There are a couple of different reasons. For one, we want to keep them moving and keep those joints moving. They start to develop arthritis if they aren't moving their joints. They can have some atrophy occur in their muscles, which means that they are wasting away. If you don't use it, you lose it. So, we want those muscles to stay nice and firm, and allow them to get up and move. Secondly, we want to make sure that they're not becoming a bit too chunky. If they start becoming more obese, that arthritis will just get worse. Having them up and active keeps those joints moving and keeps them from having some issues when they become overweight.

Senior dogs are quite different from puppies and adult dogs. They start to slow down and take more time to relax. They don’t need to expel as much energy, but you want to provide enough activity so they can still get up, get moving, and still be a little bit energized.

They can last for quite some time, especially if they go undetected and they're not treated.

Worms are fairly common. Tapeworms are the most common worms we see in cats. Kittens are the most affected, but adult cats are more prone to getting tapeworms from flea ingestion.

There can be many different signs. Normally, there will be loose stool, potential vomiting or not eating very well. You will also see the worms in your cat's stool or around the back end. Weight loss or their hair coat not looking as great as it once did are also signs.

Many times they can be. Roundworms and hookworms look like long pieces of spaghetti, for a lack of better description. You'll also have tapeworms, which will be shorter and look like little grains of rice. Those usually get stuck around your cat's fur on the back end.

They can definitely become uncomfortable. Some of them do have GI upset accompanied by nausea and diarrhea among other symptoms. Especially if they have a pretty heavy burden.