• "A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue" -Author Unknown
  • "Every boy should have two things: a dog and a mother willing to let him have one." - Anonymous
  • "Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies." - Gene Hill
  • A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same. - Elbert Hubbard
  • "A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away." -Bil Keane
  • "A meow massages the heart." - Stuart McMillan
  • "There is more to life than increasing speed." -Mahatma Ghandi
  • "Happiness is where we find it, but rarely where we seek it." - J. Petit Senn
  • "If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question, or asked the question wrong." - Pat Parelli
  • "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." - Winston Churchill
  • "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." -Roger Caras
  • "No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle." - Winston Churchill
  • "Agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms." - George Eliot
  • "To err is human - to forgive, canine."
  • "Money may buy you a fine dog, but only love can make it wag its tail." -Kinky Friedman
  • "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France
  • "I hope to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am." - Unknown
  • "Horses - if God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself." - Author unknown
  • "Are we really sure the purring is coming from the kitty and not from our very own hearts?" - Terri Guillemets
  • "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." - Ben Williams

The Aging Process

birthdaydogpicturescakeAs animals move through life, they go through many of the same aging processes that humans do. Their hair may turn gray, their body seems to wear out and the their senses dim. Diseases that are commonly known to afflict humans also affect our pets: kidney, heart, and liver disease, tumors, cancer, diabetes, depression, "Alzheimer's", etc.

We need  to consider what is a typical lifespan for a pet and realize that they age much quicker than humans do. As a rule of thumb, smaller breeds of dogs live longer than larger breeds of dogs, & cats live longer than dogs. Different breeds and lifestyles can also affect the aging process.

The old saying was seven dog years for every 'human' year. The table to the right is a more accurate quantification of comparing your pet's age to "human years". For example, if your dog is 75 lbs. and is 8 years old...it would be equivalent to a 55 year old human.

Aging is not a disease, but rather a manifestation of the body's diminished repair response. In animals, 'old age' is generally referred to as the last 25% of their lifespan. In addition to the number of years lived, aging is affected by such important factors as genetics, nutrition and environment. While dogs and cats begin to undergo aging changes starting at about age 5-7 years, different pets will show the various signs of growing 'old' at different rates. The best time to recognize your pet's "senior" status and need for extra TLC is long before advanced problems are apparent.

To increase the length and quality of your pet's life, it is important to 1) realize the speed of the aging process and 2) take preventative steps to manage risk factors related to your pet's health.

Important Steps
  • Have regular wellness check-ups by your veterinarian. Every 3-6 months is appropriate for seniors.
    If you only have your pet examined once every calendar year, your pet has actually aged  4-8 years!!!!
  • The correct nutrition and supplements are especially important as the body ages
    and it cannot assimilate nutrients as well as when he/she was younger.
  •  Exercise is important to keep their bodies from deteriorating physically.
    (Use common sense for the appropriate type & amount of exercise.)
  • Watch for any (even subtle) physical or behavioral changes so that they can be addressed as soon as possible.

 

Age (yrs)

0-20 lbs

21-50 lbs

51-90 lbs

>90 lbs

3 mos

3

5

8

11

6 mos

8

10

13

16

1

13

15

18

21

2

22

24

27

29

3

26

28

31

33

4

30

32

35

37

5

36

38

40

42

6

40

42

45

49

7

44

47

50

56

8

48

51

55

64

9

52

56

61

71

10

56

60

66

78

11

60

65

72

86

12

64

69

77

93

13

68

74

82

101

14

72

78

88

108

15

76

83

93

115

16

80

87

99

Background Color

 

17

84

92

104

White-Adult

18

88

96

109

Light Gray-Senior

19

92

101

115

Dark Gray-Geriatric