Senior Dogs For Dummies Book

	Introduction	1
Part I	Loving and Living with Your Senior	7
Chapter 1	Defining Seniorhood: To Each His Own	9
	Defining Senior Dog Status	10
	A matter of breeding	10
	Size does matter	13
	Individual factors	13
	Is your dog a senior?	14
	Understanding the Effects of Aging on Your Senior Dog	15
	The senior canine body	15
	The senior canine mind	16
	The senior canine spirit	16
	Maintaining Your Dog's Quality of Life	17
	Creating a senior-friendly environment	17
	Adjusting diet and exercise	18
	Keeping your senior dog healthy	19
	Exploring treatment options	19
	Letting go at the right time	21
	Appreciating doggy seniorhood	22
Chapter 2	Feeding for Health and Fitness	23
	Do Seniors Need Special Food?	24
	Deciding What's for Dinner	25
	Store-bought and ready to go	25
	Home-cooked and mmm-mmm good	27
	Eating in the raw and wild	28
	Come and Get It! Enjoying Mealtime	29
	Encouraging Picky Princess (or Prince) to Eat	30
	Helping the Portly Pooch	31
	Dealing with snack attacks	32
	Understanding why pooches pork out	32
	Determining whether your dog is fat	34
	Slimming down your senior	34
Chapter 3	Staying on the Move: Exercising Your Senior	37
	Why Seniors Should Be Fit and Feisty	38
	Modifying Your Senior's Workout	38
	Exercises for the Aging Athlete	39
	Sauntering with your senior	40
	Getting aerobic	40
	Stretching for yoga	40
	Working your dog's mind and body	41
	Diving into swimming	42
	The thrill of victory: Dog sports	42
	Helping Your Dog Unwind After a Workout	44
	Giving your dog a massage	45
	Using other hands-on treatments	45
	Helping without hands	47
Chapter 4	Boosting Your Senior's Social Savvy	49
	Introducing Your Dog to Strangers	50
	Bringing home baby	50
	The ABCs of meeting a child	52
	Getting used to grown-ups	54
	Close encounters of the same kind	55
	Close encounters of the non-canine kind	59
	Addressing Other Behavioral Issues	60
	Helping your freaked-out Fidette	61
	Curbing crankiness	62
	Soothing separation anxiety	63
	Lifetime Learning for the Senior Canine	65
	Getting down to basics	65
	Retiring old tricks	67
Part II	Knowing What to Expect	69
Chapter 5	Staying Healthy	71
	The Senior Wellness Exam	72
	To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate?	73
	Senior Grooming 101	74
	Boning up on bath basics	76
	Giving the brush-off	77
	Banishing bad breath	79
	Lending an ear	81
	Giving your pooch a pedicure	82
	Maintaining Health from Home	83
	Getting your dog's vital signs	83
	Setting up a doggy first-aid kit	85
	Giving your dog meds	86
	Purging parasites	87
Chapter 6	Having Accidents	89
	Do Senior Dogs Need Diapers?	89
	Accidents May Mean Something Else	90
	Housetraining amnesia	90
	Wetting the bed	91
	Perpetual peeing	92
	Getting the runs	93
	Getting all stopped up	93
	Reinforcing Housetraining	94
	Crate training revisited	94
	Making the outhouse in-house	95
	Dealing with Potty Output	98
	Cleaning up right	98
	Gathering the evidence	99
	When Housetraining Doesn't Help	100
Chapter 7	Going Blind or Deaf	103
	How's That? What's That? The Aging Eye and Ear	104
	Recognizing Signs of Trouble	104
	Symptoms of ear problems	105
	Symptoms of eye problems	107
	Helping Fido Cope	108
	Minimize surprises	109
	Adapt your home	109
	Make your dog feel safe	110
	Communicate differently	111
Chapter 8	Losing Mobility	115
	Why Aging Dogs Lose Mobility	115
	These old bones	116
	Muscle deterioration	116
	Diseases that may impair your dog's mobility	116
	Staying on the Move	117
	Making Changes to Your Dog's Lifestyle	117
	Adapting the environment	118
	Taking meds	121
	Getting adjusted	121
	Trying physical therapy	122
	Getting some wheels	123
	Considering other ways to help	124
Part III	Dealing with Diseases	129
Chapter 9	Knowing When Your Dog's in Trouble	131
	Get Thee to a Vet ... Now!	131
	Blowing up like a balloon: Sudden bloating	132
