Senior Pets 101: Celebrating Senior Pet Month

November is National Adopt a Senior Pet Month! There’s a lot to celebrate about all senior pets, both ones with owners and ones looking for forever homes. While puppies and kittens are adorable, many pet owners don’t think about them as a lifetime commitment. This leads to a high number of senior pets surrendered to shelters or abandoned, which may lead to premature euthanization. To help prevent these kinds of situation and as a way of celebrating senior pet month, this article seeks to educate pet owners like you about caring for senior pets and to encourage prospective pet owners to consider adopting a senior pet.

The age when a pet becomes considered senior depends on species and breed. Generally, a senior cat is between 7 and 10 years old. Dogs’ age ranges vary, with lifespan decreasing with bigger breeds. A good way to determine if your dog is senior is to look at their specific estimated life span. Once they’re in the last quarter of their life, a dog is considered senior.

Special Ways to Show Your Senior Pet Love

If you already have a senior pet, this national holiday gives you the perfect excuse to pamper your senior pet. Here are a few ideas of ways to make this Senior Pet Month special:

EXERCISE: While your senior pet may not have the energy of a puppy or kitten, exercise is critical to their health. Taking your pet out for a walk at their favorite location or bringing them to their favorite dog park gives them an opportunity to have fun and exercise. Weight control becomes more important with age, so keep your senior pet moving when you can!

GIFTS: Christmas is here a month early for the seniors! Now is the time to get your pet anything that may make their life a little better. Whether it’s an orthopedic bed for additional support or a raised feeding platform to make eating easier, your pet will appreciate the gesture. New toys may also be a good idea to keep your pet mentally stimulated!

QUALITY TIME: Above all else, take this month as a chance to spend as much time with your pet as possible. You never know when your pet may reach the end of their lifespan, so enjoy the time you have with them! Best of all, your furry best friend will love all of the attention and love you’re showering them with.

Adopting a Senior Pet

In the spirit of celebrating senior pet month, we encourage anyone looking to adopt an animal to consider senior pets. If you’re looking for reasons why a senior pet may be the perfect fit for you, the Elderly Pet Organization compiled their top 5 reasons to adopt an elderly pet.

Before bringing home a senior pet, it’s good to know the things that make them different from their younger counterparts. The biggest consideration is that a senior pet may require increased vet care, meaning more vet bills to pay. As an animal gets older, they may develop health conditions that need to be monitored and accommodated, such as arthritis, blindness, or dental problems. Make sure to ask about existing health conditions of a senior pet you want to adopt. Also keep an eye out for new symptoms that may pop up, especially if your pet shows signs of pain.

Once you find a senior pet to adopt, you’ll need to set up your house to welcome them home. If your pet has any health conditions, have accommodations ready before bringing your pet in. With any senior pet, it’s nice to make your house as accessible as possible, so you may find that you need to install ramps or arrange furniture in a way that makes it as easy as possible for your pet to navigate their new home. Finally, establish your senior pet with a veterinarian. That way, you have a resource for information on any health conditions and, when you take your pet in for checkups, you have another set of eyes looking out for concerning symptoms.

Senior pets are such special animals, and they’ve earned having the entire month of November for celebrating Senior Pet Month. Whether you’ve had your pet for their entire lives or you’re just bringing home your senior pet today, make sure to spend the month showing them extra love and appreciation.

November is National Adopt a Senior Pet Month! There’s a lot to celebrate about all senior pets, both ones with owners and ones looking for forever homes. While puppies and kittens are adorable, many pet owners don’t think about them as a lifetime commitment. This leads to a high number of senior pets surrendered to…