Veterinary disclaimer

The short version

Everything on Aging Pet Care is general information for people who live with older dogs and cats. It is not veterinary advice, and it cannot diagnose, treat or assess your pet. If you are worried about your pet, see your veterinarian. If it might be an emergency, contact an emergency veterinary clinic now; do not wait, and do not rely on anything you read here.

Not veterinary advice

Our articles, guides, breed pages, checklists and calculators describe what is commonly true of older pets in general. They are written for education. None of it is a substitute for an examination, diagnosis, treatment plan or prognosis from a licensed veterinarian who has seen your animal.

Never ignore your veterinarian's advice, change a treatment, or put off a visit because of something you read on this site. Where our content and your veterinarian disagree, follow your veterinarian.

No veterinarian-client-patient relationship

Reading this site, using its tools or emailing us does not create a veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Nobody at Aging Pet Care has examined your pet. We do not recommend, refer to or endorse any particular veterinarian, clinic or hospital, and we cannot answer questions about an individual animal.

Emergencies

Call your veterinarian or an emergency clinic immediately if your pet has trouble breathing, collapses, has a seizure, cannot urinate, has a swollen or painful belly, is bleeding, may have eaten something poisonous, is in obvious pain, or has stopped eating (for a cat, a single day matters). This list is not complete. When in doubt, call.

Medication, supplements and diet

• Never give your pet any medication, including human or over-the-counter medicine, unless your veterinarian has told you to. Common human painkillers can kill dogs and cats.
• We mention drugs, supplements and diets so you know what to ask about. We do not give doses. Whether something is right for your pet, and how much, is your veterinarian's decision.
• Talk to your veterinarian before starting, stopping or changing any medication, supplement or diet, especially for a pet with kidney, liver or heart disease or diabetes.

Our tools, calculators and checklists

The age calculator turns an age and a breed into a human-years figure, a life stage and a typical lifespan range using breed and size averages. The other tools work the same way: the quality-of-life scale adds up scores you choose, the pain and dementia checklists count what you tick, the calorie calculator applies a standard formula to a weight, and the cost estimator and breed chart show typical ranges.

All of them are estimates and prompts for a conversation with your veterinarian, not health assessments. They cannot examine your pet, they do not diagnose anything, they do not predict how long your pet will live, and a reassuring result does not mean your pet is well. Feeding amounts for a pet that is ill, overweight, underweight or on a prescription diet must come from your veterinarian.

End-of-life content

Our articles about quality of life and euthanasia are there to help you think and to prepare you for a conversation with your veterinarian. They cannot tell you when it is time. That decision belongs to you and the veterinarian who knows your pet. Euthanasia must only ever be performed by a veterinarian.

Insurance, costs and prices

Insurance information on this site is a general comparison, not insurance, financial or legal advice. Premiums, veterinary costs and other prices are typical ranges that vary by location, provider and pet, and they change. Coverage, exclusions, waiting periods and age limits are set by each insurer's policy documents, which you should read before buying. Some links are affiliate links; see our affiliate disclosure.

Accuracy

We work to keep the site accurate and current, but veterinary knowledge changes, every animal is different, and we make mistakes. We make no guarantee that the content is complete, correct or right for your pet, and you use it at your own risk. If you spot an error, please tell us at [email protected].

Your responsibility

You are responsible for the decisions you make about your pet's care. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Aging Pet Care is not liable for any loss, injury or harm to you or your pet arising from use of, or reliance on, this site. The full terms are in our terms of service.