Healthy aging in cats Flashcards
What is aging?
- natural progressive series of life stages
- NOT a pathological process
- a complex set of biological processes resulting in the progressive decreased ability to maintain homeostasis
- changes are gradual
- cats disguise lack of wellness
Aging in highly active dogs vs. normally active dog?
Highly active will age faster - impact on joints
Environmental impact on aging
mobility and stress (contaminants)
Primary hallmarks of aging
Causes of damage
- genomic instability
- telomere attrition
- epigenetic alterations
- loss of proteostasis
Antagonistic hallmarks of aging
Responses to damage
- deregulated nutrient sensing
- mitochondrial dysfunction
- cellular senescence
Integrative hallmarks of aging
Culprits of the phenotype
- stem cell exhaustion
- altered intracellular communication
Two characteristics of aging?
unique and multi-factorial
What accelerates aging?
- stress
- poor diet
- adverse environment
What delays aging?
- good diet
- good lifestyle
- favourable environment
What does the accumulation of cellular defects lead to?
- age-related frailty
- disability
- diseases
Average life expectancy of the cat?
14-16 years
- feeding a lot more geriatric cats compared to juvenile/growing cats
- very little data on this population
Good/bad to living longer?
- longer opportunity for cumulative understanding of a lifetime of exposure
- as animals get older, we might do a lot of intervention to keep them alive (without considering quality of life)
- the older they live, the longer we get with them (stronger bonds)
Goal of nutrition in healthy aging
- evaluate through life span
- make age appropriate and individually catered changes to nutrition and management practices
- improve the quality of life through management and nutrition prior to the onset of age-associated disease (nutrition can’t solve anything on its own - need activity)
Health is a multi-pronged process meaning?
it requires nutrition, outstanding vet care and social contact
Common changes seen in cats as they age
- oral and digestive
- physical appearance
- cognitive decline and behavioural changes
Oral and digestive changes seen with age?
- dental disease (tooth loss/oral pain –> decreased feed intake)
- digestion/absorption (increase quality rather than quantity)
- altered sense of smell (likely change in food preferences)
What changes are seen to physical appearance with age?
predominantly skin, coat, body condition, eyes
Health monitoring of an aging cat should include?
subjective and objective evaluation of physical, physiological, cognitive and psychological health
What is the major obstacle to performing health monitoring?
anthropomorphism by the consumer
- “I think this is what my cat is doing”
- “adult cats are just lazy”
= lack of knowledge
Oral concerns seen in cats as they age?
- periodontal disease (correlation between severity and age)
- gingivitis
- tooth resorption
What is the cause of tooth yellowing?
Dentin wall thickens
Oral health is linked with?
systemic/overall health
Oral health goal
avoid periodontal disease through employing dental technology and brushing teeth
What are polyphosphates useful for?
bind to plaque
- can’t be used in cats (Ca:P ratio)
Kibble vs. wet food - dental health
kibble has abrasion action, so wet food increases risk of dental disease
Correlation between smell and aging?
Reduced ability to smell with age
- likely responsible for food preference and declined appetite
Why is feeding the same food problematic?
Used to eating one type of food, so when food preference changes you’re kind of stuck
Reduced sense of smell contributes to?
disorientation and reduced willingness to explore
What does reduced sense of smell mean for nutritional management?
- don’t change smells and spots in the house
- pet food companies are developing multi stage change (senior, super-senior, etc)
Gastrointestinal function with age
- swallowing becomes more difficult due to decreased saliva production and pharyngeal/esophageal motility
- increased GI pH and subsequent changes in gut integrity
- decreased GI motility, atrophy of villi, shift in microbiome (shrinkage of villi - less SA, lower motility)
- decreased digestibility (fat and protein)
What do we have to do to support GI changes due to aging?
- consider protein and fat amounts provided
- there’s already a microbiome change present, so look for higher quality diets (fat/protein) rather than higher quantity
- increase digestibility –> pre- and probiotics
Changes in stool maybe due to?
altered ability to digest/absorb nutrients
What is loose stool likely due to?
increased small intestinal bypass and changes to microflora
What is constipation likely to be associated with?
dehydration
What dietary nutrients should we consider when stool quality changes?
more digestible protein, pre- and probiotics
The “perfect” stool
3 - pick up without falling apart but can pick up the whole thing
Age appropriate changes in urine specific gravity without changes suggestive of renal failure
- no changes in drinking
- no changes in urination patterns
- no urinary bacteria/protein
–> lose some ability to concentrate urine with age
Which diseases have similar symptoms to diabetes?
hyperthyroidism or hyperaldosteronemia
What is also responsible for increase blood/urine glucose?
stress
What might be required to confirm diabetes in older cats?
fructosamine
Physical appearance changes due to aging
decreased skin elasticity and brittle/thickened nails - roughled/unkept look
What leads to decline in vision in older age?
