October 7, 2020 • 23 mins
Dr. Chad Dodd tells us some secrets about helping pets age gracefully. Dr. Dodd has dedicated his life to extending life and quality of life for pets. We talk about the science of aging and what we know to manage the issues that develop as pets age.
EPISODE NOTES: Growing Old Gracefully: The Truth About Pet Aging
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EPISODE NOTES: Growing Old Gracefully: The Truth About Pet Aging
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dr-kat-gone-to-the-dogs-pet-life-radio-original--6669375/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This Pet Life Radio. Let's talk pets.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Hey there, dog lovers, Welcome to Doctor Cat Gone to
the Dogs. So I am a small animal veterinarian and
this show is designed to teach dog lovers everywhere how
to best take care of their dog and how to
recognize issues with their dog, and maybe talk about fun
headlines or interesting things that people who love dogs would
(00:45):
like to learn about. So today I have a guest
with me, doctor Chad Dodd, and he wants to talk
with us a little bit about aging in pets and
maybe some things that we can do to help aging
be a little more graceful. So I'm excited to talk
with doctor Dodd and we'll be right back after a
quick word, be right back.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
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a daily dental scrub with powerful supplements to help with
the biggest health concerns facing our dogs. Daily Dose was
developed by Vets to be simple to use and super effective.
Plus dogs love the taste. Available for joint skin, heart health,
(01:32):
or calming. Daily Dose Your Pets Daily Dose of awesome.
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Speaker 4 (01:50):
Let's talk pets on Petlife Radio dot com.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Welcome back, I have with me doctor Chad Dodd. Welcome
doctor Dodd.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
Oh, thanks for having me this morning.
Speaker 6 (02:09):
How you doing.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I am doing great. I'm really excited because I want
to learn all that you want to share with us
about aging and any tips you might have. So tell
us a little bit about yourself first and then we'll
get right to it.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
Yeah. So, I'm a small animal veterinarian Kansas State graduate,
and for most of my career I've really spent time
helping educate pet owners working in the industry, helping develop
new products, new services to really help extend the quality
of life of pets. And that can range from everything
from a nutritional product to some of the more advanced
(02:46):
pharmaceutical products now that we're starting to really focus in
on because just as we're seeing pets become more of
an integral piece of the family and that family unit,
the needs that they have and the ways and the
ms we can apply medicine to those needs, there's a
lot of opportunity for us. So I spent a lot
of my time today helping organizations really bring these new
(03:10):
products into the marketplace so that dog and cat owners
have more successful treatment options to choose from. And as
they work with their veterinarians, they're always looking for new
options and these are a lot of areas that we
can explore, and really the primary focus is how do
we continue to elevate the care that the pets deserve.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
So you've got some interesting views, I think, on the
aging of pets. So don't you want to look into like,
if your dog is one year old?
Speaker 6 (03:37):
How do you.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Think it's not just the standard one year is seven
years in dog? It's not like that, is it.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
Yeah? So you know, we used to kind of do
that quick sort of mathematical algebraic equation to say, yeah,
a dog's year was kind of equivalent to seven years
and a person. There's actually some new research that's come
out recently specifically looking at dog aging, and what they're
doing is these research are looking at aspects of really
what's happening to the DNA. So you know, a lot
(04:04):
of this DNA analysis and the sophistication we have now
there's a lot more understanding of really what's happening inside
that cellular metabolism and really down to that genetic level.
And what they have found is that what we used
to think was sort of that seven year translation is
actually not a linear sort of track for a dog.
And what that means is that a one year old
(04:25):
dog is actually more like a thirty year old person.
So think about that for just a second, where you know,
you might think about the things that happened from the
time a person is born to the time they're thirty.
They go through a lot of physical maturity, emotional security,
all the types of things that happen in that immaturity process.
(04:46):
And when you look at dogs aging in that shorter
sort of time frame, there's a lot of things that
can happen. So what does that mean ultimately, Well, it
means that the younger dogs are actually probably accelerating their
aging process more than we thought before. But then as
dogs get to be older, and as you said, you
have an older dog, they actually their aging sort of
(05:07):
starts to relate a little bit closer to that seven
to one ratio. So a good thing to keep in
mind is that one year old dog is not a
seven year old dog or a seven year old person equivalent.
They really are more like a sort of mid thirties
maybe even scratching up towards the forties. And then you
have to start to think about as a pet owner,
are there things you can do then to start to
(05:28):
implement ways to improve their health status, their overall health
and well being, and ways to keep them with a
good quality of life. So there's a lot of preventive
things that we can do in that timeframe, and if
we create those behaviors early on, hopefully those things will
continue throughout the life of the PD.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
So would you say the same rules sort of apply
to cats? I would think probably so, But what about cats?
