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If we're fortunate enough to have them live to old age, at some point, most of our canine companions begin to lose their hearing and may eventually be, for all intents and purposes, deaf. It's painful to watch a beloved dog become less and less responsive to his environment because he's unaware of what's going on around him, and even more so when it limits your ability to communicate with him. The thought of a hearing-impaired dog wandering off and not being able to hear your calls is frightening. Here are five things you can do if your dog's hearing isn't what it used to be.

We all want our dogs to enjoy the highest quality of life for the longest possible time. Proper diet, adequate exercise, weight control, appropriate supplements, and good veterinary care can all help our dogs remain active and vibrant well into their senior years.

It’s a very tempting concept – that a perfect food for every dog exists out there, somewhere. It must be tempting, because the pet food manufacturers keep increasing the number of products they formulate and market toward the owners of dogs of a progressively narrow description. Seriously – there are foods labeled for large breed seniors, and indoor toy puppies. There are foods that are supposedly just right for Spaniels, for goodness’ sakes! Decades ago, there was just dog food; eventually, versions of commercial foods for puppies were introduced to the market with great success – perhaps because of the introduction of commercial baby foods in the same historical period!

When it comes to choosing a dog food, the number of choices currently found on the shelves is nearly overwhelming. Thanks to niche marketing – a position from which an opening in a market can be exploited, or a specialized but profitable segment of a commercial market – the production of dog foods is following the trend in human products for increasing specialization. There really is something for everyone: big dogs; medium dogs; small dogs; working dogs; dogs with tender tummies, stinky breath, or itchy feet; couch potatoes and elite athletes – all dogs can get a diet specifically designed just for them.

You've no doubt heard the adage, You can't teach an old dog new tricks." If you have an older dog

Can older dogs and younger dogs live happily together? Will a puppy bounding around (and possibly on) the arthritic body of an older dog encourage her to be more active, bringing energy and vitality during senior years? Or will the perfectly normal antics of a young dog aggravate and stress what should be a time of happy retirement for a senior dog? If you've lived with an older dog, you've probably heard someone at some point recommend getting a puppy or younger dog. The advice may be something like, "It will keep your older dog young," or "The new puppy can learn from your older dog." While you will likely find some truth in both statements, the opposite may also hold true. Your older dog could be stressed or exhausted by a younger dog. Your young dog will certainly learn from your older dog, but the lessons may not be those you would like to be passed from one generation to the next.

Well, it's happened: I have reached the age where I look forward to Social Security payments arriving in my bank account every month. With that significant milestone comes some new perspectives on life with dogs as a senior citizen. Not the least of these is the sobering realization that I have a finite number of dogs left to share my life with, making each one an even greater treasure.

Some low-fat recipes for dogs are excessively low in fat, providing as little as 5 to 8 GFK, with as much as seven times more starches than meat. With very few exceptions, it’s not necessary to feed such an extremely low-fat diet to dogs recovering from or prone to pancreatitis or with other forms of fat intolerance, nor is such a diet likely to be nutritionally adequate, regardless of how many supplements you add.

Sometimes we don't want to admit our dog is aging. We ignore the graying muzzle and scoff at the idea of a senior dog food." After all

Many clients bring their aging dogs to me for private sessions because they have started having difficulty or reluctance with – or can no longer perform – normal life activities like climbing stairs, getting into the car, or walking on smooth flooring. These problems are often related to muscle atrophy in the hind end. Once the dogs get the all-clear from their veterinarian, we work on fitness exercises designed to rebuild hind-end strength; we increase the difficulty of the exercises slowly over time until more function returns.

Aaron Epstein's 14-year-old Australian Shepherd-mix, Sam, was losing weight and his appetite wasn't the same. I just thought he was getting old because in addition to not eating with the same vigor

How often your dog should be seen by your veterinarian, and what sort of routine screening diagnostics should be conducted, are highly dependent on...