Review of the 2023 Senior Pet Care Guidelines Through the Lens of Behavior

By Sally J. Foote DVM, CABC-IAABC, LSHC-S, FFE

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has recently published the senior pet care guidelines.1 This guide provides an integrative approach to care relevant to client and patient needs. The guidelines are long with many sections and charts for diagnostic testing, chronic disease management, and Cognitive Dysfunction syndrome. Additional guidance for customer service and public relations for the veterinary practice is also included. Reading these guidelines, I needed to find a way to bring all this information together under a point of view that made sense to me. Behavior is the unifier for creating a senior care experience, bringing all aspects of the guidelines together.

Behavior changes are often the first sign of a health change. House soiling, increased whining or meowing may be due to Cognitive Dysfunction, thyroid disease, liver or kidney insufficiency, or pain. As veterinary professionals, we need to draw out these clues from our clients and watch for them in our patients. Below is a breakdown of the AAHA guidelines with an eye for behavior.

Be Integrative with Your Examination

Senior care blends medical intervention, behavior management, environmental modification, and considerations of comorbidities. Considering changes in anxiety, aggression, or compulsive behavior due to brain aging or physical changes is not always easy. Few veterinarians have been taught how rising behavior problems relate to an aging pet’s physical health. Ask your clients to bring a video of their older pet going outside to eliminate, and another of them playing, resting, or getting attention. This will allow you to see the home, observe how the pet moves and interacts, and have a more complete assessment of behavior and health. A 30-second video of each scenario is plenty. It saves you time and gives you an initial point to compare progress over time.

Screen for Behavior Problems

Ask open ended, lighthearted questions. Avoid the words aggressive or anxious. These words sound negative, and most pet parents will say “no,” although the pet may be showing these changes. A better question is “Is your pet doing anything that drives you a little crazy?” This is when clients are more likely to say, “He is being spiteful by urinating near the door when I get home.” Listen for the behavior, not the interpretation. Inappropriate elimination could be a sign of diabetes, renal insufficiency, cognitive dysfunction, separation anxiety, and more. Often pain and/or inflammation trigger anxiety and aggression. Blend behavior advice with your medical management. Use the handout links provided in the sidebar to help you and your client.

In my thirty-five plus years of practice experience, two cases stand out in my mind as a reminder to always keep an eye on behavior. The first case was a nine-year-old German Shepherd who was now growling at the children. The second case, a twelve-year-old indoor/outdoor cat who urinated daily on the bathmat. Neither client thought there was much of a problem. The dog never bit the children. The bathmat was easy to wash daily.

I asked that “What drives you crazy?” question and listened for the behavior, not the interpretation. The urinalysis results for the cat showed 4+ glucose . The blood glucose was over five hundred – an uncomplicated, early diabetic cat. In the dog, the upper fourth premolar was inflamed, and at the dental, a slab fracture was discovered. After extraction, all growling disappeared. In both cases, I advised for managing the behavior in addition to the underlying health concern, in the event of any relapse.

But If I did not integrate my evaluation of both body and behavior health the problems would have become serious over time. The behavior problems would have also become serious, breaking the bond and becoming a risk themselves for euthanasia or declining treatment.

Home Environment Management

Almost everyone has a smart phone or tablet in their home or a friend with one. A 30-second video, shared through the device via email contact to your clinic iCloud, is enough to view the primary home areas for pet health. Ask to see the dog or cat walking through the home, dogs eliminating outside, or the cat to the litter box inside and outside areas. Now you can see the flooring, obstacles to navigate for potty areas, and more. The technicians can easily make suggestions and share resources for home changes to manage behavior and health. One video can save you twenty minutes of appointment time and give you a more accurate assessment of the pet’s condition. I suggest putting a permission statement on your client info forms, signed with the words: “These shared videos will remain the property of the client, with permission to view only by the veterinary team for the purpose of health and behavior assessment and will not be shared without client consent.” This provides privacy and ensures client and patient confidentiality.

Senior pets can live long lives if we keep our eyes open to the clues that behavior holds for health. Stay relevant to the client’s point of view with a bit of humor and empathy as you gather history, watch home videos, and take the extra time for appointments.

Take Care and keep it Low-Stress!

Sally J. Foote DVM, CABC-IAABC, LSHC-S, FFE copywrite 2023 https://www.drsallyjfoote.com/ contact: dr.sally@mchsi.com

About the Author: Dr. Foote is an international speaker and expert in LowStress care. Certified in Fear Free, Low Stress Handling and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, Dr. Foote creates online and in-person education and staff training for veterinary teams to be safe as they provide a less stressful care experience. Find out more at her website https://www.drsallyjfoote.com/.