Frailty in Dogs and Cats
Frailty is something most people understand innately, but it is only recently being studied. You probably know that a certain elderly person might die from contracting a common cold. They are frail and their body simply can’t cope with any extra load. The same phenomenon occurs in animal patients too.
Dr. Brennen McKenzie defines frailty as the “aging-associated loss of robustness, resilience and function, accompanied by an increased risk of disease, disability and death.” Robustness is how much an individual is impacted by a stressor. Resiliency is how much an individual can bounce back from that stressor. It is easier to understand this by thinking of a child falling down. She might scrape her knee, but she is back up and running fairly quickly. If a frail person falls down, he might break his hip, and it will take a very long time for him to walk again, if ever.
Everyone (and their pets) will get old, but there are things you can do to slow the onset and progression of frailty and therefore lengthen a good quality of life. Since I am a veterinarian, I will discuss what you can do for your pets, but the same principles apply to people too!
Interventions for Frailty:
Treat any known medical conditions (especially inflammatory ones): Make sure your pet is seeing a veterinarian regularly so that you know their health status. Managing these conditions will lessen the impact they have on the individual. Make sure you are treating pain too - don’t ignore those early signs of arthritis!
Make sure your pet gets good exercise: Work with your veterinarian to know what is a safe level of exercise to prevent injury. Maintaining lean muscle mass is a key to staving off frailty.
Give your pet good mental stimulation: This can be in the form of outside time, new toys, play, general environmental enrichment, appropriate social interaction, etc.
Ensure your pet is getting really good nutrition, including antioxidants, omega-3s and prebiotics. The diet should vary based on the individual and their health status.
Maintain hydration: Switching off dry kibble may be necessary in order to ensure your pet is adequately hydrated as they get older. This is especially important for cats!
Prevent obesity: Maintaining a lean body weight alone can add up 2 years to a dog’s life!
Supplement wisely: See below
Supplements can promote healthy aging:
Supplements should be administered under the supervision of a veterinarian knowledgable in the supplements being used. Just because they are ‘natural’ does not always mean they are safe for your pet. Nutraceuticals can interact with medications and certain conditions. In addition, more is not always better, actually it usually isn’t! There are so many supplements making big claims out there, and most vets don’t have the time to know about them all. So please do discuss with your veterinarian what their knowledge-base is and make sure you find a veterinarian versed in the kind of supplements you wish your pet to be on.
Here are a few nutraceuticals that are worth discussing with your veterinarian. The most appropriate ones should be selected for your specific animal’s health status/concerns:
NAD booster
Ginkgo
Omega-3s
Hawthorn
Bilberry
Astragalus
Echinacea
Ashwagandha
Boswellia
Curcumin
If you need help finding safe and effective supplements or ensuring your pet is receiving appropriate nutrition, you can reach out to Dr. Dantzler at consultaholisticvet@gmail.com to schedule a virtual consultation. More information can be found at holisticvetadvice.com.
Contributed by Dr. Jacki Dantzler, BVM&S, CVA, CVWH