- non-neoplastic iris pigment changes
- lenticular sclerosis (blue haze)
- iris atrophy (shrinkage of the iris)
What is the biggest focus with senior mammals?
Musculoskeletal goals for healthy aging
Musculoskeletal goals for healthy aging
A healthy aged cat should be able to move fluidly, perform daily activities of living associated with elimination/eating/drinking and interacting with care givers, and to be free of clinically detectable pain associated with joints
- a healthy cat retains the ability to jump, although the height of the jump may decrease due to age-associated changes in muscle mass and strength
Overcoat syndrome
when an animal being examined has more fat than muscle, making muscle condition scores of 1 or 2 seem normal by providing artificial bulk to the muscle where none actually exists
- this exemplifies the importance of palpation
What happens to lean mass with aging
turns into fat mass
Muscle condition scoring
important to evaluate muscle over the spine, scapulae, skull, wings of the ilia, triceps and thigh muscles
- muscle loss of sarcopenia is seen with aging
- bones should be slightly more palpable but good muscle surrounding them
- normal for joints to deteriorate
What is sarcopenia
characterized by the progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength with a risk of adverse clinical outcomes
Healthy cat would be considered
- well behaved
- well established habits
- moderately reduced activity
An unhealthy senior cat would have:
- decreased motility
- behavioural problems/problem behaviours
- illness
- deterioration
why is it important for owners to assess their cats at home?
- taking them out of their environment isn’t an accurate representation of what’s going on
- prophylactic
- visual evaluation and record frequency and duration of movement
- if required, muscle and joint palpation to understand pain, crepitus, swelling, range of motion
Degenerative joint disease
Pain when manipulating joints
- crepitus, thickening
Nutritional technologies to aid in DJD
glucosamine, chondroitin, sulfate, tumeric, green-lipped mussels, omega 3 fatty acids - more so in dogs
- cats benefitted from EPA and DHA and green lipped muscle extract
When are subtle cognitive changes seen?
~10-12 years
disorientation results in a myriad of secondary changes including
- altered sleep cycle
- reduced sleep tolerance
- changes in interaction with family/other pets
- house soiling
- changes in activity
Solution to disoriented pet
shrink environment and provide same microenvironment
What contributes to the cognitive decline in dogs and likely the cat?
oxidative stress and free radical formation
cognitive decline nutritional intervention
- marine ingredient inclusion (omega 3s)
- vitamins E and C
- choline
Inflammaging
changes in inflammatory mediators
- increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA in young vs. old
Controlling immune health
- should still receive vaccines and respond accordingly
- immune health must continue to balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory
Cats should be monitored by their owners throughout life to assess
- skin/coat quality
- oral and gingival health
- BW, BCS, MCS
- mobility and muscle strength
- vision, hearing, smell
- general behaviour and cognitive status
Nutrition management allows the opportunity to?
track animals over time and make nutrition changes to match their lifestyle
Older cats may require changes in
- protein/fat level
- 6:3 ratio and total amount
- enrichment with antioxidants
- micronutrients implicated in cognitive function
Older cats requires management changes regarding
activity, play and social contact
Life (factors and outcomes)
life course events, exposures and experiences (fetal growth, housing, education, nutrition, employment) –> inflammation, oxidative stress/redox changes, metabolic stress –> aging trajectory
What nutritional intervention can ameliorate pancreatic function in both dogs and cats?
weight management (controlled reduction of energy intake) which will help to improve insulin sensitivity (reduce incidence of diabetes)
Why are older dogs at a greater risk for obesity
- decreasing vassal metabolic rate with age
- decreasing lean tissue composition
- increasing adipose tissue
- decreases physical activity
What does it mean by the fact that aging is multi-factorial?
Aging is a unique process and is multifactorial as many things can influence
- -> Accelerated:
- stress, poor diet, adverse environment
How does the decline in a feline’s sense of smell affect them during aging?
Reduced appetite
- altered senses
- -> flavour preference
- -> cognitive decline (increased disorientation and decreased exploring)
- can also be a reflection of pain
What are some physical changes associated with aging?
- changes in behaviour (sleep cycle, interactions with family and other pets)
- functional changes (decreased activity, mobility, decreased vision, smell)
- musculoskeletal changes (sarcopenia)
- -> decrease in lean body mass and body condition score
Is excellent nutrition sufficient to promote optimal aging in both dogs and cats?
No
- does play a key role (physiological changes surrounding food intake, digestion, absorption)
To promote optimal aging:
- outstanding vet care (dental care, observant and informed owner, prophylactic care)
- social interaction/contact
Why is is that pet food companies are so tightