Behavior Changes in Aging Pets

Aging pets have physical and behavioral changes. Let’s consider the behavior changes and what we can do to remedy them.

What behavior changes occur with aging?
Behavior changes with aging include problems with orientation, social interaction, activities & exercise, grooming, housetraining, sleeping, and eating. Here are some examples of these problems:

Orientation
Pets that aren’t orientated become confused and get lost in familiar locations. They may get stuck on the wrong side of the door, or sit at the hinged side of the door.

Social Interaction
Pets having trouble with social interaction no longer enjoy being petted and don’t come to greet you like they used to. In families with multiple pets, the pets may squabble and the stable inter-pet hierarchy may crumble. Pets experiencing arthritis may become so irritable that they snap at you rather than play with you.

Activities & Exercise
Your senior pet may have joint pain so that it cannot go for walks, climb on the bed, or jump into the car.

Grooming
Their coats appear bedraggled, and they don’t clean themselves after eliminating. There is an increase in scruffy or poor coats with diseases, such as diabetes and Cushing’s disease.

Housetraining
Pets may have trouble with housetraining because they cannot jump into the litter box, cannot walk to the door to go outside. Many senior pets lose bladder sphincter control and dribble urine. Many senior pets become chronically constipated and have difficulty passing stool. Straining to defecate causes pain and these pets associate pain with the litter box and learn to avoid it. Instead, they defecate around the house.

Sleeping
Aging pets often sleep poorly. They’re restless because of pain, anxiety, changes in their brain sleep center, and because they don’t get aerobic activity during the day to help them sleep. Pets may cry and pace. They may prevent you from sleeping, too.

Eating
Your senior pet may have a poor appetite (anorexia) because senses of taste and smell aren’t strong, and food loses its appeal. To compound the problem, senior pets may have dental disease and stomach ulcers.

Who gets behavior changes with aging?
Any pet can develop behavior changes with aging. If your pet has a disease that decreases blood flow to the brain, such as heart disease, behavior changes may be more severe. If your pet has liver disease, it may also have behavior changes because the liver controls the molecules that circulate in the blood. When the liver cannot rid the body of toxic materials, the toxins enter the brain and alter behavior. This is most apparent 1-2 hours after eating.

Pets fed diets low in antioxidants, phytonutrients (phyto=plant), and Omega 3 fatty acids may experience the greatest deterioration in brain function.

Signs & Symptoms of Aging
Pets with behavior changes secondary to aging often wander about confused. Pets that were independent may become clingy. Some pets snap when you try to pet them. Pets appear uninterested in food, their environments, and in themselves. They’re restless at night. They lose their housebreaking training.

Solutions for Aging Problems
For pets with disorientation:
Maintain a regular schedule.
Leave the furniture in the same position.
Speak calmly, but in a voice that’s loud enough for them to hear.
Teach hand signals to deaf pets.

For pets with problems with social interaction:
Engage in petting and interaction when your pet has the most energy during the day.
Allow your pet to come to you when it’s ready rather than expecting interaction when you’re ready.
Create a quiet place for your pet to retreat to if it feels stressed by hubbub in the house.

For pets with problems with activities & exercise:
Provide medication for joint pain.
Choose gentle activities, such as swimming, rather than jogging.
Go for shorter, more frequent walks.
Provide ramps for access to the car, sofa, and bed.

For pets with problems with grooming:
Use a gentle brush and remove old hair at least weekly.
Prevent hairballs in cats by providing fiber.
Wash your pet if it soils itself.

For pets with problems with housetraining:
Maintain a regular feeding and potty schedule.
Use an indoor litter pan for pets than cannot walk outside.
Provide fiber to promote normal bowel movements.

For pets with problems with sleeping:
Provide a soft, supportive bed.
Use a bed your pet can walk onto without making a step up that can hurt arthritic joints.
Consider supplementing with melatonin.

For pets with problems with eating
Heat the food to increase its aroma.
Use canned or fresh foods rather hard kibble.
Use foods with increased caloric density if your pet is losing weight.

In future Caring for Pet entries, we'll look at physical changes associated with aging and what we can do about them.