Senior Dog Care Checklist

A senior dog is not the same animal as the puppy you brought home. Joints stiffen, sleep patterns shift, appetite changes. Most owners notice when the changes are dramatic; the aim of this checklist is to help you notice earlier and bring the right questions to your vet.

The backbone of this guide is the 2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, written by the American Animal Hospital Association for veterinary teams. Where we say “the AAHA guidelines”, that is the document we mean. Drug facts come from the FDA-approved labels.

When Is a Dog “Senior”?

There is no single birthday. The AAHA guidelines define a senior dog as one in the last 25% of its estimated lifespan, so the answer depends on breed and size: a giant breed gets there years before a small one. Compare the typical lifespans on the profiles of a Great Dane and a Chihuahua to see how far apart that can be, and ask your vet when to start treating your own dog as a senior.

A Sign That Is Easy to Miss

Graying and slowing down are obvious. A dog that hesitates at the stairs, stops jumping into the car, or takes longer to get up is easier to overlook - and worth mentioning to your vet, because pain is one of the possible reasons. The AAHA guidelines suggest something practical here: film your dog walking, climbing and jumping at home and show the video at the visit.

Joint Health

The AAHA guidelines list reduced mobility from osteoarthritis among the common problems of older pets. What an owner can do falls into three groups.

Weight

The guidelines note that a high body condition score and obesity are known to affect mobility. Keeping a dog lean is the part of joint care that is entirely in your hands.

Supplements

Three come up most often, and their evidence is not equal:

1. Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA from fish oil) - the best supported of the three for arthritis pain
2. Glucosamine + chondroitin - widely sold, but pooled trials found no clear pain benefit
3. Green-lipped mussel - a marine source of omega-3; the meta-analysis below counts it with the omega-3 products and gives no separate result for it

The study behind those lines is a 2022 meta-analysis of 72 trials in dogs and cats with osteoarthritis. Tell your vet about any supplement your dog takes; the AAHA guidelines point out that some of them can interact with medicines commonly used in older pets.

Prescription medicines

For a dog with diagnosed osteoarthritis, these are among the FDA-approved options a vet may discuss. What each is approved for comes from its label:

• Galliprant (grapiprant) - a tablet approved for the control of pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis. It is an NSAID, and the label carries the usual NSAID cautions about the stomach, kidneys and liver.
• Adequan Canine (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan) - an injection given by the vet, labeled for the control of signs associated with non-infectious degenerative or traumatic arthritis.
• Librela (bedinvetmab) - a monthly injection approved for the control of pain associated with osteoarthritis. In December 2024 the FDA wrote to veterinarians about adverse events reported after its use, among them loss of balance, seizures and other neurologic signs, and the label now tells vets to go through a client information sheet with the owner before each injection.

Which of these, if any, suits your dog is a decision for your vet, who knows the dog’s kidneys, liver and other medicines.

Diet for Senior Dogs

Is the dog lean?

A dog whose ribs you can feel but not see is close to the right weight. The best-known evidence that leanness matters is a lifelong feeding study of 48 Labrador Retrievers: the dogs fed 25% less than their paired littermates had a longer median lifespan and developed signs of chronic disease later. The AAHA guidelines add that a dog’s energy needs generally fall with age, so the portion that suited a four-year-old may be too much now. Our dog food portion calculator is a starting point; your vet’s body condition score is the check.

Is the dog keeping its muscle?

Older dogs tend to lose muscle and gain fat, the AAHA guidelines say, and they recommend that vets track muscle condition as well as body condition. The old habit of cutting protein for every senior dog is not what the guidelines advise: they say healthy pets should not require protein restriction, and that a senior diet may include a mild increase in protein. Dogs with kidney disease are a different case - that diet is your vet’s to set.

Is digestion still good?

Loose stool, more gas or a falling appetite in an older dog are things to report to your vet rather than to fix by changing foods at home - they can be the first sign of something else.

Toppers

A topper can make a meal more interesting to a dog that has gone off its food - once the vet has looked at why the appetite dropped.

This topper is freeze-dried raw meat. The FDA warns that raw pet food can carry Salmonella and Listeria, which matters most in a household with small children, elderly people or anyone with a weak immune system - and is worth raising with your vet for an old or ill dog. A spoonful of warm water or a cooked topper does the same job without that question.

Environment Modifications

The AAHA guidelines give vets a list of home changes to suggest to owners of senior pets. These are the ones on it.

Flooring

Rugs, carpet runners or yoga mats for better footing on slippery floors, especially where the dog walks most.

Stairs and jumping

Ramps where the dog has to climb, and gates or barriers at stairs and other places where a dog with fading sight or hearing can get into trouble.

Sleeping surface

An appropriate bed, with good padding, in a place the dog can reach easily.

The maker describes the study on its own site: researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine gave the bed to 40 dogs of 70 pounds or more, and their owners reported less pain and stiffness and better joint function. Keep in mind that the results are owner-reported and that the summary we could read is the maker’s own.

Food and water access

Raised food and water bowls are on the AAHA list, as is moving the dog’s resting area closer to the door. One caution on raised bowls: a study of large and giant breed dogs linked them to a higher risk of bloat, so if your dog is one of those breeds, ask your vet first. A second water bowl on another floor saves an arthritic dog a trip.

