All I know is that vets have usually depended on the dog's teeth to estimate the age of animals. If there is another way I do not know it.
If your Nya lived a life that perhaps was not giving her all she needed to be healthy and happy her body may have aged prematurely or she may be a more sedate type of personality.
I don't know about paying for the blood test. It seems that if the dog has remained on the original dose of medication and it comes back normal that there would have been a mistake. In that case you should not have to pay for the error. I guess it's up to the vet to admit the error though. Labs do make mistakes especially when labeling things.
Have you considered giving Nya a skin and coat supplement to help her with her issues? Some dogs are just deficient in what is needed to produce a good coat. I have used Mirra-Coat in the past with wonderful results. |