Many changes occur as the dog’s body ages. Most of these are similar to those experienced by geriatric people – arthritis, loss of vision, hearing loss, senility, etc. However, since your dog has trouble expressing to you some pain he’s experiencing as it ages – you must have yearly physicals by your veterinarian.
Perhaps the most curable and preventable disease in older pets is dental disease. Dog’s teeth usually receive little if any preventive care and as a result are often very infected later in life.
Gum disease and calculus formation are very common and often lead to infection of the teeth and gums. This in turn can lead to absorption of bacteria and their toxins, with subsequent effects on internal organs. This is largely preventable with appropriate dental hygiene.
Large breed dogs age faster and frequently have hip or knee arthritis as they get older. Signs of this are – reluctant to move, difficulty with stairs, painful crying, and trouble getting in position to defecate.
Aging changes in the lungs include loss of elasticity, decreased secretions, less efficient air exchange, weakening of the respiratory muscles, and fibrosis or scarring of the lung tissue itself. Older dogs are therefore more susceptible to lung infections (for example from dental disease). Decreased air exchange means less oxygen available for other body functions.
It is estimated that at least one fourth of all dogs over 9 years have some heart disease. Cardiac output decreases 30% during those later years, and resistance to blood flow in the arteries increases. Red blood cell numbers diminish, as does the level of hemoglobin (which is responsible for carrying oxygen to the body’s tissues).
Dogs can become senile as they age and they may become irritable when disturbed, slow to obey commands, and have problems with orientation and learned behavior, including loss of house training. Some of this can be attributed to lack of oxygen to the brain. A partial loss of vision, hearing, taste, and smell also occur in older dogs. Some aging problems can sometimes be attributed to diminished thyroid function and can often be helped by thyroid replacement therapy.
The lens of the eye in older dogs commonly becomes opaque and is mistaken for a cataract. This opacity is called nuclear sclerosis and may interfere with vision somewhat, but doesn’t cause blindness. Ear problems and hearing loss can occur with age as a result changes in the normal environment inside the ear canal.
Many of these aging changes are progressive and irreversible but some can either be treated or slowed down with appropriate therapy. So don’t “give up” on your old dog (or cat) and think that nothing can be done for problems in old age. Ask your veterinarian for his help- you might be surprised at what can be done.
Dr. Dan Meakin is the owner of All Creatures Animal Hospital, 1894 Ohio Pike in Amelia. Call (513) 797-PETS.