Companion Animal Welfare

Dog Senior Wellness Programmes

Senior wellness programmes for older dogs provide proactive health monitoring that detects age-related conditions early, enabling treatment before welfare is significantly compromised.

Key Facts

Dogs are generally considered senior from 7 years for larger breeds and 9 years for smaller breeds
Six-monthly rather than annual health checks enable earlier detection of age-related conditions
Senior blood panels detect organ dysfunction before clinical signs appear
Pain assessment is particularly important in senior dogs who may mask chronic discomfort
Dental disease, arthritis, and organ disease are the most common senior welfare issues

Welfare Considerations

Senior wellness programmes detect emerging conditions before they cause significant suffering, enabling intervention that maintains quality of life and extends comfortable lifespan. The investment in more frequent monitoring pays welfare dividends through earlier treatment of conditions that worsen if undetected.

What You Can Do

Switch older dogs to six-monthly veterinary health checks
Ask for a comprehensive senior blood panel at your older dog's health checks
Learn to assess your senior dog's quality of life regularly using validated tools