Good Old Dog: Expert Advice for Keeping Your Aging Dog Happy, Healthy, and Comfortable [Hardcover]

Good Old Dog is a great resource for people who have an aging 4 legged friend of the canine variety.

While a great resource, it is NOT comprehensive. This is, of course, not a negative as the book is expertly written and researched and includes plenty of "real dog" stories to help get some of the finer points across that may not be relayed easily during the more fact filled descriptions of issues. But it deserves to be pointed out; there are certainly many issues for aging dogs that just aren't covered.

What is included are the top issues/problems/concerns that the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, which is one of the largest residency programs for Veterinary Medicine in the USA, see on a regular basis. According to the back of the book, they see 26,000 cases annually, 8,000 of which are for elderly dogs. I would say if they claim these are the top issues and concerns a person should have for an aging dog, they are likely right.

If you're looking for a comprehensive of issues facing aging dogs, there really doesn't seem to be many if any out there.

Did you know that an aged dog's nutritional needs differ from those of a middle aged dog? Do you know how to spot the signs of aging and do you know when you should begin looking at when to change the diet to one more suited to an older dog? After reading this book you will.

Also included are chapters on joint care, cancer discussions, kidney failure, heart disease and dementia. In the more general care area there are chapters on changing the diet of an older dog (including wonderful information on supplements), what to anticipate in caring for your aging dog (an ounce of prevention...), how to keep your aging dog stimulated without over exerting themselves and finally, dealing with the decision most dog owners must eventually make, putting your beloved friend/companion/pet to sleep. For the last part, putting your dog to sleep, they don't really sugar coat it but they do give you some very, very fine pointers on how to know when the time to make the decision has come.

The copy I have being a pre-release copy ("advance reading"), there is one thing I sorely miss from the pages of this book; an index. There is, according to the table of contents, a planned index of all the information included in the book. As this book paints itself as a reference for "keeping your aging dog happy, healthy and comfortable," it would be nice to have a way to quickly flip to the index and try to find the pertinent sections of the text this way. I give the 5 star review with the hope that this books includes a comprehensive index. I enjoyed reading this book and the invaluable information it provides, enough to actually purchase the final release for the index alone.

While I don't currently have an elderly dog (my current dog is an 8 month old pup), reading through this book and applying what I've read to what we experienced prior to having our 14 year old Shetland Sheepdog put down last year, I kind of wish I had had this book then. Moving forward with my new puppy, I will be sure to keep hold of this book for the future and keep my eye out for signs of old age (which hopefully won't be fore quite a few years from now!).

Also, it cannot be stressed enough; if you suspect your dog is sick, don't rely solely on any book for a diagnosis; get your dog to an animal hospital or your veterinarian RIGHT AWAY. This book is meant as a resource and supplement to REGULAR health check ups for your companion, not a replacement for proper veterinary care.

Anyone interested in this book is clearly concerned about proper care of their senior dog. I've had the pleasure of sharing my life with dogs for many years, and have recently been reading almost everything I can about them. What can we do to make our canine companions later years as comfortable and healthy as possible? Does the book assist in that goal? Yes and no.

Although a book on senior dogs is needed, this one is not comprehensive, rather it is an over-view. Perhaps it is impossible to cover everything in one volume, but this isn't a lengthy book. I felt a number of areas were not adequately covered. Perhaps simply stating the book is a beginning point is sufficient.

I found the chapter on proper canine diet, confusing. I did learn to look for the Statement of Nutritional Adequacy and to look for an indication that the food went through animal feedings tests using Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) procedures, rather than it simply met established nutritional standards. Clearly it is important to know the food was actually fed to dogs in a test environment.

There is additional information regarding these standards which adds value to the chapter but, the information about lack of standards in the term --senior-- dog food seemed to contradict the author's solid faith in prepared food and question the motivations of the manufacturers.

Apparently not only is there no legal definition for the term - senior -- but the ingredients may be unhealthy and actually cause problems to a dog previously doing fine on their old chow. The author mentioned increased sodium levels, higher fat and higher calories all inadvertently putting the senior dog at risk after their well intentioned human switches them to a diet presumably designed for the aging canine.

