Senior Dogs Blog

A unique open house was held in Lakewood, Ohio

Tuesday’s art reception had all the elements, a hip Lakewood café, a nice crowd of patrons, wine, flowers food, candles, music, dog pee?

You heard that right; photo, after photo, after photo of dog pee.

“It’s tinkle, I mean, ya know, it’s not .., we’re not serious artist here, it’s a little tinkle trail , you see what you want in it.”

The canine artist is Tucker, a disabled German Shepherd, who’s getting on in his years.

His degenerative nerve disease, in his legs, took away the traditional leg lift when he has to pee. So now he expresses himself with the gait of a drunken sailor.

Kara Vlach Lasher and her husband, contend that you can find art in everyday life, and have some fun in the process. They’ve been snapping these photos and selling the artwork to benefit the Animal Protective League and the Sanctuary for Senior Dogs.

pee-ces of art by tucker

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Most scientists dedicated to discovering the biology behind why we age study worms, flies and mice in cages. Now a research veterinarian thinks it’s time to add man’s best friend to the list of aging workhorses that could be harnessed by researchers – and he’s setting out to prove it.

Bort, a 13-year-old pet Rottweiler from Holliston, Mass., will be the first dog visited by Dr. David J. Waters during The Old Grey Muzzle Tour. Waters will travel from Massachusetts to Washington state during the 23-day national tour. (Photo courtesy of the Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies, Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation

This week marks the launch of a 23-day trek by David J. Waters during which he will criss-cross the nation to visit the oldest living pet Rottweilers in the United States. Christened “The Old Grey Muzzle Tour,” the trek begins in Harrisburg, Pa., on Thursday (March 11) and will finish April 3 in Seattle.
The complete itinerary of the tour includes: March 11, Harrisburg, Pa.; March 12, Holliston, Mass.; March 13, Philadelphia; March 15, Keysville, Va.; March 16, Columbia, Tenn.; March 19, Cambridge, Wis.; March 20, Riverside, Iowa; March 21, Alma, Kan.; March 23, Red Oak, Texas; March 24, Castle Rock, Colo.; March 27, Colorado Springs, Colo.; March 28, Tijeras, N.M.; March 29, Waddell, Ariz.; March 30, San Diego; April 1, Pacific Palisades, Calif.; and April 3, Seattle.

Waters is executive director of the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation, based at the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette. The Murphy Foundation is home to the Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies where Waters leads a research team that studies aging and cancer in pet dogs. The research includes the study of exceptionally long-lived Rottweilers – individuals that have lived to at least 13 years, which is equivalent to a human living to 100.

“These exceptional dogs have lived at least 30 percent longer than average for their breed,” Waters said. “They have dodged cancer and other life-threatening diseases of aging. We believe studying them can shed light on what it takes to live well.”
Over the last three years, Waters’ team has tracked down information to create a database of more than 140 of these long-lived Rottweilers. Today, however, only 15 are alive.

So Waters will hit the road to meet these exceptional canines scattered across 13 states. He says a lot of preparation has gone into this scientific expedition.
“From questionnaires completed by owners and veterinarians, my team has validated dates of birth and collected a mountain of information about these dogs, including medical history, diet and dietary supplement usage, and parents’ longevity,” said Waters, who is associate director of Purdue’s Center on Aging and the Life Course and professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

Now, Waters says it’s time to go muzzle-to-muzzle with these special canines.
At each stop, Waters will perform a physical examination, collect DNA samples, and record measurements such as height and chest and belly circumference. He will observe each dog in its home environment and query owners on what makes their dog exceptional.
Few veterinarians have ever come face-to-face with more than a single Rottweiler that has made it to such an advanced age. That is why Waters is motivated to accomplish this feat 15 times in less than a four-week span.

“If you’re looking to come up with new theories on how kids can learn better, then you better carefully observe kids learning. When it comes to developing fresh insights on what it takes to age more successfully, the same holds true. There’s no substitute for careful firsthand observations,” he said.
The casual observer may think that the dogs Waters will examine are all alike – old, arthritic and not able to hear very well. Waters disagrees.
“Our working hypothesis is just the opposite – that each dog is uniquely different and this uniqueness holds the key to better understanding the different pathways to successful aging,” he said.

Along with collecting scientific data, the goal of “The Old Grey Muzzle Tour” is to raise visibility for this kind of scientific work. As people grow increasingly concerned with the number of years of healthy longevity rather than just the total number of years lived, there is growing need for newer model systems to find out what impacts healthy aging.
Roger McCarter, professor of biobehavioral health at Pennsylvania State University and an expert in aging research, described Waters’ work within the context of research done by others in the aging field.

