Defining healthy aging in older dogs and differentiating healthy aging from disease

Bellows, Jan; Colitz, Carmen M. H.; Daristotle, Leighann; Ingram, Donald K.; Lepine, Allan J.; Marks, Stanley L.; Sanderson, Sherry L.; Tomlinson, James L.; Zhang, Jie

doi:10.2460/javma.246.1.77

Cited by 55 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 60 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In addition to evidence of inflammation and gastrointestinal bleeding, aging dogs also have increased liver enzyme activity and increased cholesterol concentrations. Specifically, cholesterol, ALP, and ALT increased with age, which have been previously described . There are numerous possible explanations for these increases.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Hematology and biochemistry of aging—evidence of “anemia of the elderly” in old dogs

Radakovich

Pannone

Truelove

et al. 2017

Veterinary Clinical Pathol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Hematology and biochemistry of aging—evidence of “anemia of the elderly” in old dogs

Radakovich

Pannone

Truelove

et al. 2017

Veterinary Clinical Pathol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This approach, preferably with subject‐based RIs, can help to detect chronic disease in an early stage. For the laboratory variables that were outside the RI (Table ), some of the abnormal values could truly be the result of occult disease, but the RI may not be appropriate for this age group as well . Animals between 1 and 7 years of age of different breeds and sizes were used as reference population, which may be inappropriate for assessment of elderly dogs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4,[9][10][11][12] A recent health screening study in middle-aged and old cats performed by our group confirmed that abnormalities are common in elderly cats and emphasized the need for regular health checks and agedependent laboratory reference intervals (RIs). 13,14 The same might be true for dogs.…”

mentioning

confidence: 91%

Results of Screening of Apparently Healthy Senior and Geriatric Dogs

Willems

Paepe

Marynissen

et al. 2016

Veterinary Internal Medicne

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThere is a growing interest in health care of elderly dogs; however, scientific information about physical and laboratory examination findings in this age group is limited.ObjectivesTo describe systolic blood pressure (SBP), and results of physical examination and laboratory tests in senior and geriatric dogs that were judged by the owner to be healthy.AnimalsHundred client‐owned dogs.MethodsDogs were prospectively recruited. Owners completed a questionnaire. SBP measurement, physical, orthopedic and neurologic examination, direct fundoscopy and Schirmer tear test were performed. Complete blood count, serum biochemistry, and urinalysis were evaluated.ResultsForty‐one senior and 59 geriatric dogs were included. Mean SBP was 170 ± 38 mmHg, and 53 dogs had SBP > 160 mmHg. Thirty‐nine animals were overweight. A heart murmur was detected in 22, severe calculus in 21 and 1 or more (sub)cutaneous masses in 56 dogs. Thirty‐two dogs had increased serum creatinine, 29 hypophosphatemia, 27 increased ALP, 25 increased ALT, and 23 leukopenia. Crystalluria, mostly amorphous crystals, was commonly detected (62/96). Overt proteinuria and borderline proteinuria were detected in 13 and 18 of 97 dogs, respectively. Four dogs had a positive urine bacterial culture. Frequency of orthopedic problems, frequency of (sub)cutaneous masses, and platelet count were significantly higher in geriatric compared with senior dogs. Body temperature, hematocrit, serum albumin, and serum total thyroxine concentration were significantly lower in geriatric compared with senior dogs.Conclusions and Clinical ImportancePhysical and laboratory abnormalities are common in apparently healthy elderly dogs. Veterinarians play a key role in implementing health screening and improving health care for elderly pets.

show abstract

“…As Bellows et al (2015) make clear in a recent comprehensive review of healthy aging, many nonfatal maladies of aging, such as joint pain, hearing and vision loss, and muscle weakness, are common in aging dogs. Of particular relevance to this review, we find that just as in humans there are many fatal and nonfatal maladies in dogs that increase with age.…”

Section: Dogs Aging and The Longevity Dividendmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Companion Dog as a Model for the Longevity Dividend

Creevy

Austad

Hoffman

et al. 2016

Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The companion dog is the most phenotypically diverse species on the planet. This enormous variability between breeds extends not only to morphology and behavior but also to longevity and the disorders that affect dogs. There are remarkable overlaps and similarities between the human and canine species. Dogs closely share our human environment, including its many risk factors, and the veterinary infrastructure to manage health in dogs is second only to the medical infrastructure for humans. Distinct breed-based health profiles, along with their well-developed health record system and high overlap with the human environment, make the companion dog an exceptional model to improve understanding of the physiological, social, and economic impacts of the longevity dividend (LD). In this review, we describe what is already known about age-specific patterns of morbidity and mortality in companion dogs, and then explore whether this existing evidence supports the LD. We also discuss some potential limitations to using dogs as models of aging, including the fact that many dogs are euthanized before they have lived out their natural life span. Overall, we conclude that the companion dog offers high potential as a model system that will enable deeper research into the LD than is otherwise possible.

show abstract

Defining healthy aging in older dogs and differentiating healthy aging from disease

Cited by 55 publications

References 60 publications

Hematology and biochemistry of aging—evidence of “anemia of the elderly” in old dogs

Hematology and biochemistry of aging—evidence of “anemia of the elderly” in old dogs

Results of Screening of Apparently Healthy Senior and Geriatric Dogs

The Companion Dog as a Model for the Longevity Dividend

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About