Monday, April 28, 2008

Is your pet a Boomer?

New studies and statistics about the "Baby Boomer" generation dominate the headlines almost daily, but there is another population, the nation's 45 million "Pet Boomers", which is quietly slipping into its senior years. On average, pets age seven times faster than humans. Consequently, the potential for age-related disease also progresses seven times as fast. Unfortunately, many pet owners are unaware of the signs of animal aging which may actually indicate treatable health problems. Certain health conditions can occur more often in aging pets. Below are five common health conditions that every pet owner should monitor in their pets. * Weight Gain * Tooth Decay and Gum Disease * Stiff Joints and Slower Movement * Changes in Coat and Skin * Eye Abnormalities Is your pet a boomer? PetBoomers.com is a great new web resource for all pet owners. It offers quizzes, facts, statistics on the aging pet population and is a terrific for pet owners dealing with traveling with a pet, pet poisons and emergencies. This short video segment from Marty Becker, DVM, a nationally recognized pet expert, author and Good Morning America contributor, features five common health conditions in aging pets. Photo from Flickr by Corsi_photo

2 comments:

WolfGirl said...

I had no idea that this generation of dogs existed...and now that I know, I can think of about 23 dogs who are boomers! Thanks Julie.

Julie said...

Geriatric medicine is a huge field - they're keeping people alive a lot longer - it only makes sense that through medicine we are also keeping our pets alive.