All featured products are chosen at the discretion of the Vetstreet editorial team and do not reflect a direct endorsement by the author. However, Vetstreet may make a small affiliate commission if you click through and make a purchase.

The post 5 Must-Have Health and Wellness Products From Global Pet Expo 2012 appeared first on Vetstreet.

When my husband and I became dog fosters, we had no feel for how long it would last. We’d just lost our oldest dog and, since we were already active volunteers with a local rescue, we turned to fostering right away to provide a playmate for our younger dog, Rudi. And, of course, we loved the idea of helping to prepare a dog for his or her forever home. Those are some warm fuzzies right there.

It started off well. Really well. We started with Blackie, who was an excellent companion for Rudi. We worked with him on some basic obedience, took lots of cute pictures (he was surprisingly tolerant of hats and costumes for a year-old pup with so much energy), and took him everywhere with us, to make sure his forever family would have no trouble bringing him right into their lives.

When he was adopted, I cried. No, I sobbed. I was so happy he was going to a great home, but in just a few short weeks, he’d become a part of our family. He’d helped us begin to heal and had given us a way to displace our grief without any guilt. I was heartbroken to hand him over, but I knew he was only the first foster. I was ready to do it again.

We went through the cycle a few more times, spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with dogs who really just wanted the gift of a permanent home. And we helped that happen. It was never easy to say goodbye, but I like to think that my attachment made the new owners even more aware of how special their new four-legged friends were.

Then, there was Mistletoe.

She was found right around Christmas, along with her sister, Hollie. We brought her home on a Friday, and by Saturday we were officially in love. Neither of us wanted to take her in for the adoption event that morning; we felt like a family. But, knowing that it’s often harder to find fosters than adopters, we stuck to our duty.

"If she’s not adopted today, we’ll adopt her," my husband told me. I agreed.

Of course, she was adopted. And I was crushed.

We volunteered to bring her sister home, but we had steeled ourselves. We weren’t going to let this dog win us over so easily. She was sweet, if a little more vocal and excitable than Mistletoe had been. She was a little less snuggly, but like so many of the other dogs before, Hollie was an excellent playmate for Rudi.

About a week after we brought her home, I began to notice that she walked with a little more swing in her hips than any dog I’d ever seen. And, if it was quiet, I could hear a "click, click, click" as she walked. We worked with the rescue and took her in to the vet for some x-rays; sure enough, although she was only estimated to be around 6 months old, she already showed signs of degenerative hip disease.

The attachment we’d fought so hard to avoid all came rushing out. We already cared about Hollie. She’d wormed her way into our hearts with her various voices and the funny faces she’d make. And now, knowing that she could very well need surgery and additional medical care as she got older, we couldn’t possibly give her up. Our decision was made before we even got to the car. We’d failed at fostering Hollie, but we’d won out in terms of expanding our furry family.

Nearly three years later, Hollie is doing great. We worked closely with our vet to get a few extra pounds off of her, and that, along with moderate exercise, has helped enormously. Most days you’d have no idea she has any hip problems at all. And one day, when it’s more obvious, we won’t have to worry whether the family who adopted her is providing her with the right medications or getting her the surgery she needs. She’s our little girl, and she’ll have whatever she needs.

The post How I Became a Foster Failure appeared first on Vetstreet.

Lucky Diamond, the 15-year-old Maltese belonging to pet lifestyle expert, animal welfare advocate, founder of Animal Fair Media and best-selling author Wendy Diamond, has lost her battle with spleen cancer.

Wendy adopted Lucky, who has a wing named after her at the Humane Society of New York, in 1999. The little white pup proved to have an case of intense separation anxiety, leading Wendy to bring her along to dinners, business meetings and star studded parties — which is how the dog's fame really took off: Lucky holds the Guinness World Record for being the dog photographed with the most famous people. The celebrities — over 300 — include animal lovers such as Betty White and Kristen Stewart.

Wendy and Lucky spent over a decade working tirelessly to reduce the number of animals euthanized each year. Their latest effort was to be an unusual fundraiser, a Fair Tail Wedding, that Wendy began planning earlier this year when Lucky was diagnosed with cancer. Although Lucky is no longer with us, Diamond is going ahead with the project in order to raise awareness of canine cancer and other animal-related issues.

