Senior Dog Checklist: Home, Vet and Monthly Routine

Use this as a working list. Print it, tick it, bring it to the vet.

At home, once

• Floors: runners or rugs on hard floors. Slipping is the most common cause of a senior dog stopping moving.
• Access: a ramp for the car and sofa, a raised bowl if there is neck arthritis, night lights for dogs with failing eyesight.
• Bed: thick orthopedic foam, away from drafts, in the room where the family is.
• Food: move to a senior or lower-calorie diet if weight is creeping up; measure meals in grams. Feed two meals a day.
• Water: several bowls around the house. Note how often you refill them; increased thirst is an early sign of kidney disease, diabetes and Cushing’s.
• Insurance: check what is covered, and enroll before conditions appear if you have not. Pre-existing conditions are excluded.

Every month

• Weigh the dog (bathroom scale: weigh yourself, then yourself holding the dog). A 5% change in a month is worth a call.
• Run hands over the whole body for new lumps. Note size and location; photograph with a coin for scale.
• Look in the mouth: red gums, brown teeth, bad breath, a broken tooth.
• Nails: senior dogs walk less and nails overgrow, which changes the gait.
• Watch one full walk: stiffness at the start that eases is classic arthritis. Stiffness that worsens is something else.
• Count breaths while sleeping: over 30 per minute at rest, on several occasions, is a reason to have the heart checked.

Every six months, at the vet

• Full exam, weight, body and muscle condition scores
• Blood pressure
• Blood count, chemistry with kidney values and thyroid
• Urinalysis
• Dental assessment and cleaning when advised
• A direct question: “Is my dog in pain, and what are the options?”

Every year

• Breed-specific screening (heart, eyes, joints) as listed on your breed’s page
• Review vaccines with your vet; older dogs do not need every vaccine every year
• Review all medications and supplements: seniors are on more of them and interactions add up

When to call the same day

Retching without producing vomit and a swollen belly (bloat). Collapse or fainting. Sudden inability to stand. Blue or white gums. Breathing with effort. A seizure lasting more than two minutes. Not eating for more than a day in a dog that normally eats well.

The single most useful thing an owner of a senior dog can do is keep the dog lean. Overweight dogs lived up to 2.5 years less in the largest study on the question, and in a senior the weight goes straight onto arthritic joints. Check with the ideal weight calculator.