BSAVA PetSavers

Dogs are living up to twice as long as they did 40 years ago which has implications for ageing dogs’ healthcare and wellbeing. As the life expectancy of our canine golden oldies increases, so does the amount of time our dogs spend in poor health.

We funded a research project at the University of Liverpool involving in-depth interviews and online questionnaires with veterinary professionals and owners to gather their experiences of caring for senior dogs. The research showed that it can be difficult for owners to know what are ‘normal’ age-related changes (signs of ageing) or whether signs indicate possible disease that would benefit from veterinary advice and treatment.

Key findings from the study were used to develop a traffic light colour-coded checklist to help owners know whether to seek advice from a veterinary practice and to guide discussions during consultations. The checklist, supported by a booklet about the more common health problems affecting aged dogs, forms part of the Ageing Canine Toolkit. This is freely available to UK veterinary practices through the BSAVA store and can be freely downloaded at http://flk.bz/PNZn.