Category Archives: Aging Science

Age-associated changes in appearance are readily recognized by clinicians and dog owners. We can often identify an old dog of any breed through a gestalt assessment of appearance, movement, and demeanor without being able to detail all the specific features … Continue reading →

The goal of longevity therapies is to prolong both lifespan (the number of years an individual lives) and healthspan (the number of years free of significant disease or disability). Current preventative medical interventions, such as vaccines, have greatly increased lifespan, … Continue reading →

Each new discovery in aging biology generates a lot of excitement. Newly discovered mechanisms are sometimes enthusiastically promoted as dramatic breakthroughs that will transform the field and lead to powerful clinical therapies. Over time, our understanding of these new elements … Continue reading →

Aging involves physical changes over time, but time is not the primary driver of these changes. Large-breed dogs age faster than small breed dogs, and there is great individual variation in the manifestations of aging. A key lesson we have … Continue reading →

One of the earliest recorded assertions that large animals live longer than small ones comes from Aristotle in 350 BC. Such unstructured observations have subsequently been supported by more rigorous scientific study. As this graph shows, there is a positive … Continue reading →

One of the first logical questions for a good skeptic to ask when thinking about canine aging biology is whether it is plausible that we can extend lifespan (years lived) and healthspan (healthy years lived) in dogs. Is there reliable … Continue reading →

Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really. Agnes Sligh Turnbull The question of why our dogs have to get old can be primarily a rhetorical one, expressing our dismay at the process. It can also be a philosophical … Continue reading →

Most of us fortunate enough to be blessed with dogs in our lives have had to confront one great limitation in our canine companions-they don’t live as long as we do. Watching bright-eyed, bouncy puppies evolve slowly into creaky, grey-faced … Continue reading →