FurNote / Guides / senior pet health tracking
What to Track for a Senior Pet: A Practical At-Home Checklist
FurNote is a record-keeping tool, not veterinary advice. Veterinary guidelines generally consider cats senior around age 10 (sometimes from 8), and dogs in roughly the last quarter of their expected lifespan, which is about 6-8 years for large breeds and 9-11 for small ones. Senior pets usually benefit from more frequent vet checks, and at home you can watch a handful of signals: weight, water intake, mobility, appetite, sleep, and litter-box habits. Here's what to record and where each fits in FurNote.
How To
Track it with FurNote, step by step
STEP 01
Weight, at least monthly
Weigh senior pets more often than adults. A sustained loss over about four weeks, or a body condition that slips noticeably, is worth flagging. Use Records to Weight, and the dashboard compares against 30 days ago. See our cat ideal-weight guide for the weighing method.
STEP 02
Water intake, estimate weekly
Increased drinking and urination can accompany diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or hyperthyroidism. Log water in the diet record, and if intake looks consistently high for your pet's size, ask your vet about bloodwork.
STEP 03
Mobility and jumping, observe ongoing
Arthritis is more common in older cats than many owners expect, and the signs are subtle: trouble jumping to a spot they used to reach, slowing on stairs, or disliking being touched over the lower back. Note these in the symptom record and export before a visit.
STEP 04
Appetite and diet changes
Early illness often starts as 'less interested in the usual food.' A quick daily diet note (finished, half left, or didn't eat) is enough, and if it's off for 3-5 days in a row, see your vet.
STEP 05
Litter-box habits, use the excretion record
Watch for more frequent urination (possible diabetes or CKD), long straining with little output (possible urinary issues), or constipation (possible dehydration). Log these in the Excretion record, with a photo if you're on Pro.
STEP 06
A vet check every 6 to 12 months
Healthy seniors generally benefit from at least an annual exam, and pets with chronic conditions more often. Export the past several months of records as a PDF so your vet can spot trends quickly.
FAQ
Frequently asked
- My dog is only 7. Is that senior already?
- It depends on size. Large breeds like Labs, Goldens, and German Shepherds live about 10-12 years and reach senior around 6-8; small breeds like Maltese and Poodles live 13-15 years and reach it around 9-11. So a 7-year-old Lab counts, while a 7-year-old Maltese doesn't yet.
- My 8-year-old cat is perfectly healthy. Should I start senior tracking?
- You can start building a baseline early. Recording weight, water intake, and check-up results a year or two ahead gives you a comparison point once your cat is truly senior.
- Which signs mean 'see the vet today'?
- Common red flags include not eating for 2-3 days, sudden heavy drinking and urination, vomiting and diarrhea together, sudden lameness or inability to jump where they normally would, or pale or bluish gums. Any one of these warrants a same-day vet visit.
- What's usually included in a senior check-up?
- Vets typically do a physical exam plus bloodwork, thyroid testing, urinalysis, and a fecal test, adding blood pressure and imaging for higher-risk pets. Your vet will tailor the panel to your pet.
- I have several senior pets. How do I track them separately?
- FurNote keeps each pet's records and dashboard separate. Multiple pets need the Pro plan, since Free covers one. Each gets its own weight trend, water log, and medication schedule, with no cross-over.
Start tracking
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Last updated: 2026-07-20