As your dog ages, they can lose some of their hearing, so you may notice that they don't respond as quickly to you. They may not come. If you're outside, you want to be aware when you're driving that you don't put your car in reverse quickly so that your pet has time to get out of the way. Even if they can hear, they may be slower to rise. Greetings might change too. You could see them wagging their tail and looking at you happily, but they don't get up as quickly to greet you.

Another thing to think about is adding another pet when your pet becomes a senior. Some people want to think about getting a new dog, a new puppy, or even a cat. Consider how your dog might interact with that new addition. Doing so brings some senior dogs back to their puppy stages, and they get active and happy. Some are less thrilled about the new addition, so that's something to think about, and you may even want to do a trial run before you commit to adopting or getting another pet.

Yes, you should offer a more secure location for them to sleep and bedding. If they’re not an indoor dog, you may want to have a warmer area for them to sleep in in the evening or at night. As we mentioned, elevating their bowls can help if they have arthritis. You also want to ensure they have easy access to bowls to not have to walk a long way to the water or food bowl.

One important thing would be regular well checks, regular preventative care by keeping them on appropriate heartworm prevention, keeping the appropriate vaccines up to date, having the exam, and then having blood screened. We do all this so, if there are any problems, we can detect those early, and doing so often carries a better prognosis.

You also want to be present and really pay attention to them. I often say I wish our pets could talk to us. And in some ways, they do in those subtle ways. They let us know that they're not feeling well or that they're changing things they're doing at home. Being aware of your dog’s behavior changes lets you know if they're having trouble with something. Dogs also need that mental stimulation of going out for a walk, going somewhere different, going for a ride if they can get in the car, instead of “vegging” in place.

On top of adding the supplements and adjusting the steps in your home, make sure they have a nice, cushy bed to sleep on. I have clients tell me that they have this orthopedic bed right here, and then the pet sleeps right here on the hard floor. Just like us, some dogs prefer different things. But allowing them nice cushioned areas helps because, as they age, their muscle mass may decrease, and they have more joint issues. If your aging dog isn’t used to being an outside pet, be careful about how much time they spend outdoors in hot summers and cold winters because they may not regulate their body temperature as much, notably smaller breed dogs.

Great question. Again, I go back to thinking about that low-impact lifestyle for senior dogs, so one thing might be adding a ramp to your home if it has many stairs. You want a good grip, as dogs lose their grip. You'll see them splay out, or their limbs or their back end will collapse. If you have carpeted areas, that's usually great traction for them. If you have rugs, you want to make sure there are non-slip surfaces underneath and make sure any stairs have a good footing on them.

Some people will add steps to their bed if their pet likes to sleep with them, so they don't have to jump up or jump down. Also, avoid creating a giant obstacle course for them. If you do have many things in your home, make sure they have a clear path to the door. Sometimes as our dogs age, they can lose vision or hearing. Making those pathways nice and clear for them can help them out, too. If you have a taller dog, raising their dog bowls can also help, as that's less strain on their neck and can help them out overall.

Yes. That would be a great idea if your pet needed that, and the softer the food, the better. Of course, we would want to address the dental disease directly. And also, there are senior diets that are marketed to be a little lower calorie. Some have more of the antioxidants and nutrients that our older pets would need, which is why we often recommend transitioning to senior dog food as your dog gets older.

For our senior dogs, a lot of it goes back to their lifestyle. Think of it like people—if we're a little bit more sedentary, if we're watching movies a little more or sitting around the house a little more, our dog is also likely inside more than outside and not getting quite as much exercise. In this case, the dog will need fewer treats and fewer calories to take in, so we need to be aware of that. We can spoil them a little bit too much with treats. But if they are an active senior pet, then they still might need the appropriate calories. What you want to make sure in general is that they don't gain too much weight. And then we think about our giant or large breed dogs needing joint supplements, that's something nutritionally we can add in, and we often do recommend adding that into the diet along with, perhaps, an omega-3 or fish oil supplement.

Yes. It is good to continue exercising regularly with your dog. Hopefully, your dog would have been conditioned to do that all alone. So that would be good to continue with a normal range of motion, low impact exercises like walking or swimming. We don't want to do a lot of high-impact jumping, twisting, or turning, because that can be a little harder on the joints. So you want to be a bit careful with that. Let them be the judge of that. You don't want to push them beyond their limits, but encouraging your dog to exercise is very good for them.