The wedding (which includes donated services estimated at a value of over $150,000) will still take place on July 12 at the Jumeirah Essex House in Manhattan to honor the popular pooch's legacy. Wendy is in the process of adopting another dog from a shelter, who will take Lucky's place in the nuptials. If all goes as planned, the Fairy Tail Wedding will set a Guinness World Record for the most expensive pet wedding in history.

She's still searching for the groom, however. Those who think their dog could be the perfect match can submit their pet's picture and heartwarming story on Wendy and Lucky's Facebook page for consideration. Tickets to the wedding can be purchased and donations can be made at Animal Fair.

In the meantime, our hearts go out to Wendy and all of Lucky's friends.

The post Lucky Diamond, World Record-Holding Maltese, Loses Battle With Cancer appeared first on Vetstreet.

All featured products are chosen at the discretion of the Vetstreet editorial team and do not reflect a direct endorsement by the author. However, Vetstreet may make a small affiliate commission if you click through and make a purchase.

The post Top 10 Dog Products at Global Pet Expo 2013 appeared first on Vetstreet.

Dr. Laurie Hess — a regular Vetstreet contributor, owner and medical director of the Veterinary Center for Birds & Exotics, and one of only about 125 bird specialists board-certified by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners — has long regaled her friends and colleagues with funny, heartwarming and occasionally hard-to-believe stories about the avian and exotic pets she treats… and their owners.

And now, she’s sharing those stories — along with a look at some of the personal challenges she’s faced throughout her career — with the rest of us in her new book, Unlikely Companions: The Adventures of an Exotic Animal Doctor (Or, What Friends Feathered, Furred, and Scaled Have Taught Me About Life and Love, which is available today. While the names (and sometimes the species) of her clients have been changed to protect their privacy, their stories are engaging and enlightening.

We got our hands on an advance copy of the book and were delighted (although not surprised) with the way Dr. Hess weaves the stories of animals she has treated — ranging from Judge Judy-loving rabbits to an enormous Central Park snapping turtle to a parrot in police custody — into a candid narrative of her struggles to balance her career, her family and her own health.

Vetstreet: Your title references lessons you’ve learned. What’s one you can share without giving too much of the book away?
Dr. Laurie Hess: I think the biggest lesson on life is that animals are not always just simple pets to people — they can have a much deeper meaning that a lot of people don’t appreciate. I hope that [the book will help] people who don’t have exotic pets realize that you can appear to form these incredible bonds with the most unlikely companions, whether it’s a rat or a chinchilla or a sugar glider — any animal that most people don’t know much about. And these animals can form incredible bonds with people, just as a dog or a cat might.

VS: You touch on numerous cases and all types of species, but the story of those sugar gliders is threaded all throughout the book. Did that case inspire you to take on this project?
LH: I think I was already considering writing the book, and as I was telling the story to people, I knew it would be great to write about. I had always been encouraged to write down these crazy anecdotal stories. Some of them were so funny or heartwarming — and some were so unbelievable — and as I started to think about the book, it seemed logical to make the sugar glider story a big story.

VS: Who do you envision as your target audience? 
LH: It’s for animal lovers in general. I think exotic pet owners will really identify with the book, but I think any pet owner would understand the bonds that the people in the book are making with their pets — even if the reader doesn’t have that exact species of pet.

And there’s a bit in there about me being a crazy-busy working mom trying to juggle my life and my career. I think a lot of women can definitely relate to that — having a passion for a career and having to spend a lot of time training for it, but also loving your family and wanting to spend time with them. No matter what kind of career you may have, your family is really important and you have to try to strike a balance. It can be hard, but a woman can raise her children to respect the fact that their mother works and has a career, too.

VS: You don’t shy away from discussing your efforts to find that balance.
LH: A lot of things happened when I set up my animal hospital seven years ago — it was a really big struggle. I’m proud of what I’ve done as a veterinarian, and I’m very proud of my hospital. I’m very aware that there were some trade-offs, but I don’t think I regret them. 

I’m glad my kids were a big part of setting up the hospital, and I think they’re very proud of what I’ve set up and they’re proud of my job. They understand when I have emergency calls that I have to deal with, because that’s who we are — we help the animals, and we’ve always helped the animals. I don’t think they’ve ever been resentful of that.

