Stream Valley Veterinary Hospital 2009 / When Your Pet is No Spring Chicken Anymore

When Your Pet is No Spring Chicken Anymore

by Shannon M. Pecora, M.A.

Stream Valley Veterinary Hospital

Hampton the hamster used to run in his wheel all night, and now he likes to spend his evenings sleeping in his fluffy bedding. Callie the cat used to pounce on your feet whenever you walked down the hallway, but now she prefers napping in your favorite easy chair. Dexter the dog used to wear you out with hours of fetch in the backyard, but now his hobby of choice is snoozing next to you on the couch.

As our pets age, it is natural that they’ll slow down a bit. But you can help restore some of that old energy level with a little encouragement. Try giving Hampton a different type of gnaw/chew toy, or try giving him an extra ten minutes or so a day in his exercise ball. Has Callie ever seen a laser light toy before? This mysterious red dot could offer her endless chasing entertainment. Instead of asking Dexter to “shake” or “speak” for his treats, put them inside of a Kong-type toy. His mind and his body will have to be active to retrieve his cookies.

While some laziness is okay for our older pets, pronounced inactivity or lethargy could signal issues other than age. For dogs and cats at least, we can use exams and blood and urine testing to seek out treatable problems. One common ailment is arthritis, which can be alleviated with supplements, massage, or exercises as directed by your veterinarian. Blood and urine screening may reveal thyroid problems, which can affect appetite and energy level among other things, but medication and routine lab work can help regulate the condition. From cataracts to cancer, there are so many “old age complaints” that can affect our dogs and cats. That’s why semi-annual (or even more frequent) senior pet health exams are important; with conditions that are treatable or manageable, your pet’s quality of life does not necessarily need to deteriorate as he or she ages.

I often lament that I’ll never be able to bring my two Shepard mixes on a five-mile run again. In their twelfth year, sometimes a brisk walk around the neighborhood leaves them tuckered out for a couple of hours. But I do ask them to follow me as I haul laundry up and down the stairs, and I still toss their tennis ball so they’ll chase it a few times a day. I like to keep them as active as possible, while being careful not to cause injury. I miss the tug-and-wrestle days of their youth, but at least I know that I now have a couple of reliable snuggle companions who will gladly share the couch with me for the entire duration of the evening news.