It’s one of the hardest questions to answer as your dog ages. He takes longer to get up in the morning. She sleeps more than she used to. The stairs get a pause at the bottom that never used to be there. Is this ordinary aging, or is something wrong?
Some of it genuinely is just age. But not all of it — and knowing which is which is one of the most useful things a dog owner can learn.
What Normal Aging Actually Looks Like
When exactly a dog becomes “senior” depends a great deal on breed and size. A Great Dane is a senior years before a Chihuahua is.
The changes I expect to see in an older dog include:
- Reduced mobility, especially stiffness after resting or first thing in the morning
- Changes to sleep and wake cycles — sometimes quite pronounced
- A slower metabolism
- Less interest in intense play
None of these are necessarily signs of disease. They are signs that your dog needs some adjustments in care to stay comfortable.
Signs You Should Not Ignore
These are different. If you see any of the following, it’s worth having your dog examined rather than assuming it’s age:
- Crying out or yelping in pain
- Guarding a part of the body — becoming protective of one area
- A personality change involving aggression
- Real reluctance to get up in the morning
- Soiling in the house where urine or stool is simply falling out and the dog doesn’t seem aware it’s happening
These can signal disease. They are not a normal part of aging, and they’re worth a conversation with your veterinarian.
Supporting a Senior Dog: Diet
I’m a strong believer in a whole foods diet, and the clearest reason has to do with how food is processed rather than any single headline study.
Kibble is made by extrusion — high heat, high pressure. Temperatures above 100°C reduce protein digestibility through aggregation, oxidation, and cross-linking, and they degrade heat-sensitive nutrients like lysine along the way. Gently cooked foods are processed at lower temperatures, roughly 75–95°C, which is enough to kill pathogens without that damage.
Fresh food also carries far more moisture — typically 65 to 75 percent, against roughly 10 percent for kibble — which means your dog takes in water with every meal.
Fresh, whole, or home-cooked diets also tend to be lower in calories while still being satisfying, which helps with the weight management that matters so much for aging joints and organs.
If you’re cooking at home, you must add a balancing supplement — Balance IT is one option. If you’d rather order prepared fresh food, Just Food For Dogs and The Farmer’s Dog are both good choices. Most dogs are delighted by the switch.
Supplements Worth Considering
Omega-3 fatty acids support cognitive wellbeing. You can feed salt-free, oil-free sardines, or use a supplement like Welactin or Nordic Naturals.
Prebiotics and probiotics are beneficial for digestive health, especially if your pup struggles with any type of G.I. upset. Proviable, FortiFlora, Calming Care, and Adored Beast are all good options.
Glucosamine and chondroitin can support joint health, but green lipped mussel is even better. Sardines are also a great option, as long as they are free of oil and salt.
Herbs can be genuinely useful, and several are safe for longer-term use — boswellia, ashwagandha, and devil’s claw among them. Which ones make sense depends entirely on the individual dog.
Talk with your veterinarian about what fits your dog specifically rather than starting everything at once.
Movement Matters
Exercise shouldn’t be set aside as a dog ages. It helps joint mobility and it’s central to maintaining a healthy weight.
Swimming is one of the best exercises there is for an older dog, and there are canine physical therapy facilities that offer it specifically.
Emotional Wellness and Routine
This part gets overlooked, and it shouldn’t.
As we get older, we depend on structure. We want to know what the day holds and where things are. Your senior dog is the same. A dependable daily schedule reduces anxiety and helps an older dog feel confident.
Keeping furniture and belongings in consistent places matters too. As hearing and vision change, a familiar layout is what lets a dog navigate comfortably.
The Good Part
Senior dogs are the best. They’ve been through everything already. They know what to expect. They’re sweet and kind and they mostly want to be near you.
Make the most of these years. Keep up regular veterinary checkups, run bloodwork to track how the internal organs are doing, and pay attention to the small changes — that’s where you can make a real difference.
Senior Wellness Care in Deep River
At Mossflower Veterinary in Deep River, we take an integrative approach to senior care — combining conventional diagnostics with nutritional guidance, herbal medicine, and therapies like acupuncture and cold laser therapy. We see dogs from across the lower Connecticut River valley and the shoreline — many of our clients come from Essex, Centerbrook, Chester, and Old Saybrook — and the aim is always a care plan built around your particular dog rather than a standard checklist.
Senior wellness visits are a good place to start if your dog is entering their later years — a baseline of bloodwork and a full exam makes the subtle changes much easier to catch early.
If your dog is showing changes you’re unsure about, we’re glad to take a look.
Related reading: how to treat a hot spot on your dog at home and a balanced homemade dog food recipe. If you’re on the shoreline, see the areas we serve.
Mossflower Veterinary
110 W Elm St, Deep River, CT 06417
(860) 707-6744
mossflowervet.com
This article is for educational purposes and isn’t intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Any changes to your pet’s healthcare plan should be made with the guidance of your primary care veterinarian.