All symptoms
Slowing down or low energy
"He's just getting old" is the most commonly missed diagnosis in veterinary medicine. Energy loss usually has a findable cause.
This page points to vet-written guides. If a sign is sudden, severe or worsening, contact your vet rather than reading first.
Guides that cover this
Telling ordinary ageing apart from the early, quiet signs of disease — and which tests answer the question.
- Understanding normal ageing in dogsArticle · Healthy AgeingA vet-written guide to what is normal as dogs age, when dogs become senior, and which changes deserve a closer look from your veterinarian.
- Longevity blood tests for dogsArticle · Tests & ScreeningThere is no single blood test for a dog's biological age. A vet explains which biomarkers in routine bloodwork are genuinely useful for longevity screening, and how to read them as patterns rather than pass-or-fail numbers.
- Muscle loss in senior dogsArticle · Healthy AgeingMuscle loss is one of the earliest signs of ageing in dogs. A vet explains how to check your dog's muscle condition, what causes muscle loss, and how nutrition, movement and pain control help preserve it.
- Mitral valve disease in dogsCondition guide · Organ HealthUnderstanding heart murmurs, valve disease, monitoring, and long-term care for dogs with mitral valve disease.