AKC Canine Health Foundation Launches Old Dogs Rule Campaign Focusing on Senior Dog Health and Wellness

Your best friend is a little slower on her walks, but she still loves to play. She sleeps more and her joints ache a bit, but she is as happy as she was the day you first met. She has become a little grey in the face, but she never complains. She is a member of an elite crowd and you wouldn’t have it any other way because you know Old Dogs Rule.

Throughout September and October the AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF) celebrates senior dogs with their Old Dogs Rule educational and fundraising campaign. The campaign features articles, podcasts and webinars by veterinary experts designed to help dog owners and dog lovers take the best care possible of their aging dog, while raising funds and awareness for canine geriatric health and wellness research.

During the campaign dog owners are encouraged to post photos and a brief explanation about why their #OldDogsRule to their social media accounts. Photos with the #OldDogsRule hashtag can also be posted to the CHF Facebook page.

According to Dr. Shila Nordone, CHF Chief Scientific Officer, “Thanks to advances in care, senior dogs currently make up roughly 40% of the patient population in veterinary practices.” Nordone goes on to say, “Senior and geriatric dogs have special health concerns and our Old Dogs Rule campaign will provide funding for research that will stimulate novel approaches to senior dog healthcare and allow our beloved older dogs to live long and happy lives.” 

Money donated to CHF’s Old Dogs Rule will be used to establish a funding base for senior and geriatric veterinary biomedical research. Beginning in 2015, CHF will award grants to researchers who aim to understand how to strengthen the aging dog’s immune system, prevent and/or manage health problems such as degenerative cardiac disease or kidney disease, and how aging dogs can retain their cognitive function to not just live longer, but live well.