Your Aging Pet

"Why are you waking me up?"

The cat in the picture above was named Clyde. He was left in a box in the parking lot one July night in 2006, and we took him in. We didn’t know his age for sure, but he was probably about 15 years old. Our very first move for Clyde was to do blood work. We discovered that he was severely hyperthyroid, a disease that affects the thyroid glands in the neck. When the glands produce too much thyroxine hormone, the pet’s metabolism goes up too much and you will start to see weight loss, increased appetite, poor hair coat and frequent vomiting or diarrhea. Clyde was started on medication, and he had to have his blood work checked frequently. His thyroid went to a normal range, and he lived here for 3 ½ very happy and comfortable years.

Many people have heard the phrase “dog years”, and understand that their dog or cat ages faster than people. One thing to keep in mind when bringing your pet for their yearly visit is that they have aged approximately 4-7 animal years between veterinary visits. When they’re older, that can cause a lot of problems, which is why we recommend a checkup every 6 months. If we can check them every half year as opposed to every year, we can diagnose problems sooner.

One important aspect of caring for an older pet is remembering that they need a special diet, different from the one they ate as a younger adult or kitten. Senior pets have a tendency to gain weight, which can cause heart, lung, and joint problems to name a few. Weight gain also can lead to a shorter life span, and with cats especially, it can lead to diabetes. Some folks think they can feed their older pet less of the regular adult diet so they don’t gain weight, but this deprives them of vitamins, minerals and protein, which are vital. A general senior pet diet should be lower in calories and fat, and higher in fiber. All diet changes must be discussed with your veterinarian.

Some pets will start to eliminate waste in the house. Animals don’t know the concept ‘revenge’. If your pet is urinating right on the kitchen floor and looking at you, they are not saying, “I’m upset with you and this is payment for it.” They’re trying to tell you that something is wrong and since they can’t talk, they do things they normally wouldn’t do. The best thing to do is bring them in for a physical exam with blood work and urine test. The physical exam and blood work are equally important. The veterinarian will do the full physical and determine if there are any parts that hurt, while the blood work and urinalysis let us know what’s going on inside the body systems.

Pain really can be a cause of inappropriate elimination. If a pet has pain in their joints, especially their hips, they will avoid squatting, and hold in their bowel movement until they can’t hold it in anymore. For cats, sometimes the litter box sides are too high and they can’t get in and out. If their litter box is in the basement and they are too painful to walk down the stairs, they will find somewhere else to go.

Behavior changes can be common during the aging process, and some small changes can mean a lot, so always write down your concerns as you think of them, and bring them along to the visit with your veterinarian. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, because we are here to help.