Rethinking Senior Pet Care: A Comprehensive Approach Beyond Diagnostics and NSAIDs
Senior dogs often visit the clinic for ear infections, skin masses, or routine care while chronic pain, mobility changes, cognitive decline, and caregiver burden remain unrecognized. This lecture explores how veterinarians can uncover hidden quality-of-life concerns by looking beyond the presenting complaint and asking more probing questions. Drawing on experience in senior dog medicine, hospice, and relief practice, Dr. Colleen Lambeau shares practical strategies to identify suffering earlier, improve comfort through multimodal pain management and home modifications, and help families make realistic, individualized care decisions. Attendees will leave with immediately applicable tools to better support aging dogs, preserve function, and protect the good days long before end-of-life conversations begin.
- Recognize subtle signs of chronic pain, mobility decline, cognitive dysfunction, and reduced quality of life that may be overlooked during routine appointments.
- Incorporate targeted history questions and quality-of-life assessment tools into senior wellness visits to identify concerns earlier and monitor response to treatment over time.
- Develop individualized care plans using multimodal pain management, environmental modifications, and consideration of each family's practical limitations and goals.
- Communicate effectively with caregivers about quality of life, treatment options, and realistic expectations to support informed decision-making throughout the aging process.