Speaker 5 (05:52):
Yeah, so you know, we think this research that just
came out recently was focused on a very specific population
of dogs. They were looking at retrievers, but they're you know,
through a lot of analysis where they can do like
gene homology type of analysis. You can start to look
and compare some of that same genetic data and try
to do some comparisons to other species. Of course, the
(06:13):
researchers are looking at this from a human application, but
also for the feline population. So you know, as we
start to look and say, okay, well, what are some
of those changes that we see. It probably is, you know, fairly,
I think common knowledge that cats and dogs do age
faster than people. And some of that comes down to
just look at their lifespan. So, you know, I have
(06:33):
classmates from vet school that have thirty year old cats.
That's not very common. You know, Well, they happen to be,
you know, pets of a veterinary professional, so they probably
have done a lot of things to try and do
early intervention, maybe got them through a medical crisis. But
those cats are living up. You know, many cats are
living into their late teens early twenties these days, and
with that comes this idea of okay, well, what are
(06:56):
we doing to try and impact that. So cats are
definitely not just small dogs. They have a lot of
different health conditions. They manifest diseases differently, but I think
in general it would be fair to say that both
cats and dogs do accelerate the aging process faster than
maybe that people do. But you know, we're still learning
and we try to apply those learnings to really what
(07:18):
does it mean for the pet owner that's really trying
to do the best thing for their pet.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Well, I think that's fascinating and I think it makes
us better pet owners to sort of be aware of that.
And we've all kind of instinctively known that, but for
years I've thought, you know, my one year old cat
is not like a seven year old child, because clearly
there's more maturity mentally for that cat. So I'm glad
that we kind of are able to discuss this a
(07:44):
little bit and think about the implications for our animal
loving listeners out there. So let's take a real quick
break and get a word from our sponsors and then
come back and talk with you. You have some tips or
things that pet owners can do to help improve the
aging and pets, So we'll be right back.
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Speaker 8 (09:13):
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Speaker 2 (09:25):
Welcome back, Doctor Chad Dodd and I are talking about
aging in pets and there's some new research that indicates
pets may age a little bit different than we had
previously thought and it's not a linear model. And doctor
Dodd has some other thoughts and maybe some tips and
suggestions for us. So what do you think? What do
you think pet owners can do, doctor Dodd to help
(09:47):
make aging occur gracefully.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
Yeah. So, you know, when you think about aging and
you think about health, wellness and disease states, you know,
aging is a process and through that process, the body
kind of goes through wear and tear, and this could
apply to dogs, cats, people, really any species. But as
you just start to focus in on what are the
(10:11):
types of things we can do then as pet lovers
to try and first identify that our pets may have
some needs and then what sort of options do we
have to address those needs and really the best thing
to do and hopefully, you know, pet owners are very
focused on this. They want to do what's right for
their pet. Hopefully they have identified and have a network
(10:33):
of support that helps them sort of navigate through these
changes from a kitten to an adolescent, to an adult
to a senior cat. The same thing for dogs to
go from that puppy to the adolescent timeframe to an
adult and then into their senior years. And there's a
lot of preventive things that we can do, and a
lot of that starts with just simple things like diet.
(10:56):
So you know, first and foremost, make sure there's a
veterinary healthcare team professional that you're working with, but then
so also identify what their dietary needs are. And the
reason that's important is that pets do have genetic differences,
so from a breed perspective, there may be certain things
in a breed pool where certain dogs may have conditions
(11:18):
that may be more likely to happen for them, and
there's actually things we can do from a preventive point
of view to help maybe delay the onset and in
some cases may even prevent those disease conditions from happening.
So there's a lot of work that can be done
really to assess your pet. I always recommend you work
with your veterinarian if you're going to make any kind
of change of course in their daily routine, or you
(11:40):
may introduce a supplement or some adjunct therapy, you want
to make sure you're working with your veterinarian because you
want to those things could potentially have counter effects and
you want to make sure you're doing those at the
right dose and the right regimen. So always consult with
your veterinarian first. But there's a lot of options out
there for pet owners to really do things they're in control.
(12:00):
They're in control of applying these whether they're products or
maybe some interactions of things you do with your pet
throughout the day that can help keep them in a
good healthy state but also improve their quality life, improve
their abilities to continue to maybe even slow down some
of the onset of the conditions that they may face
in those later years.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
So I like to say that the answer is relationships.
And I think the relationship with your veterinarian is huge,
and even the relationship with your pet, you know, making
sure that you know what's normal for your pet, that
you're feeling them and listening to them and looking at
them and asking questions. So, yes, I'm so glad you
said that. All of my clients in my exam room
(12:43):
are now curbside, but all of them get We talk
about nutrition, and we talk about supplements, and we talk
about everything that we can do. Now, you have a
special interest in a particular company that produces supplements, so
I want to be sure that we mentioned that's on
my life listeners know about that. Can you talk about
that a little bit?
Speaker 5 (13:03):
Yeah, So one of the things, and this is really
important in the nutrition, the supplement, any of the even
the pharmaceutical products. As pet owners, you want to look
for products that have been tested and show that the
support behind their claim, so marketing claims and the efficacy
of those products. And there's actually a number of companies
(13:23):
in the world today that really do focus in on
that research component, and you know, think about something like
and we'll use mobility as because it's a very common
concern pet owners have about is my pet, you know,
starting to show signs of mobility issues or joint health problems.
It's a very common thing, both in dogs and cats.
Sometimes it's not reported as much in cats, but we
(13:45):
know it exists. But when you start to look at
things like nutraceutical products or supplements, you really want to
be looking for products that are clinically proven. The ingredients
have been tested, they're safe, they're effective, and we know
that the amounts of the products or the ingredients that
are used in those products are delivering the benefit that
the company claims are going to derive benefit from. So
(14:08):
the company that I'm working with is a company called
Limp Bells. They make a product called you Move, and
the core technology of that is Omega three fatty acids.
And I think, oh, well, there's a lot of Omega
three fatty acids on the market, and there are. However,
you have to be mindful that quality really varies quite
a bit across all products in the market. And one
(14:28):
of the things a company like Limp Bells and you
Move focuses is in on not only the quality of
the end products, so the product your pet's going to
actually receive, but the quality of how you harvest those ingredients.
And they happen to derive their Omega threes purified fish oil,
so they're a very sustainably focused companies, so they're focused
on making sure that the ingredients they get are sustained
(14:51):
in that way, they also utilize green lip muscle as
a way to really have a highly concentrated form of
these Omega three fatty aids, which is really important because
if you can put it in a more concentrated form,
it means you're giving them lower doses, and those lower
doses just really provide that maximum benefit for a pet
to have a really concentrated product that provides maximum benefit
(15:15):
to show that clinical outcome. The other thing I do
is I also encourage pet owners to look for companies
that work with the veterinary profession. So of course you
can go out and you can do online searches for
lots of different products, not that there aren't a lot
of great products out there, but if you really want
to do your research, make sure that those companies are
working with the profession. They're working with the veterinary profession
(15:36):
to make sure that the products are tested, they're safe,
and they're doing things to continue to develop those products.
We learn new things every day about the research that's
done on these ingredients, different technologies that are applied to products.
The clinical benefit of those products is really important, and
that's where your veterinarian can help you and companies that
work with them. They're kind of working hand in hand
(15:57):
and collaboration in a way to make sure that your
pet's going to get the best products available in the market.
And some people think, oh, well, goss, that sounds really expensive. Actually,
these products are very affordable and oftentimes even some of
the clinically proven products can be more affordable than products
you might find over the counter online. So do your homework.
That's the sort of the big takeaway messages. Do your homework,
(16:19):
look for clinically proven ingredients, and more importantly, look for
clinically proven products, meaning the product was actually tested in
the species in which you plan to use that product.
So you know, if you saw the product was tested
in people, and somebody is saying, well, it's good for
horses or it's good for cats or dogs, what kind
of research did they do in the pet that you're
going to give that product to. That's something you want
(16:40):
to make sure you understand about to make an informed decision.
Speaker 7 (16:43):
You know.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
I think that that is really important because veterinarians are
a really tough crowd. So if a product is veterinary approved,
you know, we're really tough crowd, and we ask questions
and we don't take everything at face value. So if
a product can pass the mester with veterinarians, then it's
a little bit safer and you can trust a little
bit more.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
So.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
I think people think veterinarians get into this because we're
all about the money, and it's really not that. It's
that we're a tough crowd.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
I think yeah, And it really is about the science, right.
I mean a lot of especially in this day and
age we live in, people are talking about science and
which science did you look at? Well, you know, look
at the data, look at the like really unfold that
layer just a little bit and take a look at
the data. And companies that are willing to share the
data about their products, that probably means the company is
(17:31):
being very transparent about it. And that's stuff that you know,
that's kind of information that both pet owners and veterinarians
are going to look for. But you're right veterinarians, you know,
they're medical professionals, they're science based, they're trained to think analytically,
and part of that analysis they do is making sure
that the products that they're going to recommend or they're
going to use for their own pets or for their
patients have the type of proof that supports that product's efficacy.
