Dogs that are not spayed or neutered will be under the influence of testosterone or estrogen depending on their sex. We were all 18 once. You remember what those things made you want to do, so dogs are no different. So it can avoid any unwanted behaviors, any unwanted litters to overpopulate our little pet community. And it also prevents several medical issues that are very, very undesirable as well. Uterine infections, aggression, unwanted marking, all those kinds of things can be avoided if they are spayed or neutered at an early age.

It can make them be healthier and have a far better quality of life. It decreases the risk of cancers such as ovarian and uterine, and testicular cancer. It also helps prostate issues in male dogs, and it reduces the risk of a very deadly infection of the uterus called pyometra in female dogs.

Actually, the answer to that is no. The reason is, is because when cats come into heat, it increases the chance of them having breast cancer later on in life. And so in order to almost 100% eliminate breast cancer in cats, if you spay them at six months of age before they come into heat, we can eliminate that.

No. I hear that a lot, that, "Oh, I've heard my grandma told me they're supposed to have one heat cycle before, or even a litter before." No, there's no medical proof to back that up. In fact, if anything, I would argue the opposite. I would argue that there is medical proof to back up the fact that certain animals, females in particular, can develop mammary cancer. Let me say that in a different way, cats can develop mammary cancer more frequently if they've had multiple heat cycles. So spaying them at an earlier age makes that percentage lower.

At the very minimum when they're a puppy and they're getting vaccines, we should see them every three weeks until they’re about four months of age but, after that, we should see them on an annual basis.

No, of course not. Nope. Nope. No, no. No. They don't have to be spayed or neutered. I'm stumbling on the question because very few people have that standpoint. Obviously, if your dog is going to be a breeding animal, well then, hello, you can't do that. Do they have to? No. Do I think it's a wise decision for dogs that are not going to be bred? Yes.

I think that they need to make some accommodations at home. They can't see as well, so don't change the furniture a lot. Try to make the areas bright, so turn the lights on. Make sure that there aren't slippery surfaces. Large breed dogs have a hard time on hardwood floors. They need more mats down where they walk. Sometimes we might need to make accommodations such as building a ramp so that they don't have steps to go up and down. And as far as hearing, we need to know that they can't hear as well. Maybe they don't hear you calling them. Maybe they didn't know that there was someone at the door and they get startled by a stranger there. So we need to think ahead and think for them so that they don't get stressed out as much.

When it comes to basic comfort, I think things like giving them a nice, cozy bed go a long way. They even have Tempur-Pedic mattresses for dog beds. Minimize the amount of steps or climbing that they would have to do to get in and out of beds or furniture or the house. Just be mindful of that because that is going to be a little bit more difficult for them to do. Also, when it comes to loading for those that take their animals on trips often or like to take them for rides on a daily basis, consider getting a ramp so that they can load a lot easier. Those are the kinds of things that you will start to see them slow down in as they do age.

This is obviously a pretty broad question. So I would tell you it's impossible to list every single thing that you can look out for. What I will simply say, to answer this question, is you're looking for anything abnormal, such as your dog being slow to get up, having pain going up and down stairs; anything that shows that an animal is affected adversely, whereas they weren't previously, I would have looked at by your veterinarian and addressed.

I think the most common health issue in all of our older pets is they cannot see as well as they age. They can not hear as well as they age. They can't get around quite as much. Some of them develop arthritis. Some of them get overweight. And certainly a lot of dogs - especially smaller dogs - are going to need dental care as they age.