When we spend every day with our pets, it can be difficult to notice the earliest signs of aging because it’s such a gradual process, and with large breed dogs especially, it can begin early – as early as 5 years of age. It’s important to be aware of the guidelines specific to your sort of pet, that indicate at what age their elder years typically begin.

Senior Citizen Pets
For cats it’s generally the same spanning across all different breeds. They begin to reach their golden years between 10-12 years of age. For dogs, it’s variable according to their size:

Small
Dogs up to 20 pounds typically begin to reach elder status between 10-12 years of age.

Medium
For dogs 21-50 pounds it’s between 8-10 years of age.

Large
Dogs that weigh between 51-90 pounds will begin to show their age at 7-8 years of age.

Giant
For the largest breeds weighing over 91 pounds it’s between 5-6 years of age.

According to experts, it’s a good idea to start at a journal around your pets fourth birthday to keep track of their habits, behavior, and interests. Each month, refer back to the first entry and make note of any differences, keeping note of any of the following signs and symptoms:

Cognitive Dysfunction or “CD”
This condition is to pets what Alzheimer’s disease is to people, and nearly half of all elderly dogs and cats are affected by it. It’s signs are disorientation, significant change in activity levels, social issues, and lapses in memory.

• To care for your pet who has begun to show signs of CD, make sure to provide mental stimulation by using devices such as puzzle toys at mealtimes to encourage them to think and work through the steps to get to bits of their food.

Arthritis
Signs of weakness and stiffness in the joints will usually begin to manifest in the legs, back and neck, and can cause your pet to struggle when getting up from sleeping, and to walk awkwardly, or display obvious signs of pain when lying down. Cats will also begin sleeping more – often up to 16 hours per day.

• To provide relief for your pet place a heat lamp over their bed, and a heating pad made specifically for pets for them to rest on. The heat will soothe painful joints and muscles, and allow for more restful sleep.

Weight Gain
Pets begin to lose muscle mass and their metabolism slows as they grow older causing them to plump up.

• Consult your veterinarian as to when you should begin transitioning your pet to a food variety made specifically for seniors. These foods are higher in protein and lower in calories than what’s fed to younger animals. Older pets can also suffer from constipation, this is especially true of cats, so provide smaller, more frequent meals for them, and fiber enriched treats to assist with digestion.

Incontinence
Over and above any other symptom of aging mentioned in this article, pay attention to incontinence if you begin to notice it in your pet as it can indicate a more serious problem. It’s advisable to have your pet in to see the vet at the first signs of incontinence as a precaution.

• Once your vet has ruled out any serious issues you can decide how you wish to manage your pets incontinence. Adding additional litter boxes in a greater number of rooms in your home will be helpful to your elder cat, and puppy pads placed throughout the home can be a solution for senior dogs.

Losses in Vision and Hearing
If you observe your pet failing to respond to cues and commands that are plainly familiar to them, the problem could be the onset of vision and/or hearing loss.

• Switch up your usual tactics according to the specific problem. If your pet is experiencing diminished eyesight help them by providing more verbal direction. Likewise if they are beginning to have trouble hearing, guide them through visual cues. Elder dogs can become uncomfortable when outdoors after dark, so if your walks together were typically taken in the evenings, try switching to an earlier time of day.

Finally, it’s crucial to plan ahead for your pets transition into their twilight years. Due to advances in veterinary care, and proper nutrition, it’s easier to maintain a state of relatively good health for most animals. Older pets can experience rapid declines in health, rather unexpectedly, however, and it’s this sort of situation you’ll want to plan for, and hope it never happens. There are many very affordable health insurance plans for pets – one of the best is offered by the ASPCA. Sadly, options are limited once your pet has already become aged, or ill so look into insurance policies while they’re still young and in good health. It’s also advisable to open a savings account specifically to fund caring for your pet once they begin to require extra care. Contribute to it just as regularly as you would your child’s college fund, keeping in mind that our pets really are our children in almost every sense, and they deserve just as much devotion and love in their old age, as we would hope to receive for ourselves.

Author: Jessica Ford contributes guest posts on behalf of AdvanceMe America’s leading merchant cash advance provider.
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