How to navigate your pet's golden years (essential tips from 2 veterinarians)

The fact that our pet’s age faster than we do is an inevitability and we want to ensure they remain as happy and comfortable for as long as possible.
But knowing what different options are open to you that will actually make a difference can be really confusing, not to mention expensive.
Today we are diving deep into the world of senior care, palliative treatment, and end of life decisions to ensure your gray-muzzled dog and senior cat has the golden years they deserve.
Veterinarian Dr. Mary Gardner is my expert guest today (check out her channel at / drmarygardner ) as we discuss:
- The barriers to good healthcare for older dogs and cats
- The fact that old age alone is not a disease
- Tips on how to know your pet needs extra help
- Your relationship with your vet to ensure a holistic approach
- Focusing on quality of life, not just quantity
- End of life options
Links mentioned include:
drmarygardner.com - www.drmarygardner.com/ and her organization Lap of Love - www.lapoflove.com/
The books It’s Never Long Enough - amzn.to/3sVZpmj and My Forever Friend - amzn.to/3h1Sxyg
Do you know the Secret to a healthy pet?
- Find out in my FREE 7 step guide - ourpetshealth.com/healthcheck...
Find my top recommended products here: www.amazon.com/shop/ourpetshe...
Disclaimers:
- all opinions are my own, sponsors are acknowledged. Links in the description are typically affiliate links that let you help support the channel at no extra cost.
- We are a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
- The information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute specific vet advice for any individual cat, dog or other animals of any species.

[@jennifersiagian]

and be present at the time of euthanasia . I wasn't (able) emotionally. and so I said to my dog Mommy I love you forever and I will see you soon, This caused me great extended grief and I feel such regret I wasn't with her those final moments as we were together 13 yrs 24/7 . She was 18 time of departure adopted at 5 . sharing this so that someone else may benefit . Finish what you started.

[@OptimisticHominid]

This video has been immensely helpful. Thank you to both of you.
We have a female 12 year old yellow lab. She has diabetes that is costing us $5,000 CAD a year to manage (for over two years) with twice daily injections, and now she has an ACL issue with one of her hind legs. The ACL operation would be about $5,500. We’re struggling with where we go from here; how much longer do we go on! How mean we must be to contemplate ending her life when we can keep on spending the money (at the cost of other things in our life of course). Decisions, decisions, and quite a few tears already.

[@OurPetsHealth]

I'm sorry you are going through this. Juggling multiple conditions certainly makes everything harder and ultimately there are no "correct" answers. While the future is impossible to predict, I can find it helpful to think of what the expected result of an action is. In the case of the ACL op: how long is immediate recovery going to take, how long before a return to normal function is expected, how will this impact quality of life, does this timeframe make it likely that there will be long-term benefits or is it too much of a compromise/hardship

[@OptimisticHominid]

@@OurPetsHealth Your insights are most helpful. We’re going to give her a month of rest (from our daily 4Km country walks) and will closely monitor her quality of life. Thank you.