Senior & Geriatric Pet Support — Ann Arbor & Beyond

Your pet is changing. You’ve noticed. And part of you isn’t sure you want to know what it means.

That’s not avoidance. That’s love — and the very human fear that looking more closely will lead somewhere you’re not ready to go.

But here’s what’s actually true: finding out what’s happening with your aging pet — and what’s possible — doesn’t mean bracing for the worst. It means you get to do more, not less. It means the changes you’re already seeing become something you understand and can respond to, rather than something you’re quietly dreading.

That’s exactly what this page is about.

You already know something is changing. You don’t have to be afraid of what that means.

'Senior' & 'geriatric' aren't just about age

Most pet guardians think of life stage as a number.

'My dog is ten, so he’s a senior.' 'My cat is fifteen, so she’s geriatric.'

But that’s not quite how it works — and understanding the difference changes everything about how you respond to what you’re seeing.

A small dog at eleven can be remarkably robust and healthy by every clinical measure. Another dog of the same age and size — one managing kidney dysfunction, dependent on medications like prednisone, or living with a diagnosis like osteoarthritis or laryngeal paralysis — is in a physiologically different place entirely, regardless of what the calendar says. A large breed dog may edge into geriatric territory earlier than a small breed dog, simply because of how their body ages.

What determines life stage isn’t just age. It’s functional status — how your pet’s body is actually performing, what it’s managing, and what it needs. And that assessment requires more than a glance at a birth certificate.

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR YOU

If your pet has a diagnosis like osteoarthritis, kidney disease, or laryngeal paralysis — even if they seem “fine” most of the time — their functional age may be significantly ahead of their chronological age. That means the support they need, and the conversations worth having, are different from what you might expect for a pet “their age.”

This page is for you — whether your pet is clearly in their senior years, or whether something you’re noticing is telling you it’s time to pay closer attention.

The gap that most families fall into— and how to step around it

When a pet is young, the support system is robust. Vaccination schedules, socialization guidance, training resources, nutritional advice, risk factor conversations — it’s all there, proactively offered, clearly communicated. Guardians of young pets are rarely left wondering what to do next.

But as pets age, that system quietly thins out. The guidance becomes less frequent, less specific, and harder to act on. A recommendation to “ask about senior bloodwork panels” or “consider a pain assessment” gets mentioned at the end of an appointment — and for many families, that’s where it stays. Not because they don’t care. Because they’re unsettled, and the idea of pursuing those conversations feels like opening a door they’re not sure they’re ready to walk through.

So the changes get normalized. The graying muzzle, the slower mornings, the decreased appetite, the reluctance to jump. It becomes “just aging” — something to accept rather than something to understand and respond to. And in the meantime, a great deal of what’s actually possible goes unexplored.

Getting support earlier doesn’t mean accelerating the hard conversations.

It means you’re the one leading them — with clarity, with confidence, and with someone in your corner.

MINDING THE GAP

The London Underground has long warned passengers to mind the gap between the train door and the platform edge. It’s a small but consequential space — easy to miss, easy to step into, easy to avoid once you know it’s there.

That gap exists in senior and geriatric pet care support too. It’s the space between what your veterinary team can offer within the constraints of a standard appointment and what your pet and your family actually need as things change. Telos exists to bridge that gap — keeping you connected to your veterinary team, empowering you to understand your pet’s evolving needs, and making sure nothing important falls through the cracks simply because no one had the time or the framework to address it.

What becomes possible when you have the right support

Most families navigating a pet’s senior or geriatric years are doing it without a clear picture of what’s actually happening — or what’s genuinely possible. They’re managing changes as they appear, making their best decisions with incomplete information, and carrying a low-level worry that rarely gets addressed directly.

Working with Telos changes that. Not by removing the uncertainty that comes with an aging pet — that’s real, and it doesn’t disappear. But by giving you the knowledge, the framework, and the ongoing support to meet it with confidence rather than dread.

You’ll understand what you’re actually seeing when your pet’s behavior or condition changes — and what it means. You’ll know how to maximize their mobility, comfort, appetite, and quality of life in ways that are specific to them, not generic advice from the internet. You’ll have an advocate who helps you have the most productive possible conversations with your veterinary team — so that appointments feel less overwhelming and more actionable. And you’ll have someone to call when something shifts and you’re not sure whether it matters.

The goal isn’t just to manage what’s happening. It’s to help you and your pet move through this chapter together — with mastery, with presence, and without the quiet weight of feeling like you’re always one step behind.

This is what it means to be a well-supported guardian. Not untouched by the reality of what’s ahead — but no longer navigating it alone.

If your vet recently mentioned senior bloodwork panels or a geriatric assessment — and something in you tightened when they said it — that’s worth naming. That reaction is anticipatory grief. It’s completely normal. And it’s one of the most common reasons families pull back from exactly the support that would help them most.