“Dr. Waters is leading us to a new way of thinking about how to conduct healthspan research,” he said. “Pet dogs living in the same environment as people may be just the research tool we’ve been looking for.”
Waters believes the dogs his team has been studying may be well-suited for tackling some research questions, such as why women live longer than men. Waters’ team recently published results (Aging Cell, December 2009) showing that exceptionally long-lived female Rottweilers outnumber males. The currently longest living Rottweilers in the United States reflect this female survival advantage: 11 females and only four males.
As he begins his trek, Waters reflected on the close bond between dogs and their owners.
“For centuries, dogs have enriched people’s lives in important ways as our pets and our companions,” he said. “Now, we are recognizing that a special group of dogs may have something important to tell us about successful aging. This tour sends a simple message: We’re prepared to listen.”

About the Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies
The Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies seeks to identify important genetic and environmental determinants of healthy longevity and to better understand the complex relationship between aging and cancer. While the scientific community looks for reliable research approaches to verify exciting scientific leads, we see enormous value in studying pet dogs living with their owners as a virtual aging laboratory. There is a big payoff for validating this kind of innovative thinking – an opportunity to promote healthy longevity in both pets and people. The center and its research are supported by P&G Pet Care, makers of Iams and Eukanuba, and the Rottweiler Health Foundation. The research is conducted jointly by the Murphy Cancer Foundation and Purdue University. The Murphy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research institution.
About Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette

The 725-acre Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette has the largest university-affiliated business incubation complex in the country. The park is home to more than 160 companies. About 100 of these firms are technology-related and another 39 are incubator businesses. The park is owned and managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, a private, nonprofit foundation created to assist Purdue University in the area of economic development. In addition to the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, the foundation has established technology parks in other locations around Indiana including Indianapolis, Merrillville and New Albany.
Contact at Purdue Research Park:
Steve Martin, 765-588-3342, sgmartin@prf.org
Source:
David J. Waters, 765-775-1009, waters@purdue.edu
Credit: Press Release Purdue University

Always respect your elders! We do. You might remember our previous record holders, Otto, a dachshund from Shrewsbury, UK aged 20 who recently passed away or Chanel, a 21-year-old dachshund from Long Island, NY. If your dog is currently in his/her twilight years, and meets the requirements below, let us know.

Requirements:
- Birth certificate or clear evidence that can act as proof of age (e.g. dental records, vaccination records)
- Photographs of dog with owner(s) from the last 20-30 years.
- Minimum requirement is over 20 years old (as of 15 February 2010).

….More Info

This is a good article on anesthesia procedures for pets. Owners of an older dog or a dog that has heart decease should definitely review….


A dog receives an injection of “induction drugs,” which help animals enter the anesthetized stage prior to the insertion of a tube in the airway to administer a gas anesthetic.

Whenever my columns turn to the topic of pet health, whether it’s veterinary dentistry, a recalled drug or how to select a good veterinarian, one subject always generates lots of e-mail and comments: pet owners’ fears and concerns about anesthetizing their pets.
I’m not sure why this is particularly worrisome. Maybe it’s because pets tend to be anesthetized more frequently than humans. Animals, after all, are routinely given anesthesia for everything from spay/neuter surgery to dental exams and cleanings to imaging studies that require them to hold still. Or maybe it’s simply because pet owners think veterinary medicine isn’t practiced at as high a standard as human medicine.

Whatever the reason, the truth is that anesthesia inevitably carries some risk, but there’s a lot less to fear when it comes to anesthetizing our pets than there once was. There’s also a lot more that you and your pet’s veterinarian can do to make it as safe as possible.

“Our days of performing surgery on animals with substandard anesthesia are long gone, just as our days of performing open heart surgery on babies without anesthesia belong in the dark ages,” said Dr. Julie Meadows of the UC-Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

….read more

Lulu is the world’s oldest dog after reaching the age of 21 – in human years. Now that’s what I call a Senior Dog! You go girl…


Lulu, the 21 year old beagle with owner Travis

A BEAGLE cross has become the oldest dog in the world after racking up an incredible 147 dog years — thanks to her weekly trip to the PUB.

Lulu, who is 21 in human years, is deaf, walks with a limp and is practically blind, which means she often bumps into walls by mistake.

But her owner Travis Buckley reckons the hustle and bustle of their trip to the local has helped keep her mind active and on her toes for so long.

Travis, 60, has been taking Lulu to the Coach and Horses in Longford, Coventry, for her whole life — and he says she loves the attention from regulars.

He said: “She has a habit of wandering off and instead of coming home she comes and sits in the corner of the pub waiting for me.

“People who know her scoop her up and bring her there — she’s a lovely dog, she’s our little baby.”

Travis was given Lulu by his daughter in 1989 when she was a pup of just six-weeks-old.

But the pair have been inseparable ever since and they have become a regular sight for punters popping in to the pub for a quick pint.

….read more

This bomb sniffing senior dog is a true hero!


Treo, an eight-year-old black Labrador from the Military Working Dogs

LONDON – A perky British Labrador whose bomb-sniffing exploits helped save lives in Afghanistan was decorated for canine courage in a ceremony at London’s Imperial War Museum Wednesday.

