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.

Great question. So the general definition is where the dog is in their life. Our mature dog is no longer a spring chicken, but they are mature, so, for example, a small breed dog may be between the ages of five to seven. A senior dog for a smaller breed (because they tend to live a little longer) would be about 10 to 13. And then our geriatric would be more like 15 to 18. So I know I didn't align those up precisely, but that’s the basic timeline.

Our mature, large or giant breed dogs would be more like three to five years old. And so you think about a three-year-old being young, but in a giant breed dog, that lifespan might be 9 to 10 years, so that would be mature. The senior would be more like the six to eight years old, and then the geriatric is 9 to 10 or 11.

So the veterinary answer is that you should brush your cat’s teeth every day. The human response is we would love it if you would try to brush your cat's teeth. I think I’ve had two cats, maybe three in here whose owners honestly brushed their cats’ teeth. It's pretty rare, and it’s a pretty rare cat who will allow that. Cats tend to be a little persnickety and harder to deal with, but they make seafood flavor toothpaste. So if you're interested, we can work with you on that.