Age Is Not a Disease!

Old age is not a diagnosis

One of the most common things I hear about an older dog or cat is, “They are just slowing down, they are old.”

Sometimes that statement is true in the sense that aging changes the body. But it should not be the end of the conversation.

But remember, dogs and cats don’t read calendars. They don’t know they are old, but I bet they know that they hurt.

Dhaliwal et al. (2023), in the AAHA Senior Care Guidelines, specifically addressed the misconception that physical, mental, and behavioral decline should simply be accepted as unavoidable consequences of old age. Senior pets deserve the same question we would ask at any other age: why has this changed?

Slowing down can mean many different things

An older dog that no longer wants to walk as far may have osteoarthritis. But the dog could also have spinal disease, weakness, muscle loss, heart or lung disease, endocrine disease, or another medical problem.

A cat that stops jumping may have arthritis, but neurologic disease, weakness, or other illnesses can produce similar changes.

Behavior matters too. Changes in sleep, interaction, house training, anxiety, or activity can sometimes reflect pain, cognitive dysfunction, sensory decline, or systemic disease. More than one problem may be present at the same time.

Small changes are worth noticing

Senior disease often develops gradually. Owners may not notice a dramatic event. Instead, the dog takes longer to stand up. The cat stops going to the second floor. Walks become shorter. The pet sleeps more, hesitates on stairs, loses muscle over the hindquarters, or stops participating in activities that used to be normal.

Because these changes occur over months, they can become the new normal.

Home videos and old photographs can be surprisingly useful. Compare how your pet moves today with how he moved six or twelve months ago. Look at posture, muscle mass, speed, stairs, jumping, and how easily he gets up.

Senior care should be proactive

Dhaliwal et al. (2023) recommend individualized senior healthcare rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. That may include more frequent examinations, diagnostic testing when indicated, pain assessment, nutritional evaluation, environmental modification, and management of multiple diseases at the same time.

For mobility problems, an orthopedic and neurologic examination can help determine whether pain, weakness, or both are present. Once the problem is identified, treatment may include medication, rehabilitation, exercise modification, weight management, environmental changes, interventional procedures, surgery, or other disease-specific care.

The takeaway

Getting older is normal. Being painful, weak, or unable to perform normal activities should not automatically be dismissed as normal aging.

When an older pet “slows down,” treat that observation as useful medical information. Finding the reason may give us an opportunity to improve comfort, function, independence, and quality of life.

Read the full papers

• Dhaliwal et al. (2023), 2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats • Gruen et al. (2022), 2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats