Aging Gracefully

I just got an email from a friend who was very excited about the book launch events (October 11 in NYC, October 20 in Philly and November 10 in Chicago) and she mentioned that her rescue dog "who eats anything, even lettuce" was either 18 or 19 years old! Amazing...

Which brings me to the news from England that horses are also living longer, thanks to advances in veterinary medicine. Older horses, like older dogs, often develop medical conditions that are unique to a geriatric population and astute owners need to be on the lookout for certain conditions that may indicate something "is not quite right."

Many of these ailments are teeth and hoof related but a study at the University of Liverpool found that while veterinarians were able to diagnose these problems, many owners were not. "Failure to identify health problems in geriatric horses may prolong the time until the horse is examined and treated by a veterinarian," Joanne Ireland, author of the study writes. "Improved owner education in the care of aging hoses is likely to improve identification of disease in geriatric horses."

A close relationship with one's vet is also paramount in caring for older horses. Vets can teach owners what telltale signs to look for but the moral of the story is if something does not appear to be "right" especially with your older hoses, do not hesitate to call your vet.