External link: Guerios SD, Porcher TR, Clemmer G, Denagamage T and Levy JK (2022) COVID-19 associated reduction in elective spay-neuter surgeries for dogs and cats. Front. Vet. Sci. 9:912893. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.912893
Overall Trends (2019-2021)
Pre-Pandemic Surge:
January 2020: 5% increase in surgeries compared to January 2019.
February 2020: 4% increase in surgeries compared to February 2019.
Pandemic Impact:
March 2020: 22% decrease in surgeries compared to March 2019.
April 2020: 80% decrease in surgeries compared to April 2019 (nadir).
Partial Recovery:
May 2020: 39% decrease in surgeries compared to May 2019.
June 2020 onwards: Surgeries plateaued, remaining slightly below 2019 baseline (range: -17% to +9%).
Surgical Trends by Animal Demographics
Species:
Cats (2019: 66%) dominated surgeries over dogs (2019: 34%) throughout 2019-2021.
Surgery changes:
Dogs: -19% (2020), -14% (2021).
Cats: -10% (2020), +3% (2021).
Sex:
Consistent pattern: Females (2019: 53%) dominated surgeries over males (2019: 47%) throughout 2019-2021.
Gap in Perceptions between Owners and Veterinary Professionals
External link: Wallis LJ, Radford AD, Belshaw Z, Jackson J, Kubinyi E, German AJ and Westgarth C (2024) Cross-sectional United Kingdom surveys demonstrate that owners and veterinary professionals differ in their perceptions of preventive and treatment healthcare needs in ageing dogs. Front. Vet. Sci. 11:1358480. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1358480
Definition of “Senior”
Owner Perception: 61% of owners considered their dogs to have turned seniors when they reached a median age of 11 years. Breed size influenced this perception:
Toy / small: 11 years
Medium: 11 years
Large / giant: 10 years
Veterinarian Perception: Veterinary professionals considered medium-sized dogs to be “senior” at a median age of 8 years.
Frequency of Veterinary Visits
Owner Practices:
Most Common Reasons for Visits:
Routine health appointments (44%)
New health conditions or illness (36%)
Advice on euthanasia/end-of-life care (11%)
Owners and veterinary professionals hold different opinions on the appropriate visit frequency for a seemingly healthy senior dog:
Categories
Dog Owner %
Vet Professionals
Every 6 months
39
73
Every year
47
25
Only if they got sick
14
2
Vaccination Practices
Owner Practices:
28% of dogs had not been vaccinated in the past year.
Non-vaccinated dogs were older (median age 12 years).
Reasons for not vaccinating:
33% believed older dogs don’t need vaccines.
29% relied on puppy vaccinations only.
17% relied on titer testing.
Veterinarian Recommendations:
92% of vets supported annual booster vaccinations for senior dogs.
Reasons for not vaccinating:
Underlying health conditions
Belief in lifetime immunity from boosters
Lifestyle factors (e.g., no dog-to-dog contact)
Median age for ceasing routine vaccinations (vet perspective): 10 years
Veterinary Clinic Setup
Question
Categories
All Vet Pros (%)
Vet Surgeons (%)
Vet Nurses (%)
Does your practise have a standardised consult on dog healthcare?
No, but I personally have my own which I carry out regardless of age
50
59
11
Yes, all animals receive a standardised full health check regardless of age
50
41
89
No, all consultations should follow the same procedure regardless of age
14
15
7
Do you think senior dogs require a different consultation approach than with younger dogs?
Yes, but I do not currently do this
15
13
23
Yes, and I already do this
71
72
70
No
51
51
51
Does your practise have a standardised consult on senior/ geriatric dog healthcare?
Not formally offered, but perform own checks
38
41
21
Yes
11
8
28
No, and not interested in offering them
11
11
9
No, but I would be interested in us offering them
6
5
11
Does your practise offer health plan/s to owners?
Yes, we offer at least one health plan
83
84
80
Yes
19
19
22
Does your practise offer a health plan specifically for senior dogs?
No/generic plan for all life stages
81
81
78
No
67
68
61
Not currently, but ran one previously
17
16
19
Yes
14
15
13
Does your practise offer senior dog wellness clinic/examinations?
Not currently, but ran one previously
17
16
19
Yes
14
15
13
Do not know
2
1
7
Do you believe that senior and geriatric dogs should receive annual booster vaccinations?
No
8
8
8
Yes
92
92
92
Senior Dog Wellness Clinics
Prevalence:
14% of practices offered senior dog wellness clinics.
17% previously offered clinics but stopped due to:
Lack of time (54%)
Personnel shortages (37%)
Space constraints (28%)
Poor client uptake (increased cost of diagnostics) (27%)
37% (58) of practices expressed interest in restarting senior wellness clinics.
Management:
Managed more frequently by veterinary nurses (56%).
36% managed by veterinary surgeons.
8% managed by both.
Participation in Health Plans
Overall Participation: 25% of dogs were enrolled in a veterinary health plan.
Senior Dog Wellness Clinic Attendance:
7% of all dogs attended a senior dog wellness clinic.
10% of dogs considered “old” by owners attended.
Reasons for Non-Attendance:
29% of owners stated the clinic was not offered.
71% of owners were unaware of the availability of the clinic.
Willingness to Attend:
43% of owners would consider attending a senior wellness clinic if offered.
20% would only attend if the clinic was free.
