Signs of Old Age in Your Dog

We would all like to think of our dogs as forever young. However, as humans age, so do our best furry friends. It can be hard to know if your pet is simply showing signs of age or it’s something more serious. You might need to get it checked out during a home visit vet. The types of issues that dogs usually suffer from can range from mild to quite serious. Read on to learn more:

Greying hair in the coat

Some dogs may not show grey in their fur but a general lightening or darkening of their fur may occur. This is very natural and will sound familiar as we humans also suffer from the dreaded greys!

A slower pace of walking and perhaps show signs of arthritis

Your dog may take a bit longer on their evening walk and not want to go to the second floor of your dwelling if it has stairs. This can mean that they are showing signs of arthritis or other mobility issues. If it is worse in cold weather and rainy days it can be a sign of arthritis. This is common in some breeds such as labradors. Also, your dog can suffer from a loss of muscle mass due to age as well. You may want to check with your vet on your next home consultation to make sure that your dog experiencing normal symptoms. They can give you peace of mind and run the necessary tests if need be to make sure.

Hypothyroidism

A very treatable issue for aging dogs. This is usually detected in blood tests and managed with medication. It is when the levels of thyroid hormone are less than what’s required to keep your dog’s system running at an optimum level. Symptoms include lack of energy and weight gain among others.

Loss of hearing

This is a common issue with older dogs. They may not hear you calling as often as they used to, they only tend to react when there are vibrations from noise to alert them rather than the noise itself. If you notice this, you will need to pay extra attention to where your dog is when outside. If they have diminished hearing they won’t be able to hear a car coming or a bike. This can mean a potentially disastrous accident that will hurt your dog tremendously in a worst-case scenario. Your vet will monitor your dog for hearing loss and have some possible solutions to safeguard your pet’s safety.

Cloudy eyes

Your dog may start to develop a bluish sheen over its eyes. Again it is normal for your dog to show these symptoms, however, it does bear checking up with your vet on your next at-home visit to make sure that there is nothing unusual in the symptoms your dog is experiencing. The technical term is lenticular sclerosis. Most of the time vision isn’t affected. This is not the same as your dog developing cataracts which are milky white and do affect vision. If cataracts are spotted, you may have to take more precautions as your dog’s vision is impaired.

Older pets require regular medical attention and care and so it is best to look for "vets near me" to find a local home visit vet to schedule regular visits to keep your pet’s life happy and healthy.