28/09/2026
🐾 Monday Myth Busted! 🐾
Is your dog ever too old for anaesthesia? 🐶
As highlighted by Canine Arthritis Management (CAM), age alone shouldn’t be a barrier to treatment.
A dog’s overall health, organ function and pain levels are far more important when considering surgical options.
At Ribble Vets, we believe every dog deserves an individual approach to managing their mobility and comfort, whatever their age. 💚
Let’s focus on quality of life, not just the number of birthdays! 🐾
❌ MYTH: "My companion is 10 years old, so they are far too old to undergo joint surgery or general anaesthesia."
✅ FACT: Age is not a disease. A dog’s physiological health, organ function, and pain level dictate surgical candidacy—not the date on their birth certificate.
Senior dogs undergo successful joint stabilisations, arthroscopies, and salvage procedures routinely. With modern pre-operative screening (such as baseline blood and urine panels), individualised anaesthetic protocols, and continuous monitoring, chronological age is rarely the deciding barrier. The true clinical risk is leaving a dog to endure unmanaged, debilitating joint pain and rapid muscle wastage during their final years.
When surgery can eliminate chronic bone-on-bone friction, the improvement in quality of life is profound.
