Embrace Pet Insurance
Accident and illness cover with an optional wellness rewards plan for routine care such as dental cleanings and bloodwork.
Get an Embrace quoteSenior dog care
The last quarter of a dog's life is where most of the preventable suffering, and most of the added years, come from. These guides cover what changes, what to watch, and what has evidence.
Is your dog a senior yet?
Life stage
mature adult
—
- Puppy
- Young adult
- Mature adult
- Senior
Stages follow the 2019 AAHA Canine Life Stage Guidelines: senior begins in the last quarter of the breed's expected lifespan. Senior care guides.
Guides
When Is a Dog a Senior? Age by Size and Breed
Senior starts in the last quarter of expected lifespan: 11 for toys, 8 for large breeds, 6 to 7 for giants.
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Senior Dog Checklist: Home, Vet and Monthly Routine
The home, vet and monthly routine that catches problems early in older dogs.
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Arthritis in Senior Dogs: Signs, Treatment and What Works
Most senior dogs have it and most are under-treated. Signs, treatments and evidence.
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Senior Dog Nutrition: Calories, Protein and Choosing a Food
Fewer calories, not less protein. Portions, labels and claims to ignore.
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Dental Disease in Senior Dogs: Why It Matters and What to Do
Most dogs have it by middle age; it is linked to heart, kidney and liver disease. What to do.
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Dog Dementia (Canine Cognitive Dysfunction): Signs and Care
Signs (DISHAA), what to rule out, and what helps: diet, drugs, enrichment.
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Kidney Disease in Senior Dogs: Early Signs, Screening and Diet
Silent until late. The tests that catch it early and how diet changes the outlook.
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Heart Disease in Senior Dogs: Murmurs, Coughs and Treatment
What a murmur means, signs of heart failure, and how early medication adds time.
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Signs of Cancer in Dogs: What to Check and When to Act
The leading cause of death after 10. Ten warning signs and why every lump gets a needle.
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Vision and Hearing Loss in Senior Dogs: Signs and Adaptations
Which eye and ear changes are normal aging, which are urgent, and how to adapt the home.
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Exercise for Senior Dogs: How Much, What Kind, and Warning Signs
Short and often beats long and rare. What helps, what harms, when to stop.
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Senior Dog Supplements: What the Evidence Supports
Fish oil has evidence. Most of the rest are harmless guesses. What to skip.
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Quality of Life Scale for Dogs: The HHHHHMM Assessment
An honest, structured way to assess quality of life and use it in hard decisions.
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Insurance before the senior years
Most policies exclude conditions diagnosed before enrollment and some stop accepting new dogs past a certain age. If your dog is a mature adult and healthy, this is the last cheap window.
Lemonade Pet
App-first insurer with fast claims and add-ons for vet visit fees, dental illness, and physical therapy.
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Single accident-and-illness plan with no annual or lifetime payout caps.
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