Dog dental health, longevity research, and what I wish I had known before Cooper.
Best Friends National Conference: Guide for May 7-9, 2026 I’ve been watching Best Friends Animal Society for years — ever since I started researching everything I could about dog health after losing Cooper. When I heard they’re hosting their National Conference in Salt Lake City this May, I knew I had to put together a […]
Pet Insurance for Senior Dogs: Is It Worth Buying When Your Dog Gets Older? I spent $8,000 on Cooper’s cancer treatment in his final year, and we didn’t have insurance. The honest answer is: pet insurance for senior dogs usually isn’t worth it if you’re buying it for the first time when your dog gets
When my golden retriever Cooper started limping at age 7, my vet mentioned Adequan injections as a potential treatment option. Adequan is a prescription injectable medication (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan, or PSGAG) that works differently from pain relievers — it actually helps rebuild damaged cartilage in arthritic joints rather than just masking symptoms. After Cooper passed from
When my vet first suggested laser therapy for Cooper’s arthritis, I thought it sounded like expensive pseudoscience. But after digging through veterinary research and talking to dog owners who’d actually tried it, I learned that cold laser therapy is one of the few alternative treatments with solid clinical backing—though whether it’s worth the cost depends
When my golden Cooper started gaining weight despite eating less, sleeping more than usual, and developing a dull, thinning coat, I knew something was wrong. After blood work, our vet diagnosed hypothyroidism—one of the most common hormonal disorders in middle-aged and senior dogs. If your dog is showing unexplained lethargy, weight gain, or skin changes,
When Cooper, my golden retriever, turned seven, I made a mistake that still haunts me: I kept pushing him on our usual three-mile runs because he seemed fine. By eight, he was limping. By nine, his arthritis was severe, and we lost him to cancer shortly after. If I’d known then what I know now
When I first heard about elk velvet antler supplements for senior dogs, I was skeptical—it sounded like something out of traditional Chinese medicine rather than evidence-based veterinary care. But after Cooper started slowing down at age 8, I dove into the research, and what I found surprised me: there’s actual science behind this supplement, though
NMN supplements for dogs are gaining attention in the longevity space, but right now, there’s no strong evidence they’ll extend your dog’s lifespan. After losing my golden retriever Cooper at just nine years old, I’ve spent countless hours researching anything that might help dogs live longer, and NMN sits in that promising-but-unproven category. The science
Why I Started Researching Milk Thistle for Dogs A few years ago, my senior rescue mix Bailey needed long-term pain management for arthritis. The vet prescribed carprofen, and while it helped her mobility tremendously, I started worrying about her liver. My golden retriever Cooper had been on phenobarbital for seizures before we lost him to
When Cooper was diagnosed with oral melanoma at age 8, I started researching everything I could do to support his quality of life. Between chemo treatments and pain management, I found myself standing in the spice aisle at Whole Foods, staring at turmeric powder and wondering if the internet hype about “golden paste” for dogs