Treatment and Care of the Geriatric Veterinary Patient

The editors Mary Gardner, DVM, is Hospice Veterinarian, Co-Founder, and Chief Technology Officer at Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice in Orange County, California, USA and Courtesy Lecturer at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville, Florida, USA. Dani McVety, DVM, is Hospice Veterinarian, Co-Founder, and Chief Executive Officer at Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice in Tampa, Florida, USA and Courtesy Lecturer at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville, Florida, USA.

• List of Contributors ixAbout the Companion Website xiPart I They Just Don’t Live Long Enough 11 Introduction 3Mary Gardner2 Maintaining the Human–Animal Bond 7Dani McVety3 Geriatrics and Fragility 11Mary GardnerPart II The Aging Body Systems 214 Vision Changes 23Kayla Waler and Meredith Voyles5 Hearing Loss 35Brad Bates6 Dentition and the Oral Cavity 43Heidi B. Lobprise7 The Nose and Smelling 51Faith Banks8 Cognitive Dysfunction and Related Sleep Disturbances 57Dawnetta Woodruff 9 Smelly Old Dog: Addressing the Dermatological Concerns of Our Geriatric Patients 77Melanie Hasson Cohen10 Central and Peripheral Nervous System 87Laura Devlin Bacon11 The Aging Kidney 99Shea Cox12 The Hepatic System 115Laura Devlin Bacon13 The Respiratory System 127Cheryl A. Braswell14 Mobility Issues 145Tammy Perkins Johnson15 Age‐Related Gastrointestinal Conditions and Considerations for Nutrition 185Shea Cox16 Urinary and Fecal Incontinence 199Faith Banks17 Thermoregulation 209Brad Bates18 Managing Pain in Geriatric Patients 221Michael Petty and Sheilah Robertson19 Exotic Animal Geriatrics 245Amanda GrantPart III What Matters Most in the End 25720 Understanding the Behavior of Geriatric Patients to Enhance their Welfare 259Carlo Siracusa21 Environmental Enrichment and Senior Pets: The Next Best Thing to the Fountain of Youth 269Steve Dale22 Where Are all the Grey Muzzles?: Marketing and Caring for Geriatric Pets in your Practice 279Mary Gardner23 Veterinary Hospice in Your Practice 289Mary Gardner and Dani McVety24 Quality of Life Assessment and End of Life Decisions 297Mary Gardner25 Anticipatory Grief and Preparation for Pet Loss 311Shea Cox26 The Look 317Faith Banks27 Convenience and Aggressive Pet Euthanasia 321Dani McVety28 Letting Go – Handling Euthanasia in Your Practice 327Mary Gardner and Dani McVety29 The Final Chapter 337Mary GardnerIndex 343