Then there is the issue of by-products found in dog food. The author states that by-products are considered delicacies, like sweetbreads. Yes, some by-products are considered delicacies, but I doubt those bits are finding their way into the dog chow. When the term by-products is used in animal food it can mean anything from bird beaks and feathers to who knows what else. Books by holistic veterinarians focus much attention on how the life span of dogs is decreasing rather than increasing and that is largely attributable to both prepared diets and environment. It isn't that all prepared food is bad, but the lack of concern about by-products seemed at best, odd. So, I had difficulty reconciling the author's opinion about by-products while pointing out the lack of standards and then expressing faith in the chow.

Another stumbling point -- the author explained that adding a few precious months to our dogs life actually equates to a much longer period in dog time. Apparently this point is so important he mentioned it several times in the book. Well, it may be true that three months to us is much longer to a dog, but we live in people time and to be blunt, dog guardians are paying for expensive treatments with people money not dog treats. It is noted that just because a treatment exists doesn't mean it needs to be done - and that is an important statement, and one not mentioned nearly enough particularly when the patient is a senior dog. Dog guardians are not always informed of that fact.

One of my dogs is currently terminally ill. When she was diagnosed the oncologist suggested chemotherapy although it is proven to be ineffective with this form of cancer. How do I know this? It was clearly stated on the biopsy report. I asked why the ineffective treatment was being proposed and was told because it is the only thing available.

I imagine it is difficult facing a client and being unable to provide any shred of hope. But people have a right to the full picture when making these decisions, difficult as it may be to hear. Whether I want to spend many thousands of dollars to add three months to the life of my precious senior dog is a personal decision, but it should be made with full knowledge that there is no assurance I will gain even a few months, and that the cost of the additional time includes many of my dog's remaining days spent in the veterinarian's office, stressed and perhaps in discomfort.

The author mentions saving for future medical costs and having insurance, but that's not enough. I've encountered expensive procedures that insurance will not cover, and, when they do pay, often it is a small portion of the charge. For example, they paid nothing for knee surgeries on my dogs and ten years ago one of my dogs swallowed part of a presumably safe dissolvable dog bone treat. It became lodged in her throat. She needed an emergency endoscopy to locate it and either pull it back out or push it into her stomach. The charge was close to a thousand dollars and the insurance would cover only $150 of it.

I increasingly feel that as medical treatment options for dogs advance, the veterinarians lose sight of common sense in approaching their human clients, and regrettably, some of their behaviors could be interpreted as self-serving. Saving for unexpected medical costs and having pet insurance are fine pieces of advice but in many cases, inadequate. Our vets need to be candid and pragmatic with us so we can make the best decisions for our companions and our families.

Although I have mixed feelings about the book, there is genuinely helpful information contained in the last chapter. Given the subject matter, facing serious illness and saying good-bye are prominent issues in the book. And, the End-of-Life Decisions chapter provides great substance and advice. This chapter alone may be worth the cost of the book.

There's a whole galaxy of books about dogs, but the "senior years" have been relatively neglected. This excellent book, Good Old Dog, remedies that situation. Written by the faculty of the Tufts Cumming School of Veterinary Medicine, it covers just about every aspect of aging dogs' lives you could possibly want to know about. There are chapters on nutrition, arthritis, dementia, cancer and much more. I particularly appreciated the following areas:

The caution about dog foods branded with "senior" in the name was very good. Also, the information in that chapter about dogs' caloric intake, how to read the labels on dog food packages, and weight control was as good as any I've read in a dog book, whether about aging dogs or otherwise.

Since my dog can't easily or always tell me when she's not feeling well, it's especially useful to know about indicators or signs to look for to tell whether she may be having joint problems, kidney issues, or whatever. Good Old Dog is great about giving a lot of tips along those lines.

The chapter on "End-Of-Life Decisions" was a bit hard for me to read, as I just lost Lady, a 15 year-old companion, a few months ago. However, I wish I had read this before she was put to sleep. In her final months, I got very tired of hearing two comments from well-meaning friends, "You'll know when it's time" and "she'll tell you when it's time." In my case with Lady, neither of those was true. Fortunately I got more practical advice from vets, but the chapter on this subject in Good Old Dog provides a great set of criteria to consider regarding the dog's quality of life, things I will definitely consider the next time I have to go through that awful decision again.

One of the best things about the book is that it isn't just a dry recitation of medical knowledge. The book is filled with true stories of older dogs and their families that made it much easier for me to relate to the topics, and made the reading more interesting in general.

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