VS: There’s one story in the book about a mother and son with a very sick rabbit, and she says to you, “Yes, it would probably be easier to give up on the rabbit, but what does that teach my son? That pets are disposable?” Are these types of moments common?
LH: There’s a lot of psychology involved in working with people and their pets. In veterinary medicine, most people don’t have insurance, so they’re paying out of pocket. Finances become a very big part of the decision whether to treat an animal or not. It is something that a lot of families with children face — after all, they’re the ones who have these pets. I spend a lot of time with my “mom hat” on, and I’ll speak to clients from the mother perspective, as well as from the veterinary perspective. I often tell parents that if we put an animal to sleep, the most important message is that you relate to your child that it’s not their fault. That’s something children can really blame themselves for and be scarred by, and it can have long-lasting impact.

VS: Are there any particularly memorable cases you weren’t able to include in the book?
LH: I have a whole ‘nother book in my head! I had a rabbit who was initially brought in by a man whose daughter was in high school, and he was really reluctant to spend a lot of money on the animal. It ended up having a very bad dental problem that required quite a bit of surgery, and he really wasn’t sure he wanted to spend the money.

Well, they decided to go for it, and the rabbit did really well, and then the daughter went off to college a year or so later, at which point the father got really, really close to this rabbit. It became his rabbit. The rabbit required multiple surgeries, but ended up living many, many, many years. In looking back, he was able to say to me, “I went from really not caring about this animal so much to realizing how important it was to my daughter — that’s why I did the surgery to begin with — to then really realizing how important it was to me. I had no idea I could bond with this rabbit in the way that I did.” He didn’t regret a minute — or one penny — spent with or on this rabbit.

VS: What one thing do you hope readers take away?
LH: A lot of people wonder what it’s like to be a veterinarian, and being an exotics veterinarian puts a little twist on that. So for anyone who’s ever been curious about what it’s like to be a veterinarian, to take the work home with you but also be a real person with a family and kids and sporting events and all kinds of stuff, I think the book provides a really good example of that.

Also, my message is always that these animals deserve proper medical and preventive care, because most of the time, we only see these pets when they’re dying or really, really sick, and that’s because many people don’t even realize that they should bring these animals in regularly for care, as they might for a dog or cat.

Exotic pets can be amazing, and you can see the incredible bonds they seem to have with their owners in the book, but they are a commitment and they do require work — if you’re going to have one, you need to know what you’re getting into.

VS: With that in mind, are there any guidelines you wish owners of exotic pets would keep in mind regarding preventive veterinary care?
LH: I definitely think that when you get a new exotic pet — whether you adopt it, buy it, whatever you do — you should have it checked out right away to make sure it’s healthy and also to make sure you’re aware of the most up-to-date ways to care for it. There’s a lot of really outdated stuff on the internet, and even pet stores aren’t always telling you the most up-to-date information. So finding a veterinarian who’s really knowledgeable and current on exotics is really important.

If you’re looking for an exotics veterinarian, I recommend going through one of these three organizations: the Association of Avian Veterinarians, the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians or the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians. Many people are members of all of them, because few people just treat reptiles or just treat birds. But you know that if someone is taking the time to join these organizations that they’re serious about these pets.

Also, don’t introduce the new pet to your pets at home until you’re sure it’s healthy and come in at least annually [to see the vet]. For certain species and some of the geriatric pets — and geriatric has different meanings for the different species — come in twice a year.

More on Vetstreet:

• Is My Pet Drinking Enough Water?
• 10 Tips to Teach Your Parrot to Talk
• Book Review: All Dogs Go to Kevin
• 9 Things You Should Know Before Adopting a Turtle
• Common Health Hazards and Toxins for Small Animals

The post Unlikely Companions: Dr. Laurie Hess Shares Her Exotic Animal Adventures appeared first on Vetstreet.

• Unique Pet Names: The Sweet and the Silly
  
• Getting a New Dog? What You Need to Know
• Why Does My Dog Walk in a Circle Before Lying Down?
• Video: The Absolute Worst Way to Choose a Veterinarian
• Dog Breeds Who Are Perfect for Your Fantasy Football Team

The post Unique Dog Names: Clever Puns Edition appeared first on Vetstreet.

Out of more than 10.4 million dog names and 4.6 million cat names (all belonging to pets born between January 2013 and May 2016) in the Vetstreet database, we pulled out 186,258 names that were, by definition, unique (meaning they appeared in that database only once). From there, we pulled out the most clever ones and divided them into categories. We’re kicking it off with some great pop culture references, but don’t worry — you’ll see all of them over the coming months!

