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Cats, Dogs

Senior Pets: 15 Signs That Your Pet is Starting to Feel His Age

How do you know when your pet is actually a senior? Is your cat or dog showing signs of aging? Has he begun to slow down or act differently from when he was a little one? This might be completely normal, but sometimes hard to accept for pet parents.

15 things to watch out for or question with aging pets:

1. Loss of vision or “cloudy eyes”
2. Hearing loss
3. Decreased appetite
4. Lack of energy
5. A serious change in behavior
6. Limping or excessive scratching
7. Weight gain or weight loss in excess
8. Abnormal voluntary isolation
9. Excessive drooling
10. Bad breath
11. Urination around the home
12. Lack of interest in things they used to enjoy
13. Pet hip and joint pain
14. Amplified aggression or acting more territorial
15. Abnormal sensitivity to changes in weather

Our pets are precious members of our families and the last things we want to think about is losing them or something going wrong. But being a senior pet doesn’t necessarily mean that your dog or cat is on the brink of death. It simply means that they are maturing and changing. This can be a good thing!

According to a recent PetMD article, “giant breed dogs like Great Danes are generally considered to be a senior by roughly 5-6 years old, whereas a smaller breed dog like a Chihuahua would probably only enter the senior stage between 10-11 years. Cats can be considered senior when they are between seven and ten years old. According to the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), the term “senior” can describe an aging pet, but the number of years considered to be “senior” varies.”

There are a few things to keep an eye on no matter what age your pet is. Always remember that anything you are concerned about should be discussed with your pet’s veterinarian. Just asking the question can sometimes make you feel a million times better.

Do you have a “senior” pet? Share a picture of him or her on our Facebook page! We’d love to meet them!

 

-Photo Credit: Shared with reuse permissions from Peterson Air Force 

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