Senior dogs face a growing range of cognitive and physical welfare challenges. Understanding canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome and geriatric dog care improves end-of-life welfare.
Senior dog welfare requires active, proactive management rather than passive acceptance of decline. Cognitive dysfunction syndrome causes genuine confusion and distress — dogs that wake at night howling, that cannot find their way around familiar spaces, that soil indoors despite a lifetime of house-training, are experiencing disorientation and loss of control that represents suffering. Pain from arthritis is pervasive in senior dogs but frequently missed because dogs do not typically vocalize pain. Quality of life assessment tools help owners navigate the difficult terrain of end-of-life decisions — neither giving up too early nor prolonging life beyond a quality threshold that serves the dog rather than the owner. Good geriatric dog care is one of the most compassionate welfare acts available to companion animal owners.