Category Archives: Aging Science

I recently had another chance to visit my friends Dr. Andy Roark on his Cone of Shame podcast. We talked about my favorite subject–aging in dogs and what we can do about it. Enjoy!

It is well established that exercise has health benefits in humans. Regular physical activity can significantly reduce the occurrence of age-associated diseases and help maintain function. Exercise is also a powerful anti-aging tool which can extend both healthspan and lifespan. But … Continue reading →

Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.Agnes Sligh Turnbull How long should a dog live? The obvious answer for any dog lover, of course, is “Forever!” Unfortunately, since this does not appear possible, we must settle for trying … Continue reading →

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 →