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Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO); Joe Bartges, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DACVN (Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA); Mary L. Berg, BS, LATG, RVT, VTS (Dentistry), (Beyond the Crown Veterinary Education, Lawrence, Kansas); Philip A. Bushby, DVM, MS, DACVS (Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS); Tracey D. Jensen, DVM, DABVP (C/F) (Wellington Veterinary Hospital, Wellington, CO); Colleen S. Koch, DVM, DACVB (Mizzou Animal Behavior Clinic, Mizzou Veterinary Health Services, Wentzville, Missouri); Jason Stull, VMD, MPVM, PhD, DACVPM (Department of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlotte, PEI); Link Welborn, DVM, DABVP (C/F), CCRT (Tampa Bay Animal Hospitals, Tampa, FL). Correspondence: gemoore@purdue.edu (G.E.M.); jinelle.webb@vca.com (J.A.W.) * These guidelines are supported by a generous educational grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc., CareCredit, Elanco Animal Health, Hill’s® Pet Nutrition, Inc., IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Merck Animal Health, and Zoetis Petcare. They were subjected to a formal peer-review process. These guidelines were prepared by a Task Force of experts convened by the American Animal Hospital Association. This document is intended as a guideline only, not an AAHA standard of care. These guidelines and recommendations should not be construed as dictating an exclusive protocol, course of treatment, or procedure. Variations in practice may be warranted based on the needs of the individual patient, resources, and limitations unique to each individual practice setting. Evidence-based support for specific recommendations has been cited whenever possible and appropriate. Other recommendations are based on practical clinical experience and a consensus of expert opinion. Further research is needed to document some of these recommendations. Because each case is different, veterinarians must base their decisions on the best available scientific evidence in conjunction with their own knowledge and experience. Note: When selecting products, veterinarians have a choice among those formulated for humans and those developed and approved by veterinary use. Manufacturers of veterinary-specific products spend resources to have their products reviewed and approved by the FDA for canine or feline use. These products are specifically designed and formulated for dogs and cats and have benefits for their use; they are not human generic products. AAHA suggests that veterinary professionals make every effort to use veterinary FDA-approved products and base their inventory-purchasing decisions on what product is most beneficial to the patient. † G. E. Moore and J. A. Webb were cochairs for the Canine Life Stage task force. BCS (body condition score); EOL (end of life); MCS (muscle condition score); USMI (urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence) ª 2019 by American Animal Hospital Association JAAHA.ORG 267 Introduction The purpose of these guidelines is to provide a comprehensive structure for both practice teams and pet owners that supports individualized recommendations which promote healthy longevity throughout a dog’s different life stages. Specific objectives of the guidelines include · Broadening the focus on the individualized approach to the veterinary visit. · Emphasizing preventive healthcare strategies and recommendations based on age, size, lifestyle, and breed of the dog. · Providing a framework and outline on focused areas of healthcare that are important during the maturation pathway at each canine life stage. · Providing resources and relevant information for practice teams to enable them to develop an individualized preventive healthcare plan for each dog. · Providing information and communication strategies to “make compliance easy” by facilitating adherence to recommendations that protect canine and human health. Organizing a canine patient’s lifespan into distinct life stages is a way of recognizing that a dog’s physiology evolves as he matures, requiring different approaches to healthcare as the animal progresses from puppy to senior pet. The patient’s life stage becomes a clinical tool that guides the clinician’s risk assessment and preventive healthcare and treatment strategies. Equally important, the life stages described in these guidelines also represent a useful framework for explaining individualized pet healthcare to the pet owner. For example, a pet owner who understands why a puppy has different dietary, vaccination, behavioral, or dental care needs compared with an adult dog is more likely to comply with the practice team’s recommendations at each life stage. These guidelines complement earlier canine life stage guidelines1 published in 2012, as well as the more recently released, AAHA/IAAHPC End-of-Life (EOL) Care Guidelines published in 2016. The EOL Guidelines recommended that the terminal stage of a patient’s life should be considered a distinct life stage because of the unique patient and client considerations required during EOL. These guidelines will not discuss the EOL, but because of the importance of the EOL stage, we encourage practice team
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