Dr. Lisa Park, DVM
UC Davis DVM
AVMA Member
Fear Free Certified Professional
14 Years Experience
My Story
I grew up knowing I wanted to work with animals. After earning my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, I spent the first eight years of my career in busy small animal practices in the Pacific Northwest, treating everything from puppies with parvo to cats with kidney disease. But it was my senior patients—the grey-muzzled dogs who still wagged their tails in the waiting room—that captured my heart most completely.
Six years ago, I adopted Biscuit, a 7-year-old Labrador mix whose previous family could no longer care for him. Two years later, Mochi—an 11-year-old Beagle with the most expressive ears I have ever seen—joined our family after being surrendered to a local rescue. Living with two senior dogs didn’t just change my home life; it transformed my clinical perspective. I saw firsthand how much the right food, the right supplements, the right routine, and the right vet partnership could mean for a dog’s golden years. Biscuit is now 13 and still chasing squirrels. Mochi turns 13 this fall and still demands her morning belly rub with absolute authority.
Those experiences are woven into everything I write on this site. When I recommend a joint supplement or a senior-formula kibble, I’m drawing on both clinical evidence and the lived reality of caring for aging dogs every single day. I know how much you love your dog, because I know exactly how much I love mine.
Clinical Philosophy
My approach to geriatric veterinary care is built on three pillars: quality of life over quantity of interventions, evidence-based decision making, and a whole-dog perspective that considers physical health, mental enrichment, and the human-animal bond together.
Senior dogs are not simply old puppies. Their metabolic needs shift, their pain tolerance changes, their cognitive function can decline, and their immune systems require thoughtful support. In my practice, I work closely with pet owners to design individualized wellness plans—not cookie-cutter protocols—that honor where each dog is in their life journey. That means honest conversations about prognosis, careful attention to pain management, and empowering owners with the knowledge to advocate for their dogs.
I believe strongly in the Fear Free approach to veterinary medicine. Stress and fear are not just unpleasant for dogs—they have measurable negative effects on health outcomes. Every visit, every procedure, and every recommendation I make is filtered through the question: how do we make this as comfortable and low-stress as possible?
Why I Created Dog Age Well
When clients leave my exam room with a newly diagnosed senior dog, I hand them a printed summary and send them home. Within hours, many of them are deep in a Google rabbit hole, sorting through contradictory, outdated, or outright dangerous advice written by people who have never treated a dog in their lives.
I created Dog Age Well to be the resource I wish I could hand every one of those clients. Every article on this site is written or reviewed by me, grounded in current veterinary literature, and translated into plain language that real dog owners can actually use. My goal is not to replace your veterinarian—it is to help you walk into that appointment better informed, better prepared, and better equipped to give your senior dog the life they deserve.
How We Research
Every piece of content on Dog Age Well is held to a strict editorial standard:
- Primary sources first. Recommendations are drawn from peer-reviewed veterinary journals, AVMA guidelines, and published clinical studies wherever possible.
- Veterinary authorship. All core content is written or reviewed by me, Dr. Lisa Park, DVM. Guest contributors are credentialed professionals in their respective fields.
- Regular updates. Veterinary science evolves. Articles are reviewed and updated at least annually, or sooner when new evidence emerges.
- Transparent sourcing. We cite our sources. If a claim is made, you should be able to trace it back to a credible reference.
- No paid editorial influence. Brands cannot pay to be featured, mentioned favorably, or reviewed. Our editorial content is independent of advertising and affiliate relationships.
If you ever spot an error or have a question about a source, please reach out. Getting this right matters to me.
Affiliate Disclosure
Dog Age Well participates in affiliate advertising programs, including the Amazon Associates Program and select pet industry affiliate networks. This means that when you click certain product links on this site and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships never influence which products I recommend or how I evaluate them. I only link to products I would genuinely recommend to my own clients, and in many cases, to products I use myself for Biscuit and Mochi. The commissions help support the cost of running this site and allow me to continue providing free, expert-reviewed content to dog owners. Thank you for your support.