What support actually looks like

Support at this stage is proactive by design — built around understanding what’s happening now, anticipating what’s coming, and making sure you have what you need to meet it. Here’s what working together actually involves.

Understanding & planning

Getting a clear, honest picture of where your pet is — and what’s possible

The work begins with a personal consultation to properly understand your concerns and assess both your pet’s needs and your family’s situation. A quality of life and well-being assessment gives you an accurate, grounded picture of where your pet actually is — not a worst-case scenario, not false reassurance, but the truth about what’s happening and what it means. From there, you’ll understand the trajectory of any diagnoses your pet is managing, what to watch for as things evolve, and what decisions may be worth thinking about now rather than later.

Day to day support

The informed, consistent presence that turns uncertainty into confidence

Regular scheduled check-ins keep a steady eye on your pet’s comfort and condition — and give you a reliable touchpoint when something changes or something doesn’t seem right. Lorrie helps you recognize behaviors that can signal anxiety, discomfort, pain, nausea, or distress — so you’re never left guessing. She provides coaching on medication administration, appetite challenges, and environmental safety — practical, specific guidance tailored to your pet, not generic advice. And for pets managing mobility issues or cognitive decline, enrichment education helps maintain their mental and emotional well-being in ways that are realistic and sustainable for your family.

Coordination & communication

Making sure your veterinary team has the full picture — every time

One of the most valuable things Lorrie brings to your pet’s care is advocacy. She helps you prepare for veterinary appointments so that what’s been happening between visits is clearly communicated — and so that the conversations that need to happen, actually happen. She connects you with local resources tailored to your pet’s and family’s evolving needs: veterinary professionals, pet care providers, products, and more. And she facilitates the kind of robust, informed dialogue with your veterinary interdisciplinary team that most families struggle to initiate on their own — not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t always know how.

Grief & emotional support

For you — because anticipatory grief is real, and it starts earlier than most people realize

Caring for an aging pet is emotionally complex in ways that are rarely acknowledged. The grief doesn’t wait for the end — it shows up in the quiet moments, the changes you notice, the appointments you’ve been putting off. As a Certified Pet Loss & Grief Companion, Lorrie provides consistent emotional support throughout the process — with nuanced communication, deep understanding, and zero judgment. You don’t have to perform okay. You don’t have to have it together. You just have to show up — and she’ll meet you exactly where you are.

The depth and frequency of support depends on the plan you and Lorrie build together. Details on the Core Level Support Plan — Level One of Telos’s Integrated Support Plans — are outlined below.

The Core Level Support Plan

This is Level One of Telos’s Integrated Support Plans — and it’s exactly where most families begin.

Designed for guardians of senior and geriatric pets who want meaningful, ongoing support before bigger challenges develop. Starting here means you’re already ahead.

IN-PERSON · GREATER ANN ARBOR

Core Level Support

$75 / month

— Two virtual check-in appointments or one in-home appointment per month

— Complimentary access to the virtual learning hub on palliative care topics for caregivers

— Complimentary download of the Telos Quality of Well-Being Assessment Tool

Get started — email telos.cares@gmail.com

VIRTUAL · AVAILABLE ANYWHERE IN THE U.S.

Core Level Support

$85 / month

— Two virtual check-in appointments monthly

— Complimentary access to the virtual learning hub on palliative care topics for caregivers

— Complimentary download of the Telos Quality of Well-Being Assessment Tool

Get started — email telos.cares@gmail.com

IS THIS THE RIGHT PLAN?

The Core Level Support Plan is designed for families with senior or geriatric pets who are aging and whose needs are evolving — but who have not been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and whose condition has not reached a point of significant decline in well-being.

If your pet has received a terminal diagnosis, or if their progressive or chronic condition has advanced significantly, a higher level of support is available and appropriate. Details on Integrated Hospice Support Plans are available on the plans pages.

You don’t have to be in crisis to reach out. You don’t have to have a diagnosis in hand or a plan already formed. If something you’ve read here resonated — if part of you recognized your aging cat, aging dog or other species of pet, or yourself, in these pages — that’s enough. That’s exactly the right moment to get in touch.

The families who are best supported are those who connect early — before things get harder, before the changes become harder to manage, and before the weight of it all becomes something they’re carrying alone. You have the opportunity to be one of those families. It starts with a single email.

The best first step is an email.

telos.cares@gmail.com

When families first reach out, they’re often overwhelmed and carrying a lot. Email gives you the space to share what’s happening at your own pace — and gives Lorrie the space to respond thoughtfully, with real information, rather than reactively. It’s how this works best, from the very first contact.

Lorrie personally reads and responds to every email — typically within a couple of hours, and always the same day. You will not be waiting.