(17:55):
That's really important because, as I mentioned, there's a lot
of products on the market that make a lot of claims,
but do they have the substantiation to support them. That's
choosually the big question, and your vet and Aaron can
help you navigate through that kind of information really quickly.
So definitely reach out to them and use them as
a resource.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Well, that's not all, because products are not all there
is to it. And I know that you have some
other kind of tips for things that pet owners can
do themselves to improve aging and help the aging process,
So can you share those with us?
Speaker 5 (18:25):
Yeah, so, you know, one of the things, I'm going
to use the mobility example just as one because it's
a very common thing. You know, a lot of dog
owners take their dogs for a walk. If they don't
take their dogs for a walk, their dog probably goes
outside and exercises a little bit. But there's things you
can do around the house to make sure that your pet,
as they start to become more senior, that you're not
putting them in harm's way. And some of those things
(18:46):
are like if you have slick floors and you know,
somebody rings the doorbell and you know, the dog always
gets up from their bed and runs to the door
and then unfortunately sort of loses traction and slides into
the door. Well, that could actually hurt your dog, or
it could actually put some undue stress on their joints.
You want to make sure you can prevent those types
of things. So simple things like put and throw rugs
down where you can. Other things are to not overdo
(19:07):
it when it comes to exercising your pet. Sometimes people
get into a routine, especially with dogs, where they may
have this routine or they take the dog on a
long walk, or they take the dog on a jog
with them and they do it maybe once or twice
a day. Well, as your dog gets older, you might
have to scale back on that a little bit. And
you know, as a pet owner, you're the best judge
of your pets sort of normal day to day activity
because you're with them all the time. But you definitely
(19:28):
want to sort of adjust the routine or adjust the
schedule and just kind of keep an eye on them,
because if your dog like is sort of maybe not
wanting to go on a walk as often as much
as they used to, those might be some signs. If
your dog's nails are starting to get a little bit longer,
they seem to be growing faster than they have before,
do an assessment to make sure your pet isn't having
(19:49):
some signs and maybe some mobility issues, because that could
be a real subtle sign that maybe they aren't getting
the same kind of traction, maybe they're not putting weight
on one of their limbs. But these are things that
from a pet owner's sort of what can you do
to impact that? There's a lot of things you can
do around your house to make sure that you're just
keeping it environmentally friendly for them and adapting it so
that you know they don't put themselves in clumes way.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
I agree with that. I hear a lot about older
cats that maybe used to climb up into the window
and now she just doesn't like to lay in the
window anymore. Well, it may not be that she doesn't
like to lay in the window. It may be uncomfortable.
So if you could, you know, make it easier, that
would really make her life better. So, yes, being tuned
in and being aware of these subtle signs and then
(20:32):
communicating with your veterinarian about those, that's I think that's
the answer. So I really I'm so grateful to you
for your time today. I think it is very smart
to look at aging and pets and really cool that
a one year old dog is like a thirty year
old person and maybe maybe sort of the same thing.
I don't know, cats are kind of born wise, but
(20:54):
maybe sort of the same thing for your cat. Thank
you so much for taking the time to be with
us today, dot than.
Speaker 5 (21:00):
Well, thanks for having me, and I hope all your
pet owner friends and pet lovers stay healthy and say
through all this.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
And of course, can you share with us some ways
that my listeners might be able to find out more
about some of the products that you like and maybe
about you.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
Yeah, so I would encourage the pet owners to go
to youmove dot com. That's why you m ov dot com.
