Making Life Comfortable for a 13 Year Old Poodle

Question

My Coco is going to be 13 and I have never had her spayed. She has had 2 litters 1st at age 4 and 2 years later another. She had 11 very healthy babies. I have never mated her since. Is it ok if I don't spay her? Also she has a cough almost gagging that at times is worse than others. She doesn't have anything come up but my vet said to give her Robitussen for 3 days (1/8) and she was good but I also know poodles are famous for throat problems. She is a mini at 12 lbs and seems more like a puppy. Anything I should be doing for her. She has eaten Purina all her life but seems to want softer food now but her teeth are good never lost any. I just want to make sure I am doing everything to make her adult life comfy and healthy.

Answer

Dear Pet Owner,

It would be an excellent idea for CoCo to have a thorough physical exam. At 13 years of age there are a lot of problems that she could have that are not showing themselves yet! She needs a blood panel to check for anemia, low grade infection, kidney and liver function. It would be a good idea to have a chest XR to make sure she does not have any serious heart or lung problems since she has that cough. As far as the spay, a lot of older female dogs will have "female" problems as they get older and when they occur they can be life threatening very quickly. A spay would eliminate that possibility. Her teeth need to be thoroughly checked also-at her age teeth root and gum infections are very common and need to be taken care of. I would consult your veterinarian about all of this!

Dr. Baeyens