Senior Dogs E-Book

Kim Campbell Thornton

• Herausgeber: CompanionHouse Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Serie: Simple Solutions Series
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 23

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Whether teaching a dog the basics, turning Fido from frumpy to fabulous, or traveling with man's best friend, Dog Fancy magazine's Simple Solutions books are best bets for dog owners. Filled with helpful tips and fun illustrations, these handy guides serve as easy-to-use foundations for success.

Leseprobe

Susan Chaney, Consulting Editor

Copyright © 2006, 2009 by I-5 Press™

Illustrations copyright © 2006 by Buck Jones

The dogs in this book are referred to as he and she in alternating chapters.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press™, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Library of Congress-in-Publication Data

Thornton, Kim Campbell.

Senior dogs / by Kim Campbell Thornton ; illustrations by Buck Jones.

p. cm. — (Simple solutions)

ISBN 1-931993-72-6

eISBN: 9781620080764

1. Dogs. 2. Dogs—Aging. 3. Dogs—Health. 4. Dogs—Diseases. 5. Veterinary geriatrics. I. Title. II. Series: Simple solutions (Irvine, Calif.)

SF427.T493 2006

636.7'089'897—dc22

2005016365

I-5 Press™

A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC™

3 Burroughs

Irvine, California 92618

Printed and bound in China

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Contents

When Is a Dog Old?

The Geriatric Exam

Age-Related Health Problems

A Comfortable Old Age

Health, Diet, and Grooming

Activity Level and Mental Stimulation

When Is a Dog Old?

Aging occurs when the body starts to deteriorate faster than it can regenerate. Some of us can recall when it started happening to our bodies. Our memories became less sharp and our bodies became more prone to soreness and stiffness after exertion. The same thing happens to our dogs as they age. Dogs age at different rates, depending on their breed, their size, and the simple luck of the genetic draw. For instance, large dogs tend to age more rapidly than do small dogs; flat-faced breeds tend to age more rapidly than do dogs with longer muzzles. Some dogs just have good genes when it comes to longevity, no matter what their breed or size. In general, though, a dog enters her senior years at age seven or eight. Giant breeds typically begin aging a little earlier, achieving senior status at five or six years. Toy breeds age a little later than average, entering their golden years at approximately nine or ten years.

Fortunately for dogs (and for the people who love them), advances in veterinary medicine and canine nutrition have greatly increased the canine life span; senior diets, new medications, and ramps and other aids are available to improve their health and comfort. With lots of love and good care, dogs can live into their mid-teens, with a rare few reaching advanced ages of eighteen or nineteen years.