There's a whole list of tips and different areas sort
of health and wellness focus just to help answer common
questions that pet owners have. Of course, you can learn
about some of the products that we recommend, but first
and foremost, it's really just an educational resource for you
(21:36):
that'll share a lot of that really, you know, evidence
that you need to have to make informed decisions about
your pets needs.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
And I think they had don't They have a cool
video that shows how dogs age compare to people.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Yeah, they do. They kind of do that sort of
transformation of you know, kind of the whole transforming from
the youthful dog to the sort of older dog and
kind of what that looks like going through time. So yeah,
so those are fun things to kind of just sort
of resonates, you know. It's the thing that sort of
reinforces the message with the pet owners there thinking about
that visual.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Component, Yeah, well i'd love that. So that is why
you m ov dot com and I have just had
so much fun talking to you today, and I love
that you are raising awareness. I want my listeners to
remember that all products are not created equal, So make
sure that you discuss with your veterinarian any option and
(22:26):
do your research. I'd like to thank all of my
listeners for joining us today on Doctor Kat, Gone to
the Dogs on pet Life Radio, and everyone go out
and raise the rough.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only on petlife
radio dot com
This Pet Life Radio. Let's talk pets.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Hey there, dog lovers, Welcome to Doctor Cat Gone to
the Dogs. So I am a small animal veterinarian and
this show is designed to teach dog lovers everywhere how
to best take care of their dog and how to
recognize issues with their dog, and maybe talk about fun
headlines or interesting things that people who love dogs would
(00:45):
like to learn about. So today I have a guest
with me, doctor Chad Dodd, and he wants to talk
with us a little bit about aging in pets and
maybe some things that we can do to help aging
be a little more graceful. So I'm excited to talk
with doctor Dodd and we'll be right back after a
quick word, be right back.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
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a daily dental scrub with powerful supplements to help with
the biggest health concerns facing our dogs. Daily Dose was
developed by Vets to be simple to use and super effective.
Plus dogs love the taste. Available for joint skin, heart health,
(01:32):
or calming. Daily Dose Your Pets Daily Dose of awesome.
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Speaker 4 (01:50):
Let's talk pets on Petlife Radio dot com.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Welcome back, I have with me doctor Chad Dodd. Welcome
doctor Dodd.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
Oh, thanks for having me this morning.
Speaker 6 (02:09):
How you doing.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I am doing great. I'm really excited because I want
to learn all that you want to share with us
about aging and any tips you might have. So tell
us a little bit about yourself first and then we'll
get right to it.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
Yeah. So, I'm a small animal veterinarian Kansas State graduate,
and for most of my career I've really spent time
helping educate pet owners working in the industry, helping develop
new products, new services to really help extend the quality
of life of pets. And that can range from everything
from a nutritional product to some of the more advanced
(02:46):
pharmaceutical products now that we're starting to really focus in
on because just as we're seeing pets become more of
an integral piece of the family and that family unit,
the needs that they have and the ways and the
ms we can apply medicine to those needs, there's a
lot of opportunity for us. So I spent a lot
of my time today helping organizations really bring these new
(03:10):
products into the marketplace so that dog and cat owners
have more successful treatment options to choose from. And as
they work with their veterinarians, they're always looking for new
options and these are a lot of areas that we
can explore, and really the primary focus is how do
we continue to elevate the care that the pets deserve.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
So you've got some interesting views, I think, on the
aging of pets. So don't you want to look into like,
if your dog is one year old?
Speaker 6 (03:37):
How do you.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Think it's not just the standard one year is seven
years in dog? It's not like that, is it.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
Yeah? So you know, we used to kind of do
that quick sort of mathematical algebraic equation to say, yeah,
a dog's year was kind of equivalent to seven years
and a person. There's actually some new research that's come
out recently specifically looking at dog aging, and what they're
doing is these research are looking at aspects of really
what's happening to the DNA. So you know, a lot
(04:04):
of this DNA analysis and the sophistication we have now
there's a lot more understanding of really what's happening inside
that cellular metabolism and really down to that genetic level.
And what they have found is that what we used
to think was sort of that seven year translation is
actually not a linear sort of track for a dog.
And what that means is that a one year old
(04:25):
dog is actually more like a thirty year old person.
So think about that for just a second, where you know,
you might think about the things that happened from the
time a person is born to the time they're thirty.
They go through a lot of physical maturity, emotional security,
all the types of things that happen in that immaturity process.
(04:46):
And when you look at dogs aging in that shorter
sort of time frame, there's a lot of things that
can happen. So what does that mean ultimately, Well, it
means that the younger dogs are actually probably accelerating their
aging process more than we thought before. But then as
dogs get to be older, and as you said, you
have an older dog, they actually their aging sort of
(05:07):
starts to relate a little bit closer to that seven
to one ratio. So a good thing to keep in
mind is that one year old dog is not a
seven year old dog or a seven year old person equivalent.
They really are more like a sort of mid thirties
maybe even scratching up towards the forties. And then you
have to start to think about as a pet owner,
are there things you can do then to start to
(05:28):
implement ways to improve their health status, their overall health
and well being, and ways to keep them with a
good quality of life. So there's a lot of preventive
things that we can do in that timeframe, and if
we create those behaviors early on, hopefully those things will
continue throughout the life of the PD.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
So would you say the same rules sort of apply
to cats? I would think probably so, But what about cats?
