Common Diseases in Senior Dogs

We'd all love for our dog to stay a puppy forever, no matter how many years go by, and although their enthusiasm for playing and getting into mischief never really fades, just like us, the years take their toll on them too.

We know dogs live fewer years than people, so their aging process once they reach their senior years is also faster and more pronounced.

We should know which ailments dogs become more prone to with age, so we can try to prevent or delay them and adapt their daily care to the new needs that come with this stage of life.

At what age is a dog considered a senior?

On average, a dog can be considered senior, or older, once they reach 7 years of age, though larger breeds actually age faster than small ones. So, a Great Dane would be considered senior at six, while a Chihuahua might not enter their senior stage until nine.

That said, other factors, such as genetics and living conditions, can affect how quickly a dog ages. So, regardless of size or age, once our dog starts showing signs of age-related health issues, we should consider them a senior dog.

What are the most common ailments in senior dogs?

As the years go by, the body's different structures and systems naturally wear down, and it's very common for age-related ailments or diseases to appear in our dog.

Osteoarthritis or mobility problems

The cartilage protecting the joints gradually wears away over the years, and losing that protection causes the bones to start deteriorating in a process known as osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis causes pain and stiffness in the joints, leading our dog to want to move around less and less and spend more hours lying down.

Although osteoarthritis can't be cured, there are several measures we can take to slow this disease's progression and ease the pain:

• Keep our dog at their ideal weight.
• Give chondroprotectants that nourish and improve the elasticity of joint cartilage.
• Keep up a daily routine of moderate physical activity; in senior dogs, the walking routine should be adapted to their physical condition, ideally increasing the number of walks while shortening each one (frequent, short walks).
• Give omega-3 fatty acids, which have a natural anti-inflammatory effect.

Dementia or cognitive dysfunction

Senior dogs can develop a syndrome similar to senile dementia in people, characterized by symptoms such as confusion and disorientation, disrupted sleep cycles, compulsive behaviors like pacing endlessly, urinating or defecating in inappropriate places, and so on.

There are vitamin, antioxidant, and omega-3 fatty acid supplements specifically for senior dogs that can help prevent this ailment. Once it appears, there's no cure, but there are medications to improve the associated symptoms.

It's also extremely important to adapt the environment to the new needs of dogs with dementia (clearing away dangerous obstacles, making water easily accessible, placing non-slip rugs in high-traffic areas, trying to increase their daytime activity level to help them rest better at night, etc.).

Vision and hearing loss

Over the years, the tissue of the eyes and ears gradually deteriorates and can cause varying degrees of blindness and deafness in senior dogs. Older dogs are also prone to developing cataracts, which can lead to partial or total blindness.

It's possible to surgically remove cataracts, though this procedure is more complicated in dogs than in people, and it isn't usually the treatment of choice in senior animals. Dogs rely less on sight than on smell to interact with their surroundings, so they tend to adapt well and have few problems getting around after losing their vision.

If we notice vision and/or hearing loss in our senior dog, we should adapt their environment to their new needs (not moving furniture around, clearing as many obstacles from their path as possible, alerting deaf dogs to our presence by tapping the floor so they can feel the vibration, etc.).

Heart problems

A very common ailment in older dogs is heart failure — the heart gradually weakens and can't pump blood efficiently to the rest of the body. Signs of possible heart disease include coughing, difficulty breathing, exercise intolerance, and even fainting. If any of these symptoms appear, we should see the vet so our dog can be examined right away.

As a preventive measure, and to avoid high blood pressure, we should switch our dog's diet once they reach their senior years to one specifically formulated for older dogs, since these are low in sodium.

Urinary incontinence

A dog's bladder muscles gradually weaken over the years, so it's common for older dogs to need to urinate more often or have involuntary urine leaks.

That said, if our dog shows incontinence, we should consult the vet, since this could also point to bigger problems, such as urinary tract infections.

Kidney failure

The kidneys are the organs responsible for removing waste and maintaining balance in the body. As the kidneys age, their function becomes less efficient, and waste and toxins can build up in the dog's body.

This "poisoning" of the system is known as kidney failure. Symptoms linked to this ailment include apathy, loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting, and even ammonia-like breath.

Nutrition is extremely important for kidney health, which is why it's important to feed senior dogs diets specifically formulated for older dogs. It's also a good idea to run routine bloodwork on senior dogs, since chronic kidney failure can be managed with proper treatment, and catching it early improves both life expectancy and quality of life for dogs with this ailment.

Cancer

Tumors, both benign and malignant (cancer), become more common as dogs age. Successfully treating most tumors depends on early detection, which is why it's so important to see the vet whenever we notice any change in our dog's health or behavior.

Regularly feeling and checking our dog's body for possible lumps or sores that won't heal, keeping an eye on their weight and appetite, and watching their stool and urine for possible changes like the presence of blood or mucus, are some examples of what to do to catch health changes in our dog early, which could be linked to conditions such as cancer.

The aging process in dogs is natural and unavoidable, but if we take certain measures and bring them in for vet check-ups every 6 months, we can prevent or delay many of these ailments and improve our senior dog's quality of life — because no matter how many years they've had, to us, our dog will always be our puppy.