New Vet-Authored Paperback Shares Advice For Helping Man's Best Friend Live Longer

By John Ostapkovich

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Lots of us love puppies, but it's a sad fact that many dogs are dropped off at shelters for no reason other than that they are old. Now, there's a new paperback that helps you keep your friend longer.

Good Old Dog Expert Advice for Keeping Your Aging Dog Happy, Healthy, and Comfortable is the work of some of the top dog docs at the Tufts Veterinary School. Its editor, animal behaviorist Nicholas Dodman, says that just as humans can live longer these days, so can man's best friend, with proper care. Sometimes, he says, people get bad advice, like feeding Fido nothing but boiled chicken necks.

"Then they come to us and say, 'Well, that's what the breeder told us.' We have a triple-degreed and board-certified veterinary nutritionist who's devoted her entire life to what to feed dogs, so she was the information source for that chapter."

The book also deals with cancer, the number one disease-killer of dogs and even dog dementia. It runs through the subjects like nine-pins, says Dr. Dodman, and could save both money and anguish as a member of the family moves through their golden years.