’s just a little stiff”

This one is heard very frequently when we examine older dogs, and is commonly associated with osteoarthritis.

Arthritis is progressive degeneration of the joints. The cartilage covering the bones erodes, leading to the bones rubbing together, causing inflammation. It is linked to underlying diseases such as joint dysplasia, previous damage to the joints, orthopaedic surgery and obesity. 

There is often a misconception that arthritis isn’t painful or uncomfortable. 

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Dogs and cats can be quite stoic and not show obvious signs of pain, but arthritis is definitely painful. Due to the pain, pets become stiff on their joints, lame when walking, struggle to exercise, groom, toilet or even eat, and maybe even get feisty if their legs are touched. Due to lack of use, the muscles tend to waste away. If it progresses far enough, the legs may not be strong enough to hold up the weight of the animal. And there is little that can be done to get them walking again.

Unfortunately we cannot easily fix osteoarthritis, but we can manage the symptoms and slow down progression. The mainstay of this will be pain relief, commonly with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Other pain relief drugs can be used instead or on top of. Many arthritic animals are overweight, and reducing weight is crucial as every extra kilo puts more strain on the joints. Physio- and hydrotherapy can help build muscle, while advanced therapies like K-laser can stimulate joint regeneration. There are also joint supplements and diets that can help to some degree. 

All of these can slow arthritis, but sadly complications related to arthritis are common reasons to have to put animals to sleep- the more we can do early on to reduce muscle and joint wastage, and prevent pain, the longer the animal can keep going. So remember that a stiff pet is painful and we can manage this.

“Yes, she’s put on a little weight, but she is old”

In the UK, most pets are lucky enough to have plenty to eat – in some cases, too much! In fact, studies show that a large percentage of the pet population is overweight. (The numbers vary study to study, but some report over 50%!). It can be easy to overlook weight gain as a normal consequence of age, but it shouldn’t be so.

Being overweight puts many pressures on pets. 

Their hearts and lungs are under more strain; they are at greater risk of diabetes, kidney disease, liver issues, pancreatitis and cancer, the weight puts more pressure on their joints (leading to increased risk of arthritis) and shortens their life expectancies by months or even years. All of these risks get greater as a pet ages. It can be difficult to shake the mentality that the more we feed our pets the more we care for them. But our bad habits are causing great harm to our pets.

Slimming down a fat pet can be difficult, especially if the pet isn’t keen on exercise due to sore legs (again, commonly a consequence of obesity-related arthritis), but the more we can lose the better. Weight loss involves reducing their food intake, usually easiest by eating a prescription weight loss diet, increasing the activity level, and having regular checks with a vet or vet nurse. Weight loss can take time and is definitely an investment. But it is an investment that your pet will thank you for in the long run.

Of course, preventing weight gain in the first place is the best course of action, so regularly weighing and body condition scoring your pet in adult life can help identify if you are over- or underfeeding your pet before it becomes a problem. 

“We know his teeth are bad, but we don’t want to put him through an operation at his age”

It’s rare to see an older pet nowadays that doesn’t have some degree of dental disease – this is mainly a consequence of the kind of foods pets are given, and of the longer lifespan they achieve due to preventative healthcare and better nutrition throughout life. Many of these pets are recommended to have a dental procedure by your vet, but understandably many people are apprehensive to put an older pet through an operation. Here’s some reasons why we think otherwise.

Dirty teeth are just cosmetic right? 

Wrong – if you’ve ever had a rotten tooth you can sympathise. When bacteria build-up on the teeth and gums they cause uncomfortable inflammation. As the disease progresses, infection can start to enter the teeth themselves, causing abscesses, damage to teeth or even tooth loss. It is common for pets to drool a lot, bleed when they eat or even go off food in extreme cases. In the worst case, bacteria can travel round the body and cause infections elsewhere. Dental disease like this needs to be addressed quickly. 

It is certainly sensible to be concerned about putting your pet through a general anaesthetic – all GAs and surgeries carry some risk, and the risks are increased with age. But the benefits having a healthy mouth can bring are almost always worth this risk. We can minimise the risk further by examining your pet before the operation, performing pre-operative blood tests and maintaining their blood pressure with peri-operative intravenous fluids. The oldest dogs and cats can successfully have dental operations and go on to enjoy the rest of their life eating in comfort. 

Prevention

Just like obesity, prevention is much better than dealing with dental disease after it has progressed. The mainstay of this is brushing – just like in people, dogs and cats need daily toothbrushing to prevent the build-up of bacteria. It can be tricky if you’ve never done it before, but persevere and introduce it slowly. Other home care, such as switching to dry or prescription dental food, using chews (use these in moderation as they tend to be unhealthy), enzymatic toothpaste, and food and water additives can also help to some degree. We strongly recommend starting a daily dental regime in early life to keep your pet’s teeth healthy for a lifetime. 