Speaker 5 (05:52):
Yeah, so you know, we think this research that just
came out recently was focused on a very specific population
of dogs. They were looking at retrievers, but they're you know,
through a lot of analysis where they can do like
gene homology type of analysis. You can start to look
and compare some of that same genetic data and try
to do some comparisons to other species. Of course, the
(06:13):
researchers are looking at this from a human application, but
also for the feline population. So you know, as we
start to look and say, okay, well, what are some
of those changes that we see. It probably is, you know, fairly,
I think common knowledge that cats and dogs do age
faster than people. And some of that comes down to
just look at their lifespan. So, you know, I have
(06:33):
classmates from vet school that have thirty year old cats.
That's not very common. You know, Well, they happen to be,
you know, pets of a veterinary professional, so they probably
have done a lot of things to try and do
early intervention, maybe got them through a medical crisis. But
those cats are living up. You know, many cats are
living into their late teens early twenties these days, and
with that comes this idea of okay, well, what are
(06:56):
we doing to try and impact that. So cats are
definitely not just small dogs. They have a lot of
different health conditions. They manifest diseases differently, but I think
in general it would be fair to say that both
cats and dogs do accelerate the aging process faster than
maybe that people do. But you know, we're still learning
and we try to apply those learnings to really what
(07:18):
does it mean for the pet owner that's really trying
to do the best thing for their pet.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Well, I think that's fascinating and I think it makes
us better pet owners to sort of be aware of that.
And we've all kind of instinctively known that, but for
years I've thought, you know, my one year old cat
is not like a seven year old child, because clearly
there's more maturity mentally for that cat. So I'm glad
that we kind of are able to discuss this a
(07:44):
little bit and think about the implications for our animal
loving listeners out there. So let's take a real quick
break and get a word from our sponsors and then
come back and talk with you. You have some tips or
things that pet owners can do to help improve the
aging and pets, So we'll be right back.
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Pet Live Radio dot com.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Welcome back, Doctor Chad Dodd and I are talking about
aging in pets and there's some new research that indicates
pets may age a little bit different than we had
previously thought and it's not a linear model. And doctor
Dodd has some other thoughts and maybe some tips and
suggestions for us. So what do you think? What do
you think pet owners can do, doctor Dodd to help
(09:47):
make aging occur gracefully.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
Yeah. So, you know, when you think about aging and
you think about health, wellness and disease states, you know,
aging is a process and through that process, the body
kind of goes through wear and tear, and this could
apply to dogs, cats, people, really any species. But as
you just start to focus in on what are the
(10:11):
types of things we can do then as pet lovers
to try and first identify that our pets may have
some needs and then what sort of options do we
have to address those needs and really the best thing
to do and hopefully, you know, pet owners are very
focused on this. They want to do what's right for
their pet. Hopefully they have identified and have a network
(10:33):
of support that helps them sort of navigate through these
changes from a kitten to an adolescent, to an adult
to a senior cat. The same thing for dogs to
go from that puppy to the adolescent timeframe to an
adult and then into their senior years. And there's a
lot of preventive things that we can do, and a
lot of that starts with just simple things like diet.
(10:56):
So you know, first and foremost, make sure there's a
veterinary healthcare team professional that you're working with, but then
so also identify what their dietary needs are. And the
reason that's important is that pets do have genetic differences,
so from a breed perspective, there may be certain things
in a breed pool where certain dogs may have conditions
(11:18):
that may be more likely to happen for them, and
there's actually things we can do from a preventive point
of view to help maybe delay the onset and in
some cases may even prevent those disease conditions from happening.
So there's a lot of work that can be done
really to assess your pet. I always recommend you work
with your veterinarian if you're going to make any kind
of change of course in their daily routine, or you
(11:40):
may introduce a supplement or some adjunct therapy, you want
to make sure you're working with your veterinarian because you
want to those things could potentially have counter effects and
you want to make sure you're doing those at the
right dose and the right regimen. So always consult with
your veterinarian first. But there's a lot of options out
there for pet owners to really do things they're in control.
(12:00):
They're in control of applying these whether they're products or
maybe some interactions of things you do with your pet
throughout the day that can help keep them in a
good healthy state but also improve their quality life, improve
their abilities to continue to maybe even slow down some
of the onset of the conditions that they may face
in those later years.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
So I like to say that the answer is relationships.
And I think the relationship with your veterinarian is huge,
and even the relationship with your pet, you know, making
sure that you know what's normal for your pet, that
you're feeling them and listening to them and looking at
them and asking questions. So, yes, I'm so glad you
said that. All of my clients in my exam room
(12:43):
are now curbside, but all of them get We talk
about nutrition, and we talk about supplements, and we talk
about everything that we can do. Now, you have a
special interest in a particular company that produces supplements, so
I want to be sure that we mentioned that's on
my life listeners know about that. Can you talk about
that a little bit?