One note: The pictures in the slideshow below are not pictures of the actual pets with these names. However, when possible we did attempt to share pictures of the same breed as the actual pet from our database.

All featured products are chosen at the discretion of the Vetstreet editorial team and do not reflect a direct endorsement by the author. However, Vetstreet may make a small affiliate commission if you click through and make a purchase.

More on Vetstreet:

• Eye-Opening Facts for Anyone With Indoor Pets
• What to Try if Your Dog Hates Wearing a Leash
• Not So Hot: Dog Names on Their Way Out of Style
• 5 Small Dog Breeds This Vet Would Like to See More Of
• Does Your Pet Shed a Lot? How to Know When to Worry

The post Unique Pet Names: The Pop Culture Edition appeared first on Vetstreet.

We looked at the names of more than 643,000 kittens born in 2012 to determine the trendiest cat names of the year. Below, find the top 10 names for both male and female cats, and be sure to let us know if you recognize any of the names!

More on Vetstreet.com:

• Top 10 Kitten Names of the Year
• Least Trendy Cat Names
• Most Popular Puppy Names

The post The Year’s Trendiest Cat Names appeared first on Vetstreet.

On June 1, lepidopterists everywhere will don their binoculars and celebrate Butterfly Awareness Day. But this annual holiday isn't just for experienced butterfly watchers; it's also a great opportunity for amateurs to start learning about butterflies.

Butterfly watching has grown more popular in recent years, and for good reason. There's little required to get started — just a pair of binoculars, a keen eye, and some field clothes — although a field guide is also helpful.

To learn more about butterfly watching and why it's gaining popularity, we chatted with Court Whelan, who has been involved in both the business and scientific arenas of ecotourism for the past nine years. Whelan holds a doctorate degree in Ecotourism Entomology (a program that he helped create at the University of Florida) and is an internationally recognized expert in ecotourism, entomology, and the role they play together in promoting conservation on a global scale.

Where to Go

"There are two main things people look for with butterfly watching," Whelan says. "The most important is diversity; they want a high count of different species. The second is assemblages of the same species."

Your ideal butterfly watching location will depend on which of these is your goal. If you're aiming to see diversity, you'll want to head to an area like Central and South America. "Near the equator is where you'll see the highest species count. It's somewhere in the 4000's in Ecuador and Peru," Whelan says.

The diversity you'll find in any given area is dictated by the variety of climate zones. Take Ecuador for example. "If you're low, at sea level or near it, it's hot, humid and rains a lot," Whelan explains. "As you go up in elevation in the Andean mountains, you find multiple climate and life zones, which means there are different plants for butterflies to feed on and lay eggs on. Although there will be some overlap in the transition zones, the butterflies you find at the Amazon basin will be totally different than what you'll find at 10,000 feet."

If a trip to the equator isn't in the cards for you, there are plenty of places to find wide butterfly diversity in the United States. Florida and Arizona are two of the most popular U.S. destinations.

If you're more interested in seeing enormous numbers of the same butterfly, there are several options. The most well known is the gathering of 2 billion Monarch butterflies that migrate from southern Canada and across the U.S. to either the California coast or central Mexico for the winter. There are several species with large populations in Florida, too, like the Viceroys you can find streaming down the Interstate in huge quantities.

What to Do

Whelan has a few tips for folks just getting started in butterfly watching. First and foremost, keep your expectations in check. "People often go to a tropical rainforest, or someplace that just exemplifies wildlife, like in the movies, and they expect to see butterflies everywhere. But remember, butterflies don't really want to be seen. Many have camouflage, and come out at different times of day," Whelan says. "Don't expect to be swarmed. Just be happy with seeing that one rare species you've never seen before, or witnessing a new behavior, or even just enjoying your surroundings."

Also, study up. "If you really want to get into butterfly watching, learn as much as you can. Not only will it help you identify species, but you'll have more fun," he says. The easier it is for you to identify a species on the spot, the more likely you are to realize you're seeing an unusual behavior.

Why It Matters

Butterfly watching isn't just fun; it's an important aspect of conservation through "citizen science." "The more you know from reading field guides, joining organizations, taking classes or even just Internet searches, the more appreciation and understanding you'll have for what you're seeing," Whelan says.

