When slowing down is more than normal aging

Changes that are easy to dismiss

A dog may pause before stairs, shorten the walk, pant at rest, avoid being touched, or take longer to settle. A cat may stop jumping, groom less, sleep in a new location, miss the litter box, become irritable, or withdraw.

Changes in appetite, thirst, weight, bathroom habits, sleep-wake patterns, breath, voice, vision, hearing, and social behavior can also matter. A single off day may pass; a pattern gives the veterinarian more to work with.

Use the five-part pattern

• Onset: When did it first appear—suddenly or gradually?
• Frequency: Every day, after activity, at night, or only sometimes?
• Function: Which ordinary activity is becoming harder?
• Direction: Stable, improving, or worsening?
• Whole pet: What else changed at the same time?

When to schedule a veterinary visit

Contact the veterinary team when a change persists, recurs, worsens, appears painful, affects eating or drinking, causes weight or muscle loss, alters bathroom habits, reduces normal engagement, or makes the home unsafe to navigate.

Do not wait for a routine visit if a medication was recently started or changed and the pet is acting unwell.

When not to track first

Seek urgent veterinary guidance for trouble breathing, collapse, uncontrolled bleeding, repeated seizures, suspected poisoning, severe trauma, a swollen painful abdomen, inability to urinate, sudden paralysis or inability to stand, severe unrelenting pain, or other rapidly worsening signs.

If you are unsure whether a sign is an emergency, call a veterinarian or emergency hospital and describe exactly what you see.