Aging and Veterinary Care of Cats, Dogs, and Horses through the Records of Three University Veterinary Hospitals.
Authors: Cozzi Bruno, Ballarin Cristina, Mantovani Roberto, Rota Ada
Journal: Frontiers in veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary Researchers analysed over 63,000 veterinary records from three major Italian university hospitals to characterise presentation patterns across dogs (50,000 cases), cats (12,000) and companion horses (1,000), stratified by age class and sex. The data reveal a distinctly bimodal distribution, with substantial cohorts attending in early life—primarily for vaccination and neutering—and a second, increasingly substantial peak in advanced age, defined as >10 years for dogs, >15 years for cats, and >17 years for horses. Notable numbers of animals are now reaching ages historically considered exceptional, indicating substantially improved longevity across all three species, likely reflecting advances in preventive care, nutrition and chronic disease management alongside changing attitudes toward geriatric companion animal care. For equine professionals, this trend underscores the growing clinical significance of age-related conditions in mature and older horses, necessitating updated knowledge of geriatric assessment, pain management, and age-appropriate farriery and physiotherapy protocols. The findings also highlight evolving owner expectations and investment in end-of-life care, suggesting that practices serving companion horses should develop robust frameworks for managing complex, multisystem disease in geriatric populations.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Plan practice resources for a bimodal caseload: expect high volumes of young animals for preventive care (vaccination/neutering) and increasing numbers of geriatric patients requiring age-appropriate management
- •Geriatric companion animal care is becoming standard practice rather than exceptional—develop protocols and owner education for managing dogs >10 years, cats >15 years, and horses >17 years
- •Owner attitudes toward companion animal longevity are shifting; expect increased demand for quality-of-life interventions and end-of-life care in older animals
Key Findings
- •Animals presented to university veterinary hospitals show bimodal age distribution with peaks in early life (vaccination/neutering) and advanced age (>10 years dogs, >15 years cats, >17 years horses)
- •Growing populations of mature to old companion animals are now reaching ages previously considered exceptional
- •Data from 63,000 medical records (50,000 dogs, 12,000 cats, ~1,000 horses) demonstrate evolving animal-owner relationships and increased investment in geriatric companion animal care