What should I ask the vet about my senior dog or cat?

Ask whether weight and muscle are right, which blood, urine and blood-pressure tests are worth doing at this age, how the teeth look, whether the food should change, and what to watch for at home before the next visit.

What should I bring to a vet appointment?

A list of every medicine and supplement with the amounts, the name and daily amount of the food, the dates any changes started, a phone video of the problem if there is one, and any records from another clinic. Ask the clinic whether to bring a urine or stool sample.

How often should a senior pet see the vet?

Twice a year is commonly recommended for senior dogs and cats, with blood and urine tests as your veterinarian advises, because age-related conditions can develop quickly and are easier to manage when found early.

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Before the vet visit

A vet appointment is short and easy to leave with the main question unasked. Build your list here: what you have seen, what to ask, what to bring.

What is the visit for?

What have you noticed?

What changed, when it started, how often it happens. Plain words are best.

Questions to ask

What to bring

My list

things for the appointment

Tick the questions you want answered and what you will bring, and write down what you have seen. Appointments are short; a list makes sure the important thing gets said.

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This tool organizes what you have noticed. It can't examine your pet, and its result is not a diagnosis or veterinary advice. Take what it shows to your vet; if your pet is in distress, go to an emergency clinic now. Full disclaimer

Why a list helps

A vet diagnoses mostly from history: what changed, when, and what else changed with it. You are the only person who has that information, and under the lights of an exam room it is very easy to forget half of it.

For an older pet the details matter. Drinking a little more, a new sleeping place, hesitating at one particular step. Things that seem too small to mention are often the ones that point to a cause. Write them down as you notice them.

Bring the list of medicines and supplements every time, including anything bought without a prescription, because they change what can safely be prescribed. A video of the problem at home is worth more than a description: coughs, limps and odd turns have a way of disappearing in the clinic.

If cost is a worry, say so at the start. A vet can usually put the options in order, starting with the tests most likely to change what is done.

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