SILVER PAWS SERIES
Part One
“Growing Old[er] is mandatory, growing up is optional”. Carroll Bryant
In some more medical circles, it has become popular to discuss the “success” of an aging individual.
I m not sure I m on board with terms like “successful ager” as to me it somehow implies failure by the individual who isn’t.
As our pets age we can consider three categories:
- limited / mild physical (including sensory) and cognitive change
- increasing physical OR cognitive change
- increasing physical AND cognitive change
Over this series we ll consider what these may look like in our pets, predominantly dogs and cats.
“Age is but a number” as reportedly said by Joan Collins.
When are our pets considered to be “aged” or “senior” or even “geriatric” (as someone who was labelled a “geriatric mother” when I was pregnant at 40, don’t get me started on the impact of age labels!) ?
This is complicated and something we ll explore more in the series.
As an overly simplistic “rule of thumb” we often consider cats over the age of 10 to be “senior” (affected in part by breed) and dogs, well, in the main, the larger they are, the earlier they are aged/ senior. So a small breed dog like a Jack Russell terrier might not be considered senior until they are 12 or over, however a large breed dog such as Labrador may be considered aged from 8 years. A giant breed (over 45kg as an adult) perhaps from 5 or 6 years of age.
To be honest it’s complicated and we see that in humans too.
I prefer to look at the individual in front of me. To consider their health, their physical comfort or limitations (including sensory changes /abilities) and their cognitive and emotional states as well.
As we age, even from juvenile years into adulthood, our bodies change.
The older we get, the more likely physical including sensory changes away from the “norm” become, alongside cognitive and emotional change too.
It can be for the individual’s “better” and it can be a limitation or even potential source of suffering to that individual.
So first things first, health matters.
This is why regular check ups can be so valuable (whether with vets and/ or physios and/or other trained paraprofessionals)
This “tool kit” produced by BSAVA is a good starting point.
We ll be discussing all sorts of resources within the series.
Feel free to share your interests for information in the comments 
SILVER PAWS SERIES
Part Two
It’s easy to under appreciate how aging increases our vulnerability.
Perhaps it’s sensory change like failing eyesight or worsening hearing.
Perhaps it’s the development of various bodily pains. Or the recognition/ awareness of cognitive decline - maybe our ability to rationalise or puzzle solve is lessening or our memory capacity reducing.
Aging increases fragility: physical and emotional.
That’s worth being mindful of as we live alongside and hopefully support, older friends and family.
SILVER PAWS SERIES
Part three
Increasing fragility, both physically and emotionally are common as dogs age.
In human medical science an increasing area of attention has been how to retain / improve resilience to help the individual cope better with age related change.
An acronym that has been proposed to consider factors that support resilience, is PURPOSE OF LIFE.
I think there are many parts of this acronym that we can consider in our aging dogs.
P. Purpose in life. We start off with one of the harder concepts to apply 
. But I think for our dogs, this is about them still feeling a part of our lives, being appreciated, being able to participate in the activities that have previously brought them joy.
. But I think for our dogs, this is about them still feeling a part of our lives, being appreciated, being able to participate in the activities that have previously brought them joy. U Unable to manage, leading to increased stress. There are lots of ways we can make life easier for our dogs. From using non slip flooring, to steps on and off of the sofa, being physically supported up and down stairs, feeding softer food or treats … we can look at what our dogs are finding trickier and speak to our vet, a physiotherapist, a behaviourist … and come up with ideas to help.
R Restrictions in mobility. Just because our dog is aging, doesn’t mean we should just accept reducing mobility. Speak to your vet, organise a physio assessment, take a look at Canine Arthritis Management. There are lots of options to maintain mobility. Equally though, try not to equate senior dog welfare with the dog having a similar mobility to earlier life. Silver Paws may be physically weaker, have more discomfort, may tire easier … and they can still have lots of positive experiences with reduced or even no, walks. We ll come back to this in a separate post
P Physical Health. A whole variety of body organs can be less efficient or even diseased as dogs age. Speak to your vet about your dog’s health and aim for regular health checks.
O Optimism. What moments of joy does each day bring to keep both your dog’s and your own outlook on life positive. Again, more on this in a separate post
S Social connections. Elderly dogs may play less. They may not be as social with other dogs or humans as they once were. This doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy time with their favourite individuals. In fact many dogs, due to perceived vulnerability, like more social contact with long standing bonded individuals. It just looks different! It’s sitting together. It’s more gentle stroking / grooming. It might be options to investigate their dog friend’s toys rather than meeting in person.
E Emotion. If a senior dog is increasing in anxiety/ fear or becoming more withdrawn, seek professional help from a vet and / or clinical behaviourist to make sure we are addressing this in the most appropriate way.
O Outward mindset - embracing change. Can we support our dog through this life transition? We can provide more social reassurance, add in mobility/ physical and cognitive appropriate positive experiences. But we should also recognise change is challenging for many elderly individuals. So limit change. Make sure life is predictable, as much as we can.
F Family cohesion. Is everyone on board with how we are supporting our elderly dog? Who in the dog’s family might need more support in coping with this life stage. Caregiver burden. Anxiety about change / loss, are common emotional experiences for human s living with aging pets. Sometimes distancing themselves from the old dog is a coping strategy. Empathising with these feelings is crucial. Another post on caregiver burden will follow.
L. Locus of control. What choices can the aged dog make? Do they feel they are in control of themselves? Do we need to medically support them with elements of this? (Incontinence / needing to toilet more frequently as examples)
I Independent Activities of Daily Living. What can our aged dogs manage by themselves and where do we need to add in more support or environmental modification? Are we providing regular opportunities where they get to do activities they can manage and enjoy for themselves?
F Financial security. Dogs don’t worry about this! But us humans do. Aging dogs can get increasingly expensive. Have we a plan for that? Do we know our own limits and have we considered different cost based options?
E Environment. Enrichment Exercise. Canine Arthritis Management has some excellent resources on considering the safety and comfort of the reduced mobility dog’s environment. Considering enrichment and exercise for aged dogs will be a separate post, as there’s lots of great options and considerations
Trying to find time to pause and reassess many facets of our silver paw’s life can be invaluable to their quality of life. Resources for assessing quality of life will be coming soon.
Aprahamian, I., Woo, J., Vellas, B. and Morley, J.E., 2022. Resilience and successful aging. The Journal of nutrition, health and aging, 26(7), pp.652-656.
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