A Late Senior Age for a Long-Lived Breed
A Lagotto Romagnolo is usually considered a senior at around eleven to twelve years old. Among the oldest of water and truffle breeds, the Lagotto is notably long-lived for its size, with many individuals active into their mid-teens. Senior care therefore starts later here than in most medium breeds, and it may need to serve the dog well for four or five years.
That long runway is an argument for starting properly rather than casually: twice-yearly vet visits from eleven, honest weight tracking, and joint-aware exercise protect a dog that has a great deal of good life left to use.
How Aging Appears Under the Curls
The Lagotto's dense, rustic, single curly coat is a poor narrator of age. It hides weight in both directions, conceals the muscle loss that thins an older dog's hindquarters, and can mat over sore skin. Your hands are the instrument: feel for ribs, check the coat down to skin weekly, and weigh the dog rather than guessing from its teddy-bear outline.
Behaviour gives earlier clues. A Lagotto lives through its nose, and the senior shift often shows as shorter searching sessions in the woods or garden, more checking back to the owner, and deeper sleep after a scenting outing. Morning stiffness after damp, cold days is another common early note in a breed that worked outdoors in all weather.
Greying appears in the muzzle and around the eyes, more visible on darker brown and roan coats than on cream ones.
Senior Care Shaped by the Nose
Do not pension off the truffle hunter. Replace long forest searches with frequent short ones, hide scented toys or treats around the garden and house, and let the dog solve easy finds often. Frequent success keeps a senior Lagotto's confidence and appetite for life, which matter as much as its joints.
Exercise becomes steady rather than strenuous: regular walks on softer ground, swimming if the dog enjoys it and can enter and exit safely, and rest days after any unusually big outing. Keep the coat clipped to a manageable length so skin checks and drying after wet walks stay easy.
Feed measured meals and adjust as activity changes. A breed this food-motivated, slowing down over a long senior period, gains weight by stealth unless portions are reviewed at each vet visit.
When to Bring the Vet In
Book an appointment for weight change you cannot explain, a clear rise in thirst, persistent stiffness or limping, or a Lagotto that stops wanting to search, since loss of interest in scent work is a meaningful change in this breed. Any new lump found under the curls should be checked, and lumps that grow should be checked promptly rather than at the next routine visit.
As with any dog, collapse, breathing trouble, or a swollen, tight abdomen is an emergency needing immediate care.
Screening results across a long senior life only reveal their trend when they sit side by side, and KinsLe's Pet Passport keeps a Lagotto's records and vet notes together in one packet that carries that history cleanly.