Printable worksheet
The Senior Dog Healthspan Scorecard
A 10-minute baseline for noticing what changed before everything feels urgent.
Use this worksheet to capture your dog’s current baseline across mobility, weight, dental clues, behavior, quality of life, and senior-care planning. The goal is not to diagnose your dog. The goal is to notice patterns, track changes, and bring better questions to your veterinarian.
Tip: use your browser’s print command if you want a paper copy or PDF.
Use this safely
Educational only. Dog Longevity Lab is not veterinary advice. We do not diagnose, treat, or prescribe. If you notice new, severe, painful, scary, or worsening symptoms, contact your veterinarian instead of waiting for a checklist.
1. Dog profile and baseline dates
Dog name:
Age:
Breed/mix:
Current weight:
Last vet exam:
Last bloodwork:
Last dental evaluation or cleaning:
Known diagnoses or medications:
Baseline status
- I know the date of my dog’s last vet exam.
- I know the date of my dog’s last bloodwork.
- I know the date of my dog’s last dental evaluation or cleaning.
- I am missing one or more dates and want to ask my clinic.
Vet questions
- At this age and size, what should we be tracking every month?
- Are there breed- or size-specific risks I should watch for?
- Are my dog’s baseline exam, bloodwork, dental, and weight records current enough?
2. Mobility and home setup
Check anything that changed or became more noticeable in the last 3–6 months.
- Slipping on floors
- Trouble standing from lying down
- Hesitating on stairs
- Trouble jumping into the car, couch, or bed
- Limping, paw dragging, knuckling, or uneven gait
- Shorter walks or lower exercise tolerance
- Avoiding favorite activities
- More trouble after rest or after exercise
Home support currently in place
- Rugs or runners on slick floors
- Ramp or stairs for car/couch/bed
- Harness or support sling
- Nails/paw traction managed
- Safer sleep/rest area
- Blocked access to unsafe stairs or slippery areas
How to interpret this section
- 0–1 checked: establish a monthly mobility baseline.
- 2–3 checked: make a home-surface audit and ask your vet whether pain, weakness, joint disease, or another issue should be evaluated.
- 4+ checked or sudden change: call your vet rather than waiting for the next routine visit.
3. Weight, appetite, and muscle
- Weight gain in the last 6 months
- Weight loss in the last 6 months
- Appetite increase
- Appetite decrease
- New pickiness or food refusal
- Visible muscle loss around hips, spine, shoulders, or head
- Harder time maintaining normal activity
- Treats, snacks, or table food have crept up
30-day tracking action
- Weigh monthly if practical.
- Take one top-down and one side-view photo each month.
- Note appetite, food changes, treat changes, and activity changes.
Vet questions
- What body condition score should we aim for?
- Does this weight or appetite change need bloodwork or another workup?
- Should diet, calories, protein, or exercise change for this life stage?
4. Dental and eating
- Bad breath worse than usual
- Dropping food
- Chewing on one side
- Avoiding hard food or chews
- Visible tartar, bleeding gums, or loose teeth
- Pawing at the mouth or face
- Owner anxiety about anesthesia or dental cleaning
Dental changes belong in the vet conversation. This scorecard does not diagnose dental disease.
Vet questions
- What does my dog’s mouth look like today?
- Is a dental procedure recommended, optional, or not needed right now?
- What are the anesthesia risks, and how are they managed for a dog like mine?
- Are there VOHC-accepted products that make sense for maintenance?
5. Cognition, sleep, and behavior
Veterinarians often organize senior-dog behavior changes around domains such as disorientation, interaction changes, sleep-wake changes, house-soiling/learning/memory, activity changes, and anxiety or fear. This worksheet only helps you describe changes. It does not diagnose canine cognitive dysfunction.
- Disorientation: staring, getting stuck, confusion in familiar spaces
- Interaction changes: less interest, new clinginess, irritability, or changed greeting
- Sleep-wake changes: pacing, restlessness, or waking at night
- House-soiling, learning, or memory changes
- Activity changes: less interest in play/walks or repetitive/aimless activity
- Anxiety or fear changes
- New sensitivity to sound, touch, other dogs, visitors, or being alone
Tracking action
Write down when it happens, how often, what else changed, and whether it is getting better, worse, or staying the same. Capture short videos when safe and useful.
6. Quality-of-life trend
Good days in last 14 days:
Bad days in last 14 days:
Favorite activities still enjoyed:
Activities avoided:
Pain signs suspected:
Photos/videos from 6–12 months ago available?
Vet questions
- What quality-of-life scale do you recommend for our situation?
- Which changes are normal aging, and which are potentially treatable problems?
- What should we track weekly?
7. Cost and planning
- Pet insurance active
- Emergency fund or care budget exists
- I know which clinic/emergency hospital to call after hours
- I know which recurring senior-care costs are likely this year
- I have talked with my vet about likely monitoring needs for the next 6–12 months
This section is not insurance or financial advice. It is a prompt to plan before urgency makes choices harder.
One-page vet prep summary
Top 3 changes I noticed:
Most important question for my vet:
Photos or videos I can bring:
Dates I need to confirm:
What I will track for the next 30 days:
When I should call sooner instead of waiting: