Ask your veterinarian when he considers your individual dog a senior citizen, for the purposes of his veterinary care. Right at the very beginning of that stage you should have blood work done to provide a baseline for comparison.

You should have the blood and urine of an elderly poodle drawn and analyzed twice a year. Problems like potential kidney failure can be caught early this way and addressed nutritionally long before your poodle would have shown symptoms. A holistic vet might use blood test results to prescribe nutritional supplements to address deficiencies.

Your vet will also give your poodle a physical exam, looking at his teeth, eyes, and ears, and checking for signs of arthritis and unusual lumps or bumps.

Caring for your poodle as he ages helps pay back the lifetime of love he gives you.

Think long and hard before vaccinating your older dog. He's probably received ample vaccinations in his lifetime, and giving him more might unnecessarily tax his immune system.

Talk with your veterinarian about it. If she's of the opinion that your dog needs shots, ask if she'll draw blood for a titer first. If the titer tells you your dog is protected against the core diseases (except for rabies, which is required by law), you can skip the shot. Consider skipping vaccinations for the noncore diseases entirely.