Say, for example, you recognize the first Monarch of the season. You can then report that to an organization like the North American Butterfly Association, which can include your findings in their research, all of which helps with conserving biodiversity. "We're finding that 'citizen science' is almost more important than anything else," Whelan explains.

In addition to assisting with Lepidoptera research, butterfly watching contributes to an overall conservation culture within the watcher's community. "We’re losing a lot of our species to extinction on a global scale," Whelan says. "Going out and looking at butterflies imparts a strong appreciation in the butterfly watcher and everyone in their life, because they’ll share stories and they’ll have an appreciation for the environment, which will be passed along to those close to them."

How to Get Involved

While you can gain a plethora of knowledge from a few basic Internet searches, Whelan suggests joining an organization like the North American Butterfly Association, the Association for Tropical Lepidoptera or the Lepidopterist Society. This will give you an automatic community that will not only share current findings and information with you, but might also be a great resource for planning a butterfly watching trip.

More and more ecotourism companies are offering these trips too, so it may be worth asking about the option when you're planning your next environmentally focused vacation.

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Butterfly Watching appeared first on Vetstreet.

For some of us, it’s not quite enough to take pictures of our own cats. Even if we add in a slew of photos of felines belonging to friends and family, it doesn’t quite scratch the itch. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that we can’t get enough cat pictures. Or enough cats in our pictures. We want all the cats!

And thanks to the magical power of the smartphone, we can have ’em. Here are five photo apps designed to help you get your feline photo fix.

CatPaint

CatPaint ($0.99 on iTunes) is widely considered the original and is still a favorite among many cat photo app aficionados. You can use photos from your library or take new ones, then add cat pictures from CatPaint’s extensive library of cats, cat heads, cat parts (like ears and paws), fine art cats and more — along with explosions and text. You’ll hear a meow as you add each cat and moving, flipping, resizing or deleting them is a snap. Plus? Laser beams! Yep, you have the ever-important option to add lasers to the kitties’ eyes before saving the picture to your photos or sharing directly via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or email.

Cat Bomb

Cat Bomb (basic version is free on iTunes) can pull a friend’s photo from Facebook or from your own photos or take a picture, and then the fun begins when you add a cat — or three. The free pack only offers full cats, although for an additional $2.99, you’ll have access to cat heads, sneaky cats, kittens, naughty cats and more. There are fewer cat-editing options than CatPaint offers (you can’t flip and, sadly, no lasers), but you can share your masterpiece (catsterpiece?) via email, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or save it directly to your phone.

Cat Booth

Upon opening Cat Booth ($1.19 on iTunes), you’re given the option to use a photo from your photo library, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr or Picasa, or, of course, you can take one using either your phone’s front or rear camera. The app has a good variety of cat images to add, including exotic cats and cat beards, and when you’ve added as many cats as you possibly can, you can save the photo to your phone, post it to a gallery, Facebook or Twitter or email or text it to a friend.

Cat Head Photo Booth

Cat Head Photo Booth (free on Google Play) is just what it sounds like — it offers a gallery of cat heads with which you can replace your own (or your friend’s or your dog’s or — if you really want to get meta with it — your cat’s!) head in a picture you take or one from your photo gallery. You can also add text and rotate the photo before saving it to your phone or sharing it directly through Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram or other social media or messaging apps your phone offers.

Snapcat

Snapcat (free on Google Play) is a little different than the other apps listed here, in that it doesn’t allow you to add kitties to pictures you already have, but instead allows your kitty to snap some selfies. In “Cat Mode,” a bouncing red dot pops up on the screen, which will likely encourage your cat to chase the dot with his paws. As he touches the screen, he’ll take pictures of himself. Once you have your cat’s photos, you can scroll through them, add filters or stickers, then upload photos immediately to Facebook, Twitter or EyeEm or share anywhere else your device allows.

More on Vetstreet:

• Why Does My Cat Head Butt Me?
• How to Turn Your Pet Into an Instagram Star
• 5 Secrets of Happy Indoor Cats
• Test Your Animal IQ With This Fun Quiz
• Tips for Taking Great Cat Pictures

All featured products are chosen at the discretion of the Vetstreet editorial team and do not reflect a direct endorsement by the author. However, Vetstreet may make a small affiliate commission if you click through and make a purchase.

The post 5 Photo Apps Cat People Will Love appeared first on Vetstreet.

