What are the signs of aging in dogs? A checklist for your fridge

The age-related changes worth tracking in a dog fit on one sheet of paper: movement, sleep, weight, thirst, appetite, breath, senses, behavior, and skin. Write them down, put the sheet on the fridge, and date anything new. Cost: nothing. Time: about ten minutes tonight.

Why write it down instead of keeping it in your head?

Slow changes are hard to see in a dog you look at every day. Each person in the house also sees a different part of the day. One of you sees the morning stiffness, another sees the pacing at 2 a.m.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) says behavior changes can be the first signs of aging, and that they may come from pain such as arthritis, from worsening sight or hearing, from certain diseases, or from normal aging.¹ You cannot tell which from the couch. A veterinarian with a dated record has a much better chance. The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) notes that early signs of cognitive dysfunction may not be recognized by owners at all.³

Is it "just old age"?

That is the one assumption to avoid. AAHA's 2023 senior care guidelines ask veterinary practices to teach owners that aging is not an inevitable physical, mental, and behavioral decline that warrants minimal medical intervention.²

• Osteoarthritis has no cure, but Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center says there are several ways to manage pain and delay its progression, and many dogs live comfortably with treatment.⁴
• The AVMA recommends senior pets see a veterinarian twice a year or more, so problems are found and treated early.¹
• "Senior" starts earlier than many owners expect: around 8 to 11 years for dogs under 20 pounds, 8 to 10 for medium dogs, 8 to 9 for large dogs, and 6 to 7 for giant breeds.¹

The nine-item list for the fridge

1. Getting up, stairs, and jumping. Stiffness, a changed gait, trouble rising from lying down, or hesitation at stairs and the couch.⁴
2. Sleep. Sleeping more during the day,¹ or awake and walking around at night.³
3. Weight. Gain or loss without a change in food. The AVMA says sudden weight loss in a senior pet often means something is wrong.¹
4. Thirst and urination. Filling the water bowl more often, or more trips outside.⁵
5. Appetite and chewing. Eating less, chewing oddly, or dropping food.⁷
6. Breath and teeth. Bad breath, tartar, broken or loose teeth. The AVMA says bad breath may be a sign of dental disease.⁷
7. Hearing and vision. Slower response to voice cues, or seeming confused in familiar places.¹
8. Behavior. More barking, new anxiety, a change in how the dog greets people or other pets, accidents in the house.¹³
9. Lumps and skin. Any new lump, bump, discolored skin, or sore that does not heal.¹

What do the DISHAA letters mean?

Item 8 deserves a closer look. Veterinarians group the behavior signs of canine cognitive dysfunction under the acronym DISHAA:³

• Disorientation
• changes in social Interactions
• changes in Sleep-wake cycles
• loss of House training and other learned behaviors
• altered Activity levels
• increased Anxiety

AAHA's guidelines put age-related cognitive impairment at roughly 14 to 22.5 percent of dogs older than 8 years. They also call cognitive dysfunction a diagnosis of exclusion: the veterinarian first has to rule out pain, organ dysfunction, and other diseases that produce the same behavior.³ So a DISHAA sign on your sheet is a reason for a visit. It is not a diagnosis.

How do you set up the sheet tonight?

1. Write the nine items down the left side of one page.
2. Add three columns: date first seen, who saw it, what exactly happened.
3. Stick it on the fridge with a pen attached.
4. Tell everyone who spends time with the dog, including the walker or sitter.
5. Write what you saw, not what you think it means. "Stopped halfway up the stairs, Oct 4" is more useful than "seems sore."
6. Photograph the sheet before each veterinary visit.