Senior pets seem more fragile and susceptible to emergencies than their younger counterparts, and an unforeseen situation can quickly go downhill. To keep your older pet safe, monitor them closely in problematic situations to ensure you can act promptly. Read on to learn about some of the most common emergencies your senior pet may experience, and how best to prevent them.

Prevent emergencies related to your senior pet’s mobility

As your pet ages, their mobility usually decreases. Navigating stairs, jumping on furniture, or scaling a climbing tower can be more challenging. Prevent falls that can cause muscle sprains and strains, ligament tears, or broken bones by blocking access to dangerous areas. Place baby gates across stairwells, provide ramps up to furniture, and stick to low scratching posts instead of climbing towers for your senior cat. 

Senior pets may also struggle to gain traction on slippery floors, which can cause musculoskeletal injuries as they skate across slick surfaces. Provide traction with carpet runners, yoga mats, or Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips.

Prevent emergencies related to your senior pet’s hearing and vision loss

When your pet grows older, their hearing and vision may diminish. Without these senses, your senior pet can easily run afoul of trouble. They may stumble into danger if they venture out of hearing range, and you can’t call them back. And, if your pet can’t see well, they may become injured if they fall in the dark or bump into a sharp object. Keep your senior pet safe by staying in the yard with them when outdoors, always walking them on a leash, and removing hazardous items from their path.

Prevent emergencies related to your senior pet’s cognitive dysfunction

Senior pets regularly develop cognitive dysfunction, especially at an advanced age, which can cause your pet to become anxious or irritable, or to forget learned commands. Examples of emergencies that can occur because of your senior pet’s cognitive dysfunction include:

- Your pet with separation anxiety tries to chew through their wire crate, or break through a window, to find you.

- Your senior pet becomes irritable and cranky and has no tolerance for the new puppy’s antics. This can lead to a growl and a snap and may escalate to a serious dogfight.

- Your senior pet forgets—or fails to hear—your “Leave it” command when you drop your bottle of heart medication. They gobble up half the pills before you can pull them away.

Cognitive dysfunction is not treatable but can be successfully managed through a combination of a neuroprotective diet, environmental enrichment, and medication.

Prevent emergencies related to your senior pet’s chronic condition

Many chronic conditions can cause serious illness in your senior pet. If your pet has one of the following medical issues, monitor their condition closely for changes that mean they need urgent care:

Diabetes — If your pet becomes sluggish and weak, or begins to shake, they could be hypoglycemic. Severe low blood sugar can lead to seizures or a coma and must be remedied immediately. A diabetic complication, known as diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a life-threatening emergency, can also occur. Signs include vomiting, excessive thirst and urination, abdominal pain, weakness, rapid breathing, and confusion.

Kidney disease — Excessive vomiting, thirst, and urination are signs that your pet’s kidney failure requires a change in management. Emergency treatment may be required, to help the kidneys flush out the accumulated toxins from the bloodstream.

Congestive heart failure — Weakness, difficulty breathing, or rapid, shallow breathing are signs your senior pet’s heart condition needs urgent care. 

Senior pets also have more difficulty regulating their body temperature, which can cause them to overheat or become too cold in extreme weather. When venturing outdoors with your senior pet, closely monitor their comfort. As soon as your pet begins to pant or shiver, head indoors to cool them off or warm them up. 

Senior pets typically have weaker immune systems than their younger counterparts, which can leave them exposed to a variety of issues that can rapidly become emergencies. If your senior pet’s health takes a turn for the worse, consider supporting them with veterinary hospice care or our telehospice service.