In fact, many of our ideas about what happens as our pets get older are actually based on outdated information... almost like myths that we somehow keep alive. But in looking at the current research, there is actually a lot we can do to help our pets live longer healthier lives... to have not just a longer life-span, but a longer health-span.

The Top 5 Things You Can Do TODAY to Increase Your Dog's Health-Span:

1. Less Food, Less Often

This is the #1 thing you can do to increase the health-span of your pets. Study after study in both animals and humans is now showing that reducing caloric intake and spreading out the time between feedings (time-restricted feeding, usually once per day) shows the strongest correlation with greater health-span, vastly reduced risk of cancer and senility. 

3. Get Enough Exercise, But Not Too Much

Exercise in high-intensity bursts is better correlated with youthfulness than extended periods of cardio.

4. Get Social

Dogs are social creatures. Greater time spent with humans and other dogs is correlated with greater happiness, youthful behavior, and health even in old age. Dog parks are a great option (and this can take care of the exercise requirement above!)

5. Proper Supplementation

Commercial foods and table foods, despite claims to the contrary, often are missing key micro-nutrients your dog needs. Worse still, many foods actually contain ingredients (such as sugars and grains) which elevate the key blood markers correlated with inflammation, which research now shows is terribly aging. In fact, more and more scientists are starting to believe that aging is actually an inflammatory disease. Addressing inflammation is best done using natural ingredients instead of drugs, whenever possible.