Speaker 5 (13:03):
Yeah, So one of the things, and this is really
important in the nutrition, the supplement, any of the even
the pharmaceutical products. As pet owners, you want to look
for products that have been tested and show that the
support behind their claim, so marketing claims and the efficacy
of those products. And there's actually a number of companies
(13:23):
in the world today that really do focus in on
that research component, and you know, think about something like
and we'll use mobility as because it's a very common
concern pet owners have about is my pet, you know,
starting to show signs of mobility issues or joint health problems.
It's a very common thing, both in dogs and cats.
Sometimes it's not reported as much in cats, but we
(13:45):
know it exists. But when you start to look at
things like nutraceutical products or supplements, you really want to
be looking for products that are clinically proven. The ingredients
have been tested, they're safe, they're effective, and we know
that the amounts of the products or the ingredients that
are used in those products are delivering the benefit that
the company claims are going to derive benefit from. So
(14:08):
the company that I'm working with is a company called
Limp Bells. They make a product called you Move, and
the core technology of that is Omega three fatty acids.
And I think, oh, well, there's a lot of Omega
three fatty acids on the market, and there are. However,
you have to be mindful that quality really varies quite
a bit across all products in the market. And one
(14:28):
of the things a company like Limp Bells and you
Move focuses is in on not only the quality of
the end products, so the product your pet's going to
actually receive, but the quality of how you harvest those ingredients.
And they happen to derive their Omega threes purified fish oil,
so they're a very sustainably focused companies, so they're focused
on making sure that the ingredients they get are sustained
(14:51):
in that way, they also utilize green lip muscle as
a way to really have a highly concentrated form of
these Omega three fatty aids, which is really important because
if you can put it in a more concentrated form,
it means you're giving them lower doses, and those lower
doses just really provide that maximum benefit for a pet
to have a really concentrated product that provides maximum benefit
(15:15):
to show that clinical outcome. The other thing I do
is I also encourage pet owners to look for companies
that work with the veterinary profession. So of course you
can go out and you can do online searches for
lots of different products, not that there aren't a lot
of great products out there, but if you really want
to do your research, make sure that those companies are
working with the profession. They're working with the veterinary profession
(15:36):
to make sure that the products are tested, they're safe,
and they're doing things to continue to develop those products.
We learn new things every day about the research that's
done on these ingredients, different technologies that are applied to products.
The clinical benefit of those products is really important, and
that's where your veterinarian can help you and companies that
work with them. They're kind of working hand in hand
(15:57):
and collaboration in a way to make sure that your
pet's going to get the best products available in the market.
And some people think, oh, well, goss, that sounds really expensive. Actually,
these products are very affordable and oftentimes even some of
the clinically proven products can be more affordable than products
you might find over the counter online. So do your homework.
That's the sort of the big takeaway messages. Do your homework,
(16:19):
look for clinically proven ingredients, and more importantly, look for
clinically proven products, meaning the product was actually tested in
the species in which you plan to use that product.
So you know, if you saw the product was tested
in people, and somebody is saying, well, it's good for
horses or it's good for cats or dogs, what kind
of research did they do in the pet that you're
going to give that product to. That's something you want
(16:40):
to make sure you understand about to make an informed decision.
Speaker 7 (16:43):
You know.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
I think that that is really important because veterinarians are
a really tough crowd. So if a product is veterinary approved,
you know, we're really tough crowd, and we ask questions
and we don't take everything at face value. So if
a product can pass the mester with veterinarians, then it's
a little bit safer and you can trust a little
bit more.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
So.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
I think people think veterinarians get into this because we're
all about the money, and it's really not that. It's
that we're a tough crowd.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
I think yeah, And it really is about the science, right.
I mean a lot of especially in this day and
age we live in, people are talking about science and
which science did you look at? Well, you know, look
at the data, look at the like really unfold that
layer just a little bit and take a look at
the data. And companies that are willing to share the
data about their products, that probably means the company is
(17:31):
being very transparent about it. And that's stuff that you know,
that's kind of information that both pet owners and veterinarians
are going to look for. But you're right veterinarians, you know,
they're medical professionals, they're science based, they're trained to think analytically,
and part of that analysis they do is making sure
that the products that they're going to recommend or they're
going to use for their own pets or for their
patients have the type of proof that supports that product's efficacy.
