Of course at 10 years old, with each dog year being equal to about  seven human years, your furbaby is the ripe old age of 70 and you want  to make sure she lives out the remaining time she has left in the most  joyous way. Dr. Ernie Ward, author of Chow Hounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter – A Vet’s Plan to Save Their Lives (2010 HCI) and owner, chief-of-staff at Seaside Animal Care in Calabash, North Carolina, recommends that pet parents be mindful of a host of  potential  health issues their senior pet’s caretaker.

“While we may still view our eight-year old Lab as our “puppy” the  reality is she is undergoing many of the same physical changes of a  50-year old person,” says Dr. Ward.”Simple changes in nutrition and  lifestyle can make a huge difference in preventing age-related diseases  and preserving quality of life.”

The definition of a senior pet

Historically, any pet over age seven is considered a  senior pet, says Dr. Ward. In strict physiological terms, giant breed  dogs over age five should be considered senior and toy breeds and cats  over age nine are viewed as senior pets. The differences in ages are due  to the rate of physiological changes in certain breeds; giant breeds  age faster.

Senior pets need specialized diets

As dogs and cats age so do their nutrient requirements and ability to  digest certain foods, notes Dr. Ward.  If your pet is over seven years  old, it’s important to talk to your veterinarian about switching to a  diet specially-formulated for older pets.

“Senior pets need less fat and carbohydrates and more highly  digestible proteins,” says Dr. Ward. “For example, older cats actually  require higher amounts of protein because studies show their ability to  digest proteins deteriorates as they age. In general, older pets need  fewer calories because they’re less active and begin to lose muscle  mass.”

Diet and supplements

Dr. Ward recommends that pet parents give their  senior pet low or no-grain, higher protein diets for older cats and  highly digestible, low-fat diets for dogs. And since nutritional gaps  and cellular damage can accelerate as pets  age due to genetics,  pollutants and illness, Dr. Ward advises giving nutritional supplements  such as omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils), glucosamine/chondroitin  sulfate, and a good multi-vitamin (especially B vitamins and vitamins A,  D, E, and K, biotin and beta-carotene) to almost every older pet. He  also prescribes SAM-e, silybin/milk thistle, superoxide dismutase (SOD)  and probiotics to many senior pets to combat age changes.

Preventative medical care: What you need to know

Start testing at seven years old. Changes in kidney,  liver and pancreatic function, arthritis, cataracts, heart disease and  high blood pressure are more common in older pets. To diagnose a disease  in the early stages requires consistent examinations and lab tests. As  soon as your pet turns seven, pet parents should ask for basic blood and  urine tests, even if their pet appears perfectly healthy. The value of  routine testing is that it establishes baselines for future reference.

“I recently saw a nine-year old cat for a routine visit,” says Dr.  Ward. “The owner reported her cat was in excellent health yet our test  results showed an increase in two kidney enzymes from the previous year.  While the kidney values were still within normal limits, the change  alerted me to a potential problem. Additional tests confirmed early  kidney disease. If not for the previous test results, we would’ve never  diagnosed kidney disease at this early stage. ”

Bottom line: The money you spend on routine  diagnostic tests may save you big bucks in the future and add years of  life to your pet. Never ignore that tiny voice telling you “something  isn’t right.” If you suspect something – anything – is wrong with a pet  over age 7, have it checked out.

Melissa Chapman, Contributor  to Care.com  www.care.com/pet-care