Your Older Dog: A Complete Guide to Helping Your Dog Live a Longer and Healthier Life - Softcover

Jean Callahan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1840923571 ISBN 13: 9781840923575

Publisher: Apple Press, 2002

Synopsis

As a dog owner, you know that caring for your older pet can be a challenge. It's hard to watch your dog -- whose frisky puppy days don't seem so long ago -- begin to slow down a little and go gray around the muzzle. But thanks to extraordinary advances in veterinary medicine and pet nutrition, dogs are living longer, and with the right kind of care you can help your pet stay healthy and happy well into his golden years. A practical and sensitive all-in-one reference, "Your Older Dog" guides you through the aging process in dogs, starting with middle age. With plenty of information on maximizing your dog's active years and a complete guide to age-related health problems, "Your Older Dog" offers the latest research from veterinarians and pet care experts, What to expect as your dog grows older, and how to recognize the onset of old age Preventive health care, with tips on developing a routine diet, using nutritional supplements, exercising, and choosing the best veterinary care Safe and effective alternative treatments for aging dogs -- ranging from acupuncture and massage to herbal and homeopathic medicines The best approaches to such common illnesses as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and respiratory and digestive difficulties With adorable color photos and illustrations throughout, "Your Older Dog" gives you the vital information and reassurance you need to provide the best care for your best friend.

About this title

Review

Watching a beloved pet age can be a painful process. Joints start creaking, tempers get short, and the sheer goofiness of the puppy you brought home years ago may disappear entirely. Your Older Dog makes this stage of your dog's life easier through some basic education. Author Jean Callahan has compiled more than 100 pages of information on exercise, nutrition, and common health concerns that you'll find helpful in easing your pup's journey from middle age to the end.

The book begins by walking you through the aging process, complete with average life expectancy for various breeds and a simple healthy-dog checklist. Clear skin and shiny coat? No unfortunate accidents after years of being successfully housetrained? Sounds like you've got a healthy dog. The section on age-related changes goes a bit deeper into specific problems to prepare for, such as urinary tract difficulties, periodontal disease, and arthritis, which are also discussed in detail later in the book. The chapter discussing alternative healing for canines covers herbs, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, and chiropractors. Even if these treatments are difficult to find in your neck of the woods, the author provides helpful tips that you can try at home, such as applying a mint-filled collar for flea deterrence using nothing more than some fabric and some fresh mint.

Suggestions for exercise and nutrition will teach you ways to make sure your dog is having her changing requirements met. Like humans, dogs require fewer calories as they age, so you may need to examine her diet as well. Death and grieving are discussed sensitively, with tips for easing the process for all surviving family members. It may be true that all good things must end, but there is no reason they can't end well. --Jill Lightner

About the Author

Dog lover, author, and freelance health writer Jean Callahan has contributed to five books and written articles for Self, Glamour, Parenting, and other national magazines. She has also written and produced many newsletters on health and pets. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts.

Edition details

• Publisher: Apple Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1840923571
• ISBN 13: 9781840923575
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144