Front Matter

456 Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation

the ratio of average life spans between humans
and canines. Life span and aging among breeds
of dogs are dynamic areas of research with
interest for both canine and human health and
wellbeing.
Geriatric is an approximate, and can be a
relative, term. How our clients think of their
dogs in terms of aging is important because
the rehabilitation therapist may recommend
specific therapies and conditioning modalities
for geriatric dogs, but if the client does not
consider their dog to be geriatric, they might
not comply. A survey by VetSTREET in 2014
indicated that clients, veterinarians and other
veterinary professionals think differently
about when a pet is considered senior or geri­
atric (Seymour, 2014). According to the article,
“regardless of size, veterinary professionals
considered dogs senior earlier than dog own­
ers: 5 to 7 years old was the answer among 79
percent of professionals, while most dog own­
ers (57 percent) believed that 7 to 9 years was
more accurate.” Clients and veterinary profes­
sionals both believed that larger/giant‐breed
dogs are considered senior at a younger age
than were small and medium dogs, but at dif­
ferent ages. Veterinary professionals who par­
ticipated in the VetSTREET survey (213
respondents) considered small, medium and
large dogs to be senior at around 7 years of
age, and giant breed dogs were considered to
be senior around 5 years of age. Readers of
VetSTREET who participated in the survey
(1896 respondents) considered small breeds to
be seniors at around the age of 11, with
medium breeds around age 9, and large and
giant breeds around age 7.
What about the use of the term geriatric ver­
sus senior? Does using one term or the other
affect how clients view what rehabilitation
therapists are recommending? In the same sur­
vey by VetSTREET, veterinary professionals
used the term geriatric for dogs at around 9
years of age (with small and medium dogs
around 11 and large and giant breeds around 9
and 7 years old, respectively), while clients
were more likely to consider dogs around 11
years old to be geriatric (with small dogs con­
sidered geriatric at 13 years, medium dogs at
11–13 years, and giant breeds close to 9 years).
Only 3% of the clients indicated that they would

be offended if the veterinary professional

referred to their pet as senior, but 11% indicated

that they would be offended if their pet were

referred to as geriatric.

It is, therefore, important for the rehabilita­

tion therapist to be specific when discussing

geriatric and/or senior recommendations with

the client. Whatever term is used, and senior

may be more readily accepted, therapists must

be specific about what recommendations they

make to meet the special needs of the senior

dog while working to meet the goals of the

client.

The market for geriatric rehabilitation

Clients have established a very close bond with

their dogs by the time they become geriatric and

often view them as part of the family. Geriatric

patients may end up having a long‐term rela­

tionship with physical rehabilitation facilities.

The 2012 AVMA US Pet Ownership Survey

indicated that 66.7% of dog owners considered

their dogs to be family members (up from 53.5%

in the 2006 survey), 32.6% viewed them as pets

or companions (down from 45.1% in 2006), and

0.7% viewed them as property (down from 1.3%

in 2006) (AVMA, 2012). Those viewing dogs as

family may be willing to invest more time and

money to ensure maintenance of a good quality

of life and to foster longevity.

Client concerns for the geriatric patient

Client concerns for their geriatric dog can

include reduced mobility (trouble rising, diffi­

culty walking on smooth surfaces such as hard

wood or tile floors, inability to use the stairs

and get in or out of the car, and decreased will­

ingness to go on walks), increased pain, urinary

or fecal incontinence, changing appetite, and

decreased mental alertness or interaction with

the family. The goal for rehabilitation therapists

is to work with the client and the patient to

improve functional ability in the home envi­

ronment, to improve quality of life and interac­

tion with the client and to assist the client to

manage the patient’s compromised function

(Figure 18.1).