Heartfelt Care For Aging Pets

Something no one tells you when you welcome a pet into your life is how hard it is when they start to decline and reach the end of their days. Most people think about the puppy stage and think the hard part is over if they can get through it. As difficult and exhausting as the puppy stage is, it goes by fast. If you blink, it’s over. The long nights of crate training, long days of breaking and surviving all the chewing, endless energy. Raising a puppy can be stressful, and the responsibility seems never to end.

“Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell.” Emily Dickinson

As your pet grows out of their puppy stage and enters the realm of adulthood, life becomes more settled and a routine is established. Your furry friend becomes a cherished member of the family, joining in on holidays, special occasions, and everyday activities. Time passes and you begin to notice your pet slowing down with age; they sleep more, play less, and their senses become duller. At first, the changes are subtle and easy to overlook. Your elderly pet requires more time and attention. In some ways, your pet reverts to puppy behaviors, forgetting their house training, becoming confused, and at times aggressive.

Pets can develop Alzheimer's and dementia just like humans. The symptoms can manifest in behaviors such as pacing, and seeming to get lost in the environment they have lived in for a portion of their lives. Their sleep patterns can change, sleeping during the day and awake during the night. I experienced this with my longtime pet, Baxter. He developed dementia in his later years. In the end, I had to give him melatonin so he would sleep at night. When I would start to move him to his bed, at the end of the night, he would become aggressive, snarling, growling, and trying to bite me.

Watching my dear Baxter struggle to perform simple tasks every day was heart-wrenching. He seemed like a completely different dog from the one I had adopted. Taking care of him was a full-time job. His hearing and vision declined greatly, which came with complications of their own. It was heartbreaking and devastating to accept my constant companion of fifteen years would soon be leaving me. His mental condition made it difficult to feel anything but emotionally wrecked.

Coping Strategies

Dealing with an aging pet requires planning and thought. You have to implement strategies. Maintaining a schedule, routines, and activities. Dogs suffering from dementia function better when their lives are structured around a daily routine. It is best to not change things in the environment as this can upset and confuse a mentally deteriorating pet. They will be more settled and relaxed in a familiar environment. When aspects are changed, unstable pets can become anxious.

Mental stimulation can aid pets suffering from dementia. Giving them interactive toys, playing games, and teaching them new skills can elevate mental difficulty and encourage calm and relaxation. Though their energy level has declined, physical activity can benefit the aging pet's mental wellness. It increases blood flow which can increase cognition.

Quality Of Life

When pets reach this stage of their lives, you no longer think of the quantity of the days they have remaining, but the quality of those days. You have to consider several factors in this stage of life. If pets appear more confused, and anxious or no longer enjoy their activity, you should be vigilant of the decline and be prepared to let them go. If their bad days outnumber their good days, mobility is painful or difficult, and quality of life is very low or nonexistent. This is when a responsible and compassionate owner has the mentally eviscerating to end their suffering.

Putting Them First

As pet owners, we have a responsibility to put their best interests above our own. This means making decisions on their behalf, for their benefit. Sometimes, we must decide a brief moment or period of discomfort is necessary for their long-term health when having them fixed. They will be confused, anxious, and in pain for a while. If they are not intended to be a breeding animal, this surgery benefits their health. Other situations could also arise in their lifetime where a surgery or procedure is necessary to improve or save their lives, but it is a decision which must be made for their sake.

As a pet ages and begins to decline, the pet owner must begin to consider if the pet is comfortable and cognitively stable and realize the time with their pet is coming to a close. Owners must do the difficult duty of putting the needs of their pet’s over their own desires, feelings, and emotions. They must take into account their physical and mental condition as well as their quality of life. There will come a point when the hardest decision of their lives is symptoms deciding to end the suffering of their beloved pet and let them go.

The Signs To Watch For

Aging pets undergo a startling transformation as they reach the end of their lives. These changes can manifest in many ways. Often pets begin to lose weight despite no changes in their diet. Their eyes might develop a milky appearance as their vision fails. Walking could become difficult and they may begin to fall or stumble.

Pet could also exhibit mental decline symptoms such as depression, unusual agressive behavior. Your pet may begin to wander or pace and constantly or become confused. Some pets will isolate themselves and avoid interaction with their family. When Baxter reached his geriactric years, he started to become aggressive, which was unusual for him. He also started to pace at night and didn’t sleep. Some began having accidents in the house and seemed to forget his house training. He never appeared to be in pain. The changes observed in him were mostly mental.

Deceptive Behaviors

Owners often believe if their pet is still eating, they are still viable. The nature of animals is to never show weakness or vulnerability. It’s part of their survival instincts. Domestic pets have retained a trace of this behavior and will mask their suffering and decline. Pets can be suffering from a wide range of natural processes and keep these symptoms for an extended period before the owner is able to realize what is happening. People like to believe they know their pets well, and would know if something was wrong, but this is not always the case. It is important to be vigilant concerning the health of your pets and to seek professional assistance if you believe them to be suffering.

I am ashamed to say I was not as alert to the pet I had before Baxter and I allowed her to suffer due to my own selfishness. This was a decision I had never had to make before. When Baxter began to decline, I resolved to not allow him to suffer and tried to make the best decision I could for him.

Animals do not have the ability to give up the fight and die. Their instincts drive them to fight for their lives for as long as they are physically able. As responsible pet owners, we must make the decision to end their suffering in the most peaceful and painless way possible. I will always continue to regret allowing my pet to suffer, but the experience has made me deterimined to never allow another animal in my care to suffer for one moment than they must.

Caring for an aging pet can be complicated and difficult. We never want to let our cherished pet go any sooner than we must, but letting them go is the most heartbreaking experience, but we must to it for their sake. If you are a vigilant pet owner for signs our pets are no longer enjoying life and have begun to suffer. When quality of life decreases, the pet is no longer viable and letting them go should be considered. It’s not easy but we must do it for their sake.