Health Conditions Experienced by Dogs
Health Condition
Diagnosed by Vet
Diagnosed by Other
Feel Dog Has
Never Had
Orthopaedic problems
39%
1%
7%
53%
Dental problems
28%
1%
6%
65%
Skin problems
20%
1%
7%
71%
Loss of hearing
8%
1%
20%
71%
Loss of eyesight
15%
0%
12%
73%
Cancer
16%
0%
3%
82%
Gut problems
12%
1%
5%
82%
Dementia
7%
0%
8%
85%
Overweight
8%
1%
6%
85%
Spinal problems
10%
1%
4%
86%
Heart disease
12%
0%
1%
86%
Other
12%
0%
0%
87%
Kidney/liver disease
8%
0%
1%
90%
Vestibular disease
5%
2%
0%
93%
Epilepsy
4%
0%
1%
95%
Breathing problems
2%
0%
2%
96%
Thyroid problem
2%
1%
1%
96%
Glaucoma
1%
0%
1%
97%
Cushing’s/Addison’s disease
2%
0%
1%
97%
Diabetes
1%
0%
1%
98%
Age-Related Onset of Health Conditions
Middle-Aged Onset:
Diabetes (median age 7)
Skin problems (median age 9)
Epilepsy (median age 10)
Other conditions (median age 10)
Older Age Onset:
Dementia (median age 14)
Vestibular disease (median age 14)
Loss of hearing and eyesight (median age 13)
Glaucoma (median age 13)
Kidney/liver disease (median age 13)
Clinical Signs
Clinical Signs
Yes (%)
Slows down on walks
57%
Tartar
52%
Stiff on rising
50%
Diarrhea mucus/blood
44%
Problem with stairs/jumping
43%
Lump swelling
43%
Gait changed
43%
Bad breath
42%
Limp
40%
Scoot rear on ground
36%
Smelly ears
33%
Sleep all the time
32%
Sad/depressed
29%
Lick/chew body
28%
Lost weight muscle condition
27%
Slowing Down on Walks:
Most frequent sign: 57%
Typically observed in dogs aged 9-13 years.
Dental Issues:
Calculus (tartar): 52%
Halitosis (bad breath): 42%
Observed from 6 to 10 years of age.
Other Common Signs:
Skin lumps or swellings (43% of dogs, median age of onset 9 years)
Excessive sleeping (32% of dogs, onset between 11-14 years)
Sadness / lethargy / depression (29% of dogs, onset around 7 years)
Owner Urgency for Seeking Help When Encountering Clinical Signs
Veterinary Appointment
Appointment A Week or Later
Appointment Within A Week
Clinical Sign
Owner Not Experienced Condition (%)
Owner Experienced Condition (%)
Owner Not Experienced Condition (%)
Owner Experienced Condition (%)
Diarrhoea mucus/blood
3
14
97
86
Limp
4
15
96
85
Lumps swelling
10
31
90
69
Smelly ears
10
21
90
79
Scoot rear on ground
12
27
88
73
Lick chew body
13
31
87
69
Sad/depressed
15
17
85
83
Gait change
17
28
83
72
Lost weight muscle condition
18
44
82
56
Sleep all the time
24
75
76
25
Slow down on walks
31
58
69
42
Stiff on rising
36
53
64
47
Problem with stairs/jumping
39
58
61
42
Tartar
56
78
44
22
Bad breath
65
69
35
31
Percentage of Veterinary Professionals Considering Clinical Sign As Important For Owners To Seek Veterinary Advice
Clinical Sign
Low Importance (%)
Moderate to High Importance (%)
Lost weight muscle condition
0
100
Limp
0
100
Sad/depressed
0
100
Diarrhoea/mucus/blood
1
99
Smelly ears
2
98
Problems with stairs/jumping
2
98
Stiff on rising
2
98
Gait change
2
98
Lumps/swellings
3
97
Lick chew body
3
97
Slow down on walks
3
97
Bad breath
6
94
Scoot rear on ground
9
91
Sleep all the time
13
87
Tartar
15
85
How Often Veterinary Professionals Believe Owners Attribute Most Common Clinical Signs To Just Old Age
Clinical Sign
Occasionally, ~30% or less
Sometimes, ~50% (%)
Frequently, ~70% (%) or above
Sleep all the time
2
4
95
Slow down on walks
3
4
93
Stiff on rising
2
7
90
Tartar
5
9
86
Problems with stairs/jumping
4
10
86
Gait change
8
14
79
Bad breath
9
18
73
Lost weight muscle condition
17
26
57
Sad/depressed
24
28
48
Lumps swellings
30
25
45
Limp
43
24
33
Smelly ears
59
21
20
Lick chew body
59
23
19
Diarrhoea/mucus/blood
69
20
11
Scoot rear on ground
83
9
8
Percentage Of Owners Who Would Not Take Their Dog To Vet As They Believe Clinical Sign Was A Normal Part Of Ageing
Clinical Sign
Percentage of Owners (%)
Slow down on walks
78
Sleep all the time
77
Stiff on rising
75
Problem with stairs/jumping
65
Gait changed
48
Lump swelling
43
Lost weight condition
37
Sad/depressed
32
Tartar
26
Bad breath
24
Smelly ears
11
Lick chew body
6
Diarrhoea mucus/blood
6
Limp
3
Scoot rear on ground
3
Owner Perceptions vs. Veterinary Opinions on Use of Monitoring Questionnaires
Veterinarian Reservations about Questionnaires:
17% of veterinarians did not favor questionnaires.
Reasons for reservations:
Lack of time (68%)
Previous negative experiences or preference for face-to-face interaction (23%)