“She does have an accident now and then, but that’s just age, right?”

As your pet ages, you might notice them having a little toileting accident now and then. Is this age? Or something else that we can fix?

Urinary sphincter mechanism incompetence (USMI) is the condition where the bladder sphincter becomes less responsive over time, resulting in leaking urine, particularly at night. Due to side-effects related to removing the uterus and ovaries, it tends to be seen more commonly in spayed female dogs. Luckily, we can manage this condition with daily medication to tighten the bladder sphincter.

Diseases that cause increased drinking and urination can result in apparent urinary  incontinence, including kidney disease, liver disease, hyperthyroidism, Cushing’s disease, Addison’s, prostate disease, and diabetes. In cats especially, incontinence can be related to UTIs, bladder stones, bladder polyps, cancer or stress. Older animals can also become incontinent due to cognitive dysfunction (more on this in a moment). If an older pet presents with incontinence, it is important to rule out serious medical issues before treating USMI. We do this with blood and urine testing, ultrasonography, x-rays and others.

So far from being normal, little accidents around the house could mean your pet has something more serious going on, and it’s worth investigating.

“His behaviour is a little strange, but we figured he was just going senile”

Everyone does little odd things as they age, like walking into a room and forgetting why they came in. And certainly this can happen in pets too. But when does this odd behaviour indicate something more serious?

Dementia is a horrible disease in people, and unfortunately dogs and cats can have something similar. Canine/feline cognitive dysfunction (C/FCD) is the ageing condition where brain tissue starts to degrade over time, resulting in reduced brain activity and cognitive decline. In pets, this can present as disorientation and confusion, forgetting learnt tricks, messing in the house, changes in sleeping patterns, anxiety, changes in appetite, reduced grooming and hygiene and reduced memory. 

For some pets, the disruption can be quite distressing.

Unfortunately, just like with human dementia, we cannot cure C/FCD, only slow its progression. At home, it helps to encourage mental activity regularly with interaction, puzzle feeding, exercise and training of learnt activities. Keeping routines and environments consistent can also help. There are diets and supplements, as well as veterinary drugs, that can help protect the brain for longer too.

Other problems that can cause similar behavioural changes are loss of vision or hearing, pain such as with arthritis, certain hormonal diseases, and other disorders of the brain like cancer. Some strange behaviour is normal as a pet ages, but if things seem to be progressing, please speak to your vet to ensure it’s nothing more significant.

“She definitely can’t go as far on walks as she used to”

Slowing down as we age is normal – we can’t all be as hyper as we were in our 20s! The same is true for dogs and cats, but how much slowing down is normal?

We’ve already discussed one major cause of slowing down above – arthritis. But there are others too. As the heart ages it is put under more strain. Sometimes, if there is too much strain, it can accelerate latent or mild heart disease. Underlying conditions, such as heart valve disease, can increase the risk of heart disease in later life. Pets with heart disease show reduced exercise tolerance, a soft cough (mainly in dogs), increased breathing and heart rates, difficulties breathing, weight loss and a swollen belly in the advanced stages. As with many old age diseases, we cannot cure heart disease, but we can manage it with medication to relax the heart and remove excess fluid. 

Other conditions causing slowing down on exercise include obesity, hypothyroidism, lung disease and diabetes. An elderly pet slowing down on exercise could indicate heart disease or another serious condition, so should be seen by a vet.

“Losing weight is normal as they get older, isn’t it?”

Rather than balloon out to twice their size, some elderly pets tend to lose weight. Is this normal, or could it indicate something sinister going on?

There are a huge list of conditions that cause weight loss in older pets. Some of the more common are heart disease, kidney disease, chronic inflammation, diabetes, hyperthyroidism in cats, Cushing’s, Addison’s, and cancer. Issues affecting eating can also cause weight loss, such as painful dental disease making eating too sore, or obesity leading to difficulties eating. Weight loss can also be associated with mainly muscle loss, such as with diseases like arthritis and hyperthyroidism.

In general, significant and chronic weight loss is not normal, and should be investigated by your vet. Regularly weighing your elderly pet is a good way to monitor this – a little loss here and there is fine, but long-term loss usually indicates disease.

Final Thoughts

As we hope you can now see, ageing pets are likely to get a number of old age chronic diseases. Rather than put them all down to normal age-related changes, it is important to recognise what is and isn’t normal, so conditions can be managed. Some may be curable, but unfortunately many can only be slowed down. Often, the earlier a disease is caught the easier it is to treat. This is why regular check-ups with a vet are important as your pet enters their final years. We can’t stop our pets growing old, but we can and should do everything we can to make their golden years as comfortable as possible, even if it means facing up to the fact that many ‘ageing’ issues are something more serious.

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