The First Signs a Pet Is Getting Old (Not Sick)

Normal aging

Sleeping more. Less interest in long walks. Greying muzzle. Slightly cloudier eyes — lenticular sclerosis, not cataracts, and it does not much affect vision. A calmer temperament. Slower to get up after lying down. These arrive gradually over months and years and are not, on their own, cause for alarm.

Not normal aging

Drinking noticeably more. Losing weight while eating well. New lumps. Night-time confusion or vocalising. Bad breath and a reluctance to chew. Sudden reluctance to be touched. Incontinence. Each of these is a symptom with a cause, and each is routinely dismissed as just age by owners and occasionally by vets.

The speed test

Gradual over months is usually aging. Noticeable over days or weeks is usually illness. A dog who has slowly become more sedate this year is old; a dog who stopped eating this week is sick. Speed is the most useful single distinction available to you.

When senior care should start

From about seven for large breeds, ten for small dogs and cats, and earlier for giant breeds. That means twice-yearly checkups with bloodwork rather than annual ones, and a monthly weight logged somewhere you will actually find it again.