Caring for Your Older Dog

Reviewed by: 
Kate Bressler

As Greyhound adoption matures, so do our dogs. Greyhounds are now living longer, healthier lives than ever before. Many live to be fourteen and fifteen years old with some surviving to celebrate their sixteenth birthdays. 

Those of us who have dedicated our lives to the geriatric hound, constantly seek reference materials to help us care for our aging friends. This comprehensive little $10, 178-page book is one of the best I've found. 

Dr. Pinney, a practicing veterinarian in Texas, begins by explaining the canine aging process and methodically progresses through the seven chapters of the book: 

  1. The Aging Process and its Effects on Older Dogs 
  2. Preventive Health Care for Older Dogs 
  3. Diagnosing Illness in Older Dogs and Interpreting Laboratory Data
  4. Select Diseases and Disorders Affecting the Body Systems of Older Dogs 
  5. Clinical Signs and Complaints 
  6. Select First Aid Procedures 
  7. Euthanasia and Your Older Dog (a mere three pages) 

He stresses the need for preventive health care beginning with several pages devoted to nutrition. Dr. Pinney also thoroughly discusses and explains internal and external parasites; nail, ear, and dental care; grooming; and vaccinations before moving on to Chapter 3. 

Fourteen tables scattered throughout Caring for Your Older Dog illustrate Dietary Management of Disease in Older Dogs, Components of a Complete Blood Count (CBC), The Urinalysis and Its Interpretation; and Specialized Diagnostic Tests Utilized in Veterinary Medicine. These tables are in an easy-to-understand format, making them even more useful. 

My favorite feature of this book is its many lists. Each list or table gives several possible reasons for each symptom. Lists outline the causes of abdominal swelling; anorexia; coughing; incoordination, falling, and circling; hair loss or itching; constipation; seizures, and more. An useful table lists over-the-counter medications useful for first aid. 

Caring for Your Older Dog has seventy-six full-color photographs. Most of these photographs show clear examples of checking for anemia by examining gums; checking for jaundice in ears or eyes; for glaucoma and cataracts and more. Included are radiographs that are somewhat more difficult to make out for us laymen. If you have never seen heartworms, that pile of them on page 55 might shock you. 

Like all Barron's books, Caring for Your Older Dog is an incredible value: small enough to fit in the glovebox of your car or inexpensive enough to have one for the car and one for home. Once you add it to your canine-care library, this book will quickly become an invaluable resource.

Reprinted with permission from Celebrating Greyhounds: The Magazine, Summer, 1998. © Kate Bressler

Reviewed Publication: 

Caring for Your Older Dog

http://adopt-a-greyhound.org/sites/adopt-a-greyhound.org/files/publications/books/bc-pinney-s.jpg
A Comprehensive Guide to improve the quality of life and longevity of your older pet
By: 
Chris C. Pinney, DVM
Published by: 
Barrons Educational Series
ISBN: 
0812091493
Oct 1995

from our review: As Greyhound adoption matures, so do our dogs. Greyhounds are now living longer, healthier lives than ever before. Many live to be fourteen and fifteen years old with some surviving to celebrate their sixteenth birthdays. Those of us who have dedicated our lives to the geriatric hound, constantly seek reference materials to help us care for our aging friends. This comprehensive little $10, 178-page book is one of the best I've found.

Out of Print: 
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Category: 
Health
Review: 
Caring for Your Older Dog