• 5 Easy-to-Groom Dog Breeds
• Expert Tips for Exercising With Your Pet
• Don’t Miss These Signs of Pain in Your Dog
• The Best (and Worst) Fruits and Veggies for Dogs
  
• Why Does My Dog Turn Circles Before Lying Down?
  

The post 8 Dog Breeds You Won’t Recognize as Puppies appeared first on Vetstreet.

What do the terms "senior" and "geriatric" mean to you when it comes to dogs and cats? Do you think your definition is the same as your vet’s?

We wondered at what age pet owners and professionals thought those terms applied to dogs of various sizes and cats, so we polled 213 veterinary professionals (including veterinarians, technicians and office staff) and 1,896 readers to get their feedback. As we suspected, there was some disconnect between the groups’ use of those words.

When Does a Dog Qualify as Senior or Geriatric?

People often throw around the term "dog years" as a way to describe time, but when it comes down to it, most of us know that the oft-quoted "one human year equals seven dog years" equation is nothing more than a loose approximation. Most people understand that dogs of varying breeds and sizes age at different rates, so we broke the question down into when small, medium, large and giant breed dogs would be considered senior or geriatric.

Regardless of size, veterinary professionals considered dogs senior earlier than pet owners: 5 to 7 years old was the answer among 79 percent of professionals, while the majority of pet owners (57 percent) believed that 7 to 9 years was more accurate. If we break it down by size, the trend still holds true: Small, medium and large dogs were all considered senior at around 7 by veterinary professionals, with giant breed dogs hitting the senior mark around 5. Most readers considered small dogs senior around 11, medium dogs near 9, and both large and giant breed dogs around 7.

The term "geriatric" fared in much the same way: Veterinary professionals tended to consider dogs in general to be geriatric around 9 years old, while readers were more likely to select "around 11 years old" as geriatric. Veterinary professionals considered small and medium dogs geriatric around 11, large dogs near 9, and giant breeds around 7. Readers felt that small dogs were not geriatric until they were older than 13. For medium dogs, "around 11 years old" and "around 13 years old" tied among readers, who said large dogs were geriatric around 11 and giant breeds close to 9.

All of that being said, vets were more likely to be in agreement on those terms than pet owners, so it could be concluded that vets have a more concrete understanding of the terms "senior" and "geriatric" than your average pet owner when it comes to dogs.

What About Cats?

Answering the same questions in regard to our feline friends was a bit simpler: The highest percentage of veterinary professionals considered cats senior around 9 years old and geriatric around 13. Readers went a little older when it came to senior, with the highest percentage choosing 11 years old, and 51 percent agreeing with vets on the geriatric age as 13.

The Terms and Their Use

With so many similar answers, you might wonder whether there’s a difference in how veterinary professionals and pet owners view the terms "senior" and "geriatric." The answer is "yes." More than 77 percent of veterinary professionals and pet owners alike said there was a difference between the terms "senior" and "geriatric." However, readers were more likely to believe there was no difference between the terms than veterinary professionals (17 percent versus 14 percent), with the remainder of both groups offering no opinion (9 percent of veterinary professionals and 6 percent of readers).

Is the fact that pet owners understand the terms to have different meanings owed to veterinarians using both "senior" and "geriatric" (whichever is applicable) when talking to them? Not as much as you might think. Though 96 percent of veterinary professionals refer to aging patients as "senior," only about half say they use the word "geriatric" after a pet advances past "senior" age. Of course, it stands to reason that veterinary professionals see more senior pets than geriatric pets, but that’s still quite a difference.

But how do our readers feel about the terms? There’s not much concern about "senior," with 95 percent saying they would not be offended if their vet referred to their pet as such, and only 3 percent saying they would be offended. The remaining 2 percent had no opinion. They were a bit touchier about "geriatric," however, with 85 percent saying they would not be offended, 11 percent saying they would be, and 4 percent offering no opinion.

How do you feel about the terms? Do you use them? Does it bother you if someone refers to your pet as "senior" or "geriatric"?

Want to stay up to date on the latest pet news and have the opportunity to participate in our next survey? Sign up here.

More on Vetstreet:

• Caring for Senior Dogs: What You Should Know
• Choose the Right Toy for Your Senior Cat
• Sick or Just Aging? Signs to Watch for in Older Pets
• Survey: Do You Feed Your Pets From the Table?

The post Aging Pets: Senior, Geriatric and What It All Means to Experts and Readers appeared first on Vetstreet.