Pet Age Staff//November 8, 2017//
Pet Age Staff //November 8, 2017//
Mars Petcare announced the publication of a recently published study showing that dogs’ immune systems change as they age meaning they will have a reduced ability to respond to infections or stress. The study is published in the “Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences.”
This is the largest prospective study to investigate aging in dogs and offers new insight into the ways in which we may be able to support dogs in their old age.
“We now know that dogs suffer from low level inflammation and cellular damage as they get older, similar to humans,” said Janet Alexander, senior research scientist at the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition and lead author of the study. “The study identified multiple targets for potential therapeutic intervention to defend against or delay the impact of aging and the new insights can help us to provide more effective life stage support.”
A Mars Petcare survey exploring how dog owners around the world and in the U.S. care for their senior pets found that:
About the Aging Dogs Study
The study followed 80 dogs for over 10 years and measured a number of parameters to track their aging process. The study started when the dogs were adults and continued until the end of life. Some additional findings include: