Age Isn't a Disease
While my husband and I were walking our two greyhounds, it hit me. My female dog is getting OLD. She's about 10 years old, which is pretty old for a big dog like herself. She was panting and dragging behind in the heat. So I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to talk a little about aging dogs.
Way too often we blame things on "old age." My clients often say to me "Fluffy is slowing down, I just figured it's because she's getting old." That may be partially true, but in veterinary medicine we say, "Age is not a disease." You're right, with age comes problems such as arthritis, but we can't blame age itself, just the disease processes that come with it.
Diseases that accompany old age include arthritis, liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease, dental disease, and sometimes bad stuff like cancer. So be aware of your dog's aging process and be sure to discuss preventive care with your vet. Get regular blood tests to make sure everything is working right in there. Get your dog on a glucosamine chondroitin supplement to help prevent arthritis. Keep his weight down. Did you know dogs of ideal body weight live 15% longer than their overweight counterparts? More to come on that later. Choose a healthy food for senior dogs--I feed my dogs Orijen Senior Dry Dog Food.
Dogs today are living longer than ever so take good care of your senior!
Dr. Finan
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Dr. Finan is an emergency veterinarian in Chicago, IL and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.
