INTRODUCTION Like us, dogs donot stay young forever they age.

While some aspects of getting old may not be much fun, getting old is not all bad. Each stage of life has its joys, pleasures and drawbacks. Middle age for a dog, is a kind of gray zone during which the dog is busily engaged in the process of life without any particular physical or mental deterioration to hamper him. But somewhere towards the end of middle age, dogs start acting and feeling their age. Senescence is a biological process resulting in progressive reduction of an individuals ability to maintain homeostasis under internal physiological and external environmental stresses, thereby decreasing the individuals viability and increasing its vulnerability to diseases and eventually causing its death (Goldston 1989). True ageing changes, such as collagen cross linkage, increasing tissue fragility, loss of flexibility, loss of muscle and nerve cells, decreasing ability to survive stress, thickening of the lens and wrinkling of skin are progressive and irreversible. The speed of progression may be significantly affected by the effects of pathologic change on specific physiological functions of the cell, the body system, or the body as a whole (Mosier 1999). It is probably safe to assume that every physiologic process will show an approximately linear fall off in functional capacity after maturity. As with humans, advanced years often bring changes in a dogs ability to hear, see and move about easily. Skin conditions, appetite and energy levels often degrade with geriatric age. Medical conditions such as carcinomas (Caswell 2011), renal failure, joint diseases, diabetes, cardiac abnormalities, weakening of immune system, cataract, endocrine abnormalities (Simpson and McCown 2009), dental problems, urinary system disabilities and other signs of old age may appear as the age progresses.

Aging begins at birth, but its manifestations are not noticeable for several years. The first sign of aging is a general decrease in activity level, including a tendency to sleep longer and more soundly, a waning of enthusiasm for long walks and games of catch, and a loss of interest in the on goings in the home. Small dogs are considered geriatric between 9 and 13 years old, medium sized dogs are considered geriatric between 9 and 11 years old whereas large breed dogs are considered geriatric between 7 and 10 yearsold. The giant breed dogs are usually considered geriatric between 6 and 9 years old. A major study of dog longevity, which is considered both natural and other factors affectinglife expectancy, concluded that the mean age at death (all breeds, all causes) was 11 years one month, but in dogs dying of natural causes it was 12 years eight months. Only 8 per cent of dogs lived beyond 15, and 64 percent of dogs died of disease or were euthanized as a result of disease. Nearly 16 percent of deaths were attributed to cancer, twice as many as to heart disease (Michell 1999). There are more than ten diseases which are reported common in geriatric dogs involving almost all the systems in the body which effect the health of a dog and decreases their life span. Pet owners are able to take advantage of better preventive care, medical care and premium nutrition. The result is increased longevity of elderly dogs. Everyone gets older and dogs are no exception. Fortunately, with advances in veterinary medicine, dogs are living longer than ever. This makes it essential that we learn how to properly care for our senior dogs. This study is done because understanding the effect of ageing on the individual body systems enhances the ability to develop diagnostic criteria, promulgate health programs, and predict the behavioral and physiologic response of the patient. Ideally, care for the geriatric dog should focus on preventive measures rather than waiting for a medical condition to develop. Detecting the disease at an early stage is very instrumental in a good outcome.

The scrutiny of literature shows that few case reports are available on clinical conditions in geriatric dogs characterizing them into the commonly occurring conditions and rarely occurring conditions in our region. A comprehensive study on the major diseases in geriatric dogs with particular reference to the most prevalent diseases in indian conditions seems to be lacking. The systematic study being planned that will be instrumental in identification and categorization of commonly occurring disease conditions in geriatric dogs. It will help in diagnosis of various diseases which subsequently will be beneficial in lining up the further management plan. Keeping in mind the above mentioned points the study with the following objectives is being planned. 1. To screen and categorize common clinical conditions of geriatric dogs. 2. To develop biochemical profile of geriatric dogs.