Created especially for pet parents of geriatric dogs, the tools in this journal will help you watch over and attend to your dog's well-being and feel more empowered to make the best health and care decisions for your dog. Dr. Mary Gardner, guides you in tracking your dog's attitude, activities, behavior, medical care, and joys of life as you share your furry companion's journey through their marvelous elder years.
Throughout your dog's life and especially during their twilight years, it's important to note any out-of-character changes they show and the concerns you have. Some changes-increased thirst, a pea-size lump or bump, diarrhea, restlessness at night, picky eating-may signal serious health issues. Keeping a pet health and care journal also helps you identify factors that may have contributed to the symptoms or the improvements you noted.
The journal pages, questionnaires, logs, lists, assessments, and other templates will help you document and keep important information handy and organized as you care for your aging dog. Included:
- My dog's care team: a handy list of all those who help care for your dog.
- Health journal: questions to help recognize changes in your dog.
- Meals and treats: log to track nutrition, a key factor in helping prevent or manage many different ailments.
- Cognitive health assessment: checklist that helps identify signs of age-related mental decline.
- Symptom record: form for monitoring whether conditions or ailments have improved, stayed stable, or declined.
- Veterinary visits and procedures: log to track the highlights and important findings from your dog's checkups.
- Diagnostic tests: spot to record a summary of blood and urine tests and x-ray or other results.
- Tracking treatments: a handy reference sheet for treatments you've tried, changes you've made, medications and supplements you're giving, and their effects.
- Counting breaths: a respiratory rate tracking sheet important for dogs with laryngeal paralysis, trachea or lung conditions, or heart disease.
- Goals of care: a table to write answers to care-oriented questions that help you identify priorities as your pet experiences the limitations and illnesses that aging brings.
- The adventures of a lifetime: a simple bucket list and why it's important to create one for your dog.
- Favorite Things/Joyful living: an inventory of the things that routinely bring your dog joy to help you observe your dog's life quality.
- Assessing your dog's life quality: an evaluation tool to help you consider your dog's overall physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
- Caring for caregivers: a chart to help you reflect on some of the challenges and stressful feelings you may experience while caring for your ailing dog and identify areas of support.
- Dog days calendar: guidance on defining what makes a good day and a bad day for your dog and you, and why you may want to track each day on a simple but meaningful visual daily monitor.
These tools can also make partnering with your veterinarian easier as you continue to provide your pooch's best care! Use this journal as a practical stand-alone resource, or as a perfect companion to Dr. Gardner's book for parents of older dogs, It's Never Long Enough - A Practical Guide to Caring for Your Geriatric Dog
