mature - Royal Canin Canada

underweight. Defining different life stages givesa framework for creating a tailored plan foreach cat and dog. 5People are considered middle aged at around 42years. At this time, many doctors will recommendregular laboratory work to determine both abaseline - learning what is normal for eachindividual-as well as to screen for underlyingdisease – existing disease conditions with noobvious symptoms. Determining a baselinefor your dog or cat allows your veterinarianto establish trends more specific to your pet. 5Middle age would equate to approximately 7-8years of age for most dogs and cats, with largeand giant breed dogs reaching middle age asearly as 5 years. 4SIGNS OF AGINGUltraviolet light, stress, pollution, illness, etc.can result in the creation of unstable atomsand molecules in the body known as freeradicals. Each cell is subjected to attacksby free radicals every day. Free radicals leftunchecked in the body can react with otheratoms causing cumulative cell damage andcontribute to many clinical conditions weassociate with aging such as cataracts, arthritis,dental disease, and cancer.Much like an iceberg,there are many signsof aging that areinvisible when lookingfrom the surface.There are visible signs of aging that we canidentify in our mature dogs and cats, forexample, greying coat, decreases in mobility,changes in weight, more time spent sleeping,less time spent playing, and an increase indental disease. In a survey of over 900 ownersof dogs 8 years and older, more than 35%noticed a decrease in the amount of timespent active and 25% saw a decrease in thetime spent playing. 6There are also invisible signs of aging thatare happening within our pets’ bodies. In theearly stages of many disease conditions therewill be no noticeable signs. The earlier yourveterinarian diagnoses an underlying conditionin your dog or cat, the more options there willbe to treat or manage the disease. A studylooking at early disease detection laboratorywork in dogs over 9 years of age identified atleast one previously undiagnosed problem in80% of the dogs. None of the dogs had anyvisible signs of disease. 7www.royalcanin.ca/veterinary | PET HEALTH REVIEW | 4