Aging Forum: does one exist, is there a need?

[Dogband]

Our pups are now 11.5 years old, so unfortunately we are taking natures course down the aging road. Is there a need for an aging forum? Sure would help me.

[pindrop]

Hi Dogband Welcome! Insofar as aging dogs, there are lots of members her with not just young pups but older dogs as well and 11.5 is not exactly old when they can live to 15 - 16 and even 17. However, whatever your concerns are, there are experienced individuals on this forum that can help.

[bradl]

It's an interesting question and I very much appreciate the thought behind it (having a 15-year-old myself).

The number and division of sub-forums is of interest to me and I revisit site organization periodically, as well as assess other forum-based sites from time to time, in order to identify and emulate what seem to be best practices, or correct what I perceive as shortcomings. One area that's a judgment call is the number and granularity of subforums. My observation has been that too few is slightly preferable to too many, as too many can splinter community and create some logistics problems of their own. When a broader forum is overwhelmed with a single topic, dampening or squeezing out other topics in the broader category, that's usually a good topic to isolate and break out, though, so it's worth evaluating content periodically.

From a purely selfish point of view, as the number of subforums goes up, so do housekeeping chores like moving mis-categorized topics.

For the time being, I'm thinking aging is still appropriate under Behavior and Health. I do have a special place in my heart for our senior Cairns, and I'm certainly not ruling out the idea. Indeed I will let it percolate for a while. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Dogband]

Thanks for consideration, I do understand that tons of forums would be difficult to manage. My first cairn had a stroke and died at 12. These guys at 11.5 seem very healthy, so I hope I get a lot more, a lifetime would not be enough. I am just a bit overly worried at the moment. It broke my heart to discover a second lipomas on my beloved Kyra, but hopefully it will not grow and can just hang around for several years w/out any problem. Back to vet next week for recheck. I know we will have to head down this road eventually. thanks, r

[BetsyNoodle]

Janice Willard, DVM, has written a wonderfully informative book on aging in dogs entitled "Eternal Puppy". It is subtitled "Groundbreaking Veterinary Advances to Enrich Your Senior Dog's Life." It covers relevant topics such as Proactive Care, Diseases of Aging, Nutrition, Drugs/Supplements, exercise, behavior, and more. It is one of my favorite "go to" dog books, and really helped me when I was dealing with aging issues in my two beloved pups, Betsy Noodle and Ralphie. I think you will find it very helpful.

[sanford]

Thank you Brad, for giving this topic such thoughtful consideration.

I'd like Dogband to know what an invaluable source of support & info this site has been, re this topic. I came to heavily rely on Cairn Talk Forum when I was dealing with the aging issues of my geriatric cairn terrier. Members of this site have a wealth of knowledge & experience that they willingly share.

Be assured that as your beloved dogs move into their senior years, you will find the answers that you seek, here on these pages.

Welcome to Cairn Talk Forum!

P.S. That's a beautiful pic of your dogs. What are their names? They appear to be littermates and if so, I would guess that they must be inseparable. Don't hesitate to send more pics!