(17:55):
That's really important because, as I mentioned, there's a lot
of products on the market that make a lot of claims,
but do they have the substantiation to support them. That's
choosually the big question, and your vet and Aaron can
help you navigate through that kind of information really quickly.
So definitely reach out to them and use them as
a resource.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Well, that's not all, because products are not all there
is to it. And I know that you have some
other kind of tips for things that pet owners can
do themselves to improve aging and help the aging process,
So can you share those with us?
Speaker 5 (18:25):
Yeah, so, you know, one of the things, I'm going
to use the mobility example just as one because it's
a very common thing. You know, a lot of dog
owners take their dogs for a walk. If they don't
take their dogs for a walk, their dog probably goes
outside and exercises a little bit. But there's things you
can do around the house to make sure that your pet,
as they start to become more senior, that you're not
putting them in harm's way. And some of those things
(18:46):
are like if you have slick floors and you know,
somebody rings the doorbell and you know, the dog always
gets up from their bed and runs to the door
and then unfortunately sort of loses traction and slides into
the door. Well, that could actually hurt your dog, or
it could actually put some undue stress on their joints.
You want to make sure you can prevent those types
of things. So simple things like put and throw rugs
down where you can. Other things are to not overdo
(19:07):
it when it comes to exercising your pet. Sometimes people
get into a routine, especially with dogs, where they may
have this routine or they take the dog on a
long walk, or they take the dog on a jog
with them and they do it maybe once or twice
a day. Well, as your dog gets older, you might
have to scale back on that a little bit. And
you know, as a pet owner, you're the best judge
of your pets sort of normal day to day activity
because you're with them all the time. But you definitely
(19:28):
want to sort of adjust the routine or adjust the
schedule and just kind of keep an eye on them,
because if your dog like is sort of maybe not
wanting to go on a walk as often as much
as they used to, those might be some signs. If
your dog's nails are starting to get a little bit longer,
they seem to be growing faster than they have before,
do an assessment to make sure your pet isn't having
(19:49):
some signs and maybe some mobility issues, because that could
be a real subtle sign that maybe they aren't getting
the same kind of traction, maybe they're not putting weight
on one of their limbs. But these are things that
from a pet owner's sort of what can you do
to impact that? There's a lot of things you can
do around your house to make sure that you're just
keeping it environmentally friendly for them and adapting it so
that you know they don't put themselves in clumes way.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
I agree with that. I hear a lot about older
cats that maybe used to climb up into the window
and now she just doesn't like to lay in the
window anymore. Well, it may not be that she doesn't
like to lay in the window. It may be uncomfortable.
So if you could, you know, make it easier, that
would really make her life better. So, yes, being tuned
in and being aware of these subtle signs and then
(20:32):
communicating with your veterinarian about those, that's I think that's
the answer. So I really I'm so grateful to you
for your time today. I think it is very smart
to look at aging and pets and really cool that
a one year old dog is like a thirty year
old person and maybe maybe sort of the same thing.
I don't know, cats are kind of born wise, but
(20:54):
maybe sort of the same thing for your cat. Thank
you so much for taking the time to be with
us today, dot than.
Speaker 5 (21:00):
Well, thanks for having me, and I hope all your
pet owner friends and pet lovers stay healthy and say
through all this.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
And of course, can you share with us some ways
that my listeners might be able to find out more
about some of the products that you like and maybe
about you.
Speaker 5 (21:16):
Yeah, so I would encourage the pet owners to go
to youmove dot com. That's why you m ov dot com.
There's a whole list of tips and different areas sort
of health and wellness focus just to help answer common
questions that pet owners have. Of course, you can learn
about some of the products that we recommend, but first
and foremost, it's really just an educational resource for you
(21:36):
that'll share a lot of that really, you know, evidence
that you need to have to make informed decisions about
your pets needs.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
And I think they had don't They have a cool
video that shows how dogs age compare to people.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Yeah, they do. They kind of do that sort of
transformation of you know, kind of the whole transforming from
the youthful dog to the sort of older dog and
kind of what that looks like going through time. So yeah,
so those are fun things to kind of just sort
of resonates, you know. It's the thing that sort of
reinforces the message with the pet owners there thinking about
that visual.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Component, Yeah, well i'd love that. So that is why
you m ov dot com and I have just had
so much fun talking to you today, and I love
that you are raising awareness. I want my listeners to
remember that all products are not created equal, So make
sure that you discuss with your veterinarian any option and
(22:26):
do your research. I'd like to thank all of my
listeners for joining us today on Doctor Kat, Gone to
the Dogs on pet Life Radio, and everyone go out
and raise the rough.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only on petlife
radio dot com
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