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When is a dog considered a senior and why is it important to know this?

Senior age dogs have special nutritional and medical considerations.

We must consider the life span of a dog in comparison to ours to understand how much faster they age than we do.  We should also consider the size of the dog when considering the aging process, as smaller dogs generally have longer life spans and larger dogs generally have shorter life spans.  Thus, from a general standpoint, the larger the dog, the faster they age.

Breed must also be considered when evaluating the aging rate of a dog.  Heavily selectively bred dogs such as Boston Terrier, French Bulldog, English Bulldog, and Shar-pei have on average considerably shorter life spans than other breeds in the same size range.  Thus, we can look at the age/breed guidelines to know when our dog has reached his senior years relative to “people years.”

Toy – small breeds: 8-9 years

Medium to large breeds: 7-8 years

Giant breeds: 5-6 years

Small to medium heavily selectively bred dog breeds (including French Bulldogs, Shar-pei, Boston Terrier): 7-8 years

English Bulldogs: 5-6 years

It is important for dog parents to understand the rate at which our dogs age so that we can enact early intervention to nurture their health from a nutritional and medical perspective.  From a nutritional perspective, we need to start looking at transitioning to a senior diet at the appropriate age.  Nutritional needs change in the senior years for dogs much as they change for people.

The aging process itself is very basic.  Throughout the lifetime of an organism, cells constantly die and are replaced via a process of cellular replication call mitosis.  With age, there are increasing mistakes that occur in the replication of the cells that compromise their integrity, which ultimately compromises the integrity of the tissues that they make up.

One the key factors that lead to cellular replication mistakes is the accumulation of free radicals in the body over time.  Thus, senior diets are fortified with extra antioxidants that serve as biological sponges to remove free radicals, which in turn slows the aging process by preserving cells and tissues.

Metabolism slows with age and lean muscle mass becomes harder to maintain with age, favoring greater accumulation of body fat and reduction in lean muscle.  Senior diets are restricted in calories, favor more complex carbohydrates, and a higher percentage of  protein to combat this age-related tendency.

High quality senior diets are fortified with increased soluble and insoluble fiber to promote good gut function, healthy bowel movements, and reduce calories without increasing hunger.  High quality senior diets are also fortified with omega-3-fatty acids, which have strong anti-inflammatory properties.  This helps reduce inflammation in the body, promotes brain health, and helps to maintain healthy joints.  In addition to dietary omega-3-fatty acids, I recommend additional supplementation with a reputable omega-3 fish oil supplement for senior dogs.

From medical perspective, senior dogs at a minimum should have once-a-year general blood work as part of their well care regimen.  However, considering that a dog ages on average 6 times faster than us – and thus ages physiologically 6 years a one-year time span – I advise twice a year blood work as the ideal standard for senior wellness.

Beyond longevity, a comprehensive senior wellness and nutritional program for your dog optimizes the quality of life for however many years we are blessed to have our senior dogs with us.  All the measures outlined in this chapter will maximize longevity to be sure, but more importantly, make life more comfortable for our senior dogs as they continue to age: better mobility, better digestion, more energy, better cognitive ability, better senses, etc.

Dr. Roger Welton is a practicing veterinarian and highly regarded media personality through a number of topics and platforms. He is the author of his top selling memoir The Man In The White Coat: A Veterinarian’s Tail Of Love. In addition to this writing this blog, Dr. Welton also hosts the popular Space Coast Pet Podcast.  He is the CEO and chief attending veterinarian of Premier Veterinary Care in Viera, FL.

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