	Tossing her cookies: Persistent vomiting	132
	It's a gusher! Significant bleeding	133
	All the gum colors of the rainbow	134
	When your dog's a hottie: Hyperthermia	134
	Avoiding a dog-sicle: Hypothermia	135
	In and out: Breathing problems	135
	Obvious trauma	136
	Dealing with seizures	136
	Falling down on the job: Sudden collapse	137
	Sudden eye changes	137
	Walking drunk	138
	Don't Give Aspirin, but Do Call in the Morning	138
	Appetite changes	138
	Unexplained weight gain or loss	139
	Drinking more or less	139
	All stopped up: Constipation	139
	The dreaded runs	140
	Lumps and bumps	141
	Bald is not beautiful on dogs	141
	Bad doggy breath	142
	Stinky ears	143
	A canine case of B.O.	143
	Dog-tired for no good reason	144
	Acting out of character	144
	Lameness (and I don't mean being uncool)	145
	Going bump in the night (and day)	145
	Sores that don't heal	146
	Changed bark	146
	Head games	146
	Weird-looking poop	147
	Not Necessarily a Big Deal	147
	When to Ignore This Advice	148
Chapter 10	Understanding Common Senior-Dog Ailments	149
	Going Mobile ... Not!	150
	Arthritis	150
	Degenerative myelopathy	153
	Vestibular syndrome	154
	From the Inside Out	155
	Bloat	155
	Cushing's Disease	157
	Diabetes	159
	Heart disease	160
	Kidney failure	161
	Reproductive infections	163
	The Eyes Have It	164
	Cataracts	164
	Conjunctivitis	166
	Dry eye	167
	Glaucoma	168
	The Not-So-Best of the Res	169
	Cognitive dysfunction syndrome	169
	Lipoma	171
	Tooth and gum disease	172
Chapter 11	Coping with Canine Cancer	175
	Concerning Cancer	176
	Which dogs are at risk?	176
	Not every tumor is cancerous	177
	Reading the Signs	178
	Looking for the Cause	179
	Developing a Battle Plan	180
	Surgery	180
	Chemotherapy	182
	Radiation therapy	182
	Nutritional therapy	183
	Hot and cold therapy	184
	Not Just One Disease	185
	Mast cell tumors	185
	Melanoma	186
	Lymphoma	186
	Hemangiosarcoma	186
	Brain tumor	187
	Breast cancer	187
	Prostate cancer	188
	Osteosarcoma	188
	Consulting a Specialist	188
	Striking a Balance	190
	Preventing Cancer	191
Chapter 12	Addressing the Bottom Line	195
	Why the Sticker Shock?	196
	Cutting Costs	197
	Insuring your pooch	197
	Visiting your local pharmacy	199
	Compounding your savings	200
	Ordering your meds online	201
	Cashing in on promos	202
	Talking with your vet	204
	Shopping around	204
	Planning Ahead to Cut Costs	205
	Getting regular checkups	205
	Giving yourself some credit	205
	Paying your pooch	206
Part IV	Bidding a Fond Farewell	207
Chapter 13	Preparing to Say Goodbye	209
	Ensuring Continued Comfort for Your Senior Dog	210
	Deciding when to end treatment	210
	Creating a canine hospice	212
	Getting Ready for Your Senior Dog's Passing	213
	Preparing yourself	214
	Preparing others, including your children	214
	Making Arrangements for Euthanasia	216
	Finding the right place	216
	Deciding whether to stay	218
	Deciding about After-Care	219
	Group cremation	219
	Individual cremation	219
	Burial	220
Chapter 14	Knowing When It's Time	221
	Making the Decision	222
	Getting through the Process	223
	Understanding what happens during euthanasia	224
	Helping your dog	225
	Helping yourself	226
	Dealing with other people	227
	Dealing with the Unexpected	228
	What to Do When Your Dog Dies Naturally	229
Chapter 15	Coping with Your Loss	233
	Grief Is a Process	233
	Getting Help and Support	235
	From friends and family	235
	From pet-loss hot lines	235
	From grief counselors and support groups	236
	From your doctor	237
	From yourself	238
	Helping Others Cope	239
	Comforting other adults	239
	Comforting children	239
	Comforting other pets	241
	Paying Tribute to Your Senior	242
	Should You Get a New Dog?	243
Part V	The Part of Tens	245
Chapter 16	Ten Reasons to Appreciate Your Senior Dog	247
Chapter 17	Ten Ways to Lengthen Your Senior Dog's Life	253
	Index	261