Longitudinal dog aging research is revealing predictors of healthy aging and quality of life decline — insights that translate directly to improved senior dog welfare management.
Dog aging science is translating rapidly into improved welfare management for senior dogs. The Dog Aging Project is providing unprecedented data on the biological and environmental predictors of healthy aging, enabling evidence-based recommendations that extend comfortable, high-quality life. Key welfare insights: maintaining ideal body weight throughout life is the most impactful single welfare decision available to owners; pain management for osteoarthritis (the nearly universal aging condition in dogs) requires proactive assessment and multimodal treatment; and social and cognitive enrichment maintain brain health and behavioral welfare in aging dogs. The validation of owner-completed quality of life tools enables regular welfare assessment between veterinary visits, improving detection of welfare decline.