Senior Pet Care: How Routines Should Change as Dogs and Cats Age

When a pet counts as senior

Roughly, cats and small dogs are considered senior from around ten to eleven years, medium dogs from about eight, and large or giant breeds noticeably earlier — sometimes from six. Size drives the timeline more than anything else, so a Great Dane and a Chihuahua of the same age are at very different life stages.

Twice-yearly check-ups

Older pets change faster, so the usual advice shifts from annual to twice-yearly vet visits, often with bloodwork. Kidney disease, thyroid changes, and arthritis are all far more manageable when caught early, and none of them announce themselves loudly at the start.

Subtle signs of pain

• Hesitating at stairs, the car, or the sofa — or missing a jump they used to make easily.
• Sleeping in a new spot, usually a lower or more accessible one.
• Slower to rise after lying down, or stiffness that eases once they get moving.
• In cats: less grooming, a scruffier coat, or skipping the litter box because climbing in hurts.
• Irritability when touched in a specific area.

Small changes that help a lot

• Non-slip runners on hard floors, and a ramp or step to favourite furniture.
• A litter box with one low side, and boxes on every floor of the house.
• Orthopaedic bedding away from draughts.
• Shorter, more frequent walks instead of one long one.
• Raised bowls if reaching down looks uncomfortable.

Weight and teeth

Older pets usually need fewer calories, and extra weight makes sore joints considerably worse. Reweigh regularly and adjust rather than assuming the portion that worked at five still works at twelve.

Dental disease is common in older pets and genuinely painful, but it is easy to miss because pets keep eating through it. Ask your vet to check the mouth at every visit, and mention bad breath rather than writing it off as normal.