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Author Archives: skeptvet
The Young Science of Dog Aging
Here is a brief talk and Q&A I participated in recently at Petminded. Hope you find it interesting!
Rational Use of Diagnostic & Screening Tests
I have written many times about the misuse of diagnostic tests and the risks of misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis associated with improper use of screening tests. Recently, I condensed my rants on these topics into an article I hope will be … Continue reading
Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine
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Can Your Dog’s Face Tell You How Old They Are?
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
Posted in Aging Science
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Lifespan and Healthspan
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
Posted in Aging Science
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OncoK9 Liquid Biopsy: Should Your Dog have this Test?
It is really never a good sign when a miraculous new breakthrough in veterinary medicine is announced on the internet. That isn’t where true scientific breakthroughs show up. Legitimate science is a slow, detailed process where even brilliant, revolutionary ideas have … Continue reading
Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine
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Telomeres & Aging
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
Posted in Aging Science
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Measuring Aging: Epigenetic Clocks
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
Posted in Aging Science
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Gabapentin: Is it useful for pain control in dogs and cats?
Veterinary medicine suffers from a chronic lack of scientific evidence to identify safe and effective treatments. We are authorized to used medicines approved for human or animal use on an off-label basis in other species or conditions because the Food … Continue reading
Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine
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Lifespan & Body Size- Big Animals Live Longer, Except When They Don’t
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
Posted in Aging Science
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Stem Cell Therapies in Veterinary Medicine: Where are We Now?
I’ve written about stem cell therapies numerous times over the years, though not for quite a while. My conclusions were always along the lines of “promising but unproven.” This is one of those perfectly plausible therapies that I expect will … Continue reading
Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine
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