Eight-year-old Treo joins a menagerie of heroic animals honored over the years with a special award known as the Dickin medal, including 32 pigeons, three horses and a cat.

Sgt. Dave Heyhoe, the black Lab’s handler, said he was “very proud indeed,” adding the award was not just for him and his dog but “for every dog and handler that’s working out in Afghanistan or Iraq.”

Treo merely flicked out his rosy tongue as he and Heyhoe posed for photographs with the silvery medal. He squirmed as the medal was fitted around his neck.

The military nominated Treo for the prize in recognition of his help uncovering a series of Taliban bombs during his time serving in Helmand Province, an insurgency hot spot, in 2008. The Labrador is the medal’s 63rd recipient since its inception in 1943, according to the Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals, the charity that awards the prize….read more

Here is a great article from the folks at Modern Dog Magazine where Victoria Stillwell discusses new tricks for old dogs and provides other great tips.


Victoria Stilwell on taking the leap, reward-based training, and new tricks for old dogs

It is not lost on me that while I am on the phone with Victoria Stilwell, chances are that countless people are simultaneously watching her on their TVs. As the much-adored host of Animal Planet’s hit series It’s Me Or The Dog and judge on CBS’s Greatest American Dog, Victoria Stilwell is fast becoming a household name in over 40 countries. Originally from Wimbledon, England, Stilwell has, in recent years, become one of the world’s most recognized and respected dog trainers. In addition to her on-air work, her highly-acclaimed books It’s Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet (Hyperion; 2007) and Fat Dog Slim: How to Have a Healthy, Happy Pet (HarperCollins; 2007) strengthen both her positive reinforcement message and her fan base alike.

All told, this one-time actor—who boasts gigs performed on the stages of London’s esteemed West End—is today a mindbogglingly popular dog guru whose star continues to rise. Evidence of this was a recent People’s Choice Award nomination for It’s Me Or The Dog as Best Animal Show.

Any suspicion, however, that fame has gone to her dog-loving head can quickly be quashed. Actively committed to promoting animal welfare issues, she’s been affiliated with a wealth of rescue groups internationally: Paws Atlanta, Stray from the Heart (NYC), Hong Kong Dog Rescue, Greyhound Rescue of West England, the ASPCA, the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, and Jana Kohl and the Waterside Action Group. Simply put, her passion for all things canine is the real deal…..read more

I found this to be a very interesting article about how sub bases are using dogs to to help sniff out contraband. What’s cool is this story is about Molly who is a Senior Dog who they thought was too old to detect for drugs and explosives but she proved them wrong for all the right reasons.

Jones carries 10 year old Molly, his canine charge, around in his backpack on the base in Groton, CT.

Groton, CT. – Molly smelled the contraband in the building at the Naval Submarine Base. Her tail started to wag.

As Master at Arms Second Class Bryan Jones pointed along the wall, Molly sniffed. She began to zigzag back and forth, closing in on the scent until she had pinpointed it.

The 10-year-old springer spaniel sat down in front of a window ledge where a ballcap hid two metal tins, planted there for this recent training exercise. Jones tossed Molly a red dog toy, her favorite reward.

Molly is one of 10 dogs in Groton who detect drugs and explosives and patrol the grounds at the base as part of the Military Working Dogs program. The Defense Department has about 2,000 working dogs at major installations across the country and overseas.

In Groton, the dogs inspect buildings, submarines and anywhere else needed. They check vehicles entering the base and stand by the gate as a visual deterrent to any would-be troublemaker. They can be called on for Secret Service missions, such as presidential or vice presidential visits to the Northeast. Some deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan.

When Molly arrived at the base in November, some people said she was too old and had lost too many of her detection skills after not being used enough at another base. Molly was often guilty of “false responding,” sitting down to indicate there were drugs or explosives where there were none. She did not follow all the obedience commands….read more

By HealthDay

FRIDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) — Pacemakers made for humans are giving older dogs a new leash on life.

The medical devices — about the size of a quarter — are often implanted to speed up a slow heart rate in dogs brought on by disorders such as heart block and sick sinus syndrome that, if left untreated, drastically shortens their lives.

Guiedo, a 12-year-old hound mix, recently received a pacemaker after getting diagnosed with heart block, a condition in which the electrical signal that makes the organ contract and pump blood is disrupted.

…. read more

I stumbled across a pretty cool toy that is designed exclusively for older dogs. Made from a gentler rubber formula than regular kongs the Senior Kong provides great interactive fun for the older dog. Older dogs can some times be difficult to exercise due to conditions such as arthritis the Senior Kong provides a way of both mental and physical stimulation for the older dog. The Senior Kong is recommended for light chewers only. Designed for older dogs. Made from a gentle rubber forumla. Recommended for light chewers.

Order Here -KONG Senior Kong Dog Toy, Medium, Purple