Mobility aids

Also on the list: fitted, padded harnesses to help lift a larger dog (Help ‘Em Up and the Ruffwear Web Master are two examples), and toe grips, boots or socks for foot stability.

Cognitive Health

Canine cognitive dysfunction is an age-related decline that owners often put down to “just getting old”. Cornell’s Riney Canine Health Center says dogs may start to develop it around nine years of age or older.

Signs

Vets group them under the acronym DISHAA:

• Disorientation - getting lost in familiar places, stuck in corners, staring into space
• Interaction changes - suddenly clingy or withdrawn
• Sleep-wake changes - sleeping by day, restless at night
• House-soiling and loss of other learned behavior
• Activity changes
• Anxiety

The same signs can come from pain, failing sight or hearing, or other disease, which is why the AAHA guidelines call cognitive dysfunction a diagnosis of exclusion: the vet rules out the other causes first.

What a vet may suggest

There is no cure, Cornell notes. The options it and the AAHA guidelines describe:

• Selegiline - the only drug labeled for canine cognitive dysfunction (AAHA)
• Veterinary diets made for the condition - Cornell names Hill’s b/d and Purina Pro Plan NeuroCare among them
• Enrichment - exercise, play, new toys; the AAHA guidelines say treatment works best when started early

The Senior Vet Schedule

The AAHA guidelines recommend a medical workup for senior pets once or twice a year. Their table of tests for senior dogs is a useful thing to bring to the conversation:

• Complete blood count - every 6-12 months
• Blood chemistry - every 6-12 months
• Urinalysis - every 6-12 months
• Thyroid (T4) and blood pressure - annually
• Heartworm and tick-borne disease tests - annually
• Imaging - when there is a clinical reason, not as a routine

Your vet will adapt this to your dog. On dental work, the guidelines make a point owners find reassuring: advanced age alone is not a reason to rule out anesthesia.

Pain You Might Be Missing

Dogs do not announce pain. Changes worth reporting to your vet:

• Reluctance to be touched in a particular place
• Trouble getting up, lying down, climbing or jumping
• Restlessness or panting at night
• Less interest in walks, play or greeting people
• Licking one joint or limb again and again

If you are unsure, ask your vet whether a supervised trial of pain relief makes sense. Never give a human painkiller: the FDA’s page on pain relievers for pets explains why a drug made for people may not be safe for a dog.

The Quality of Life Conversation

At some point every senior dog reaches the end of a comfortable life. This is not a topic to meet for the first time on the worst day, so think about it while your dog is doing well.

Two tools from the AAHA guidelines:

• A calendar of good days and bad days. Marking each day gives a clearer picture than memory does, and shows when the balance is shifting.
• A quality of life scale filled in with your vet. The guidelines caution that very few of the scales found online have been validated, so treat a questionnaire as a way to organize the conversation, not as a verdict.

The conversation with your vet is not only about euthanasia. It is also about what treatment is still doing for the dog, what can be made more comfortable, and what you want the last months to look like.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I start joint supplements?

There is no agreed age. The evidence is uneven: omega-3 fish oil has the best support, while glucosamine-chondroitin products showed essentially no pain benefit in a 2022 meta-analysis. Ask your vet which, if any, makes sense for your dog.

Is grain-free food bad for senior dogs?

The FDA has been investigating reports of heart disease (DCM) in dogs eating some grain-free, legume-heavy diets since 2018 and has not established a cause. Grain-free feeding has no known benefit for a dog without a grain allergy, so raise it with your vet if your senior dog eats such a food.

Can I exercise a senior dog?

Yes. The AAHA guidelines count exercise among the things that help mobility and the mind in older dogs. What changes is the intensity; ask your vet what suits your dog’s joints and heart.

My senior dog is panting at night. What’s going on?

There are several possible causes, pain and cognitive dysfunction among them, and you cannot tell them apart at home. Book a vet visit; if the dog is struggling to breathe, treat it as an emergency.

How do I tell if my senior dog is in pain?

Look for change: reluctance to jump or climb, taking longer to lie down or get up, less interest in things the dog used to enjoy, restlessness at night, guarding one part of the body. A video of the dog moving at home helps your vet.

Should I get pet insurance for a senior dog?

Insurers generally do not cover conditions a dog already has, so a policy bought late covers less. Read the exclusions before you buy, and compare the premium with what you could set aside each month - see our guide to choosing pet insurance.

Final Word

Senior dog care is mostly attention. Notice the small changes and tell your vet about them. Keep the dog lean. Don’t let the checkups slide. Make the house easier to move around in before the dog struggles.

The goal isn’t to keep your dog alive as long as possible. It’s to keep them comfortable as long as they’re alive - and to know, clearly and kindly, when that stops being possible.

Related Reading

• Orthopedic Dog Beds: What Helps Older and Arthritic Dogs
• How to Choose Pet Insurance: What to Compare in a Policy Last updated: October 2026. Checked against the 2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines, the FDA-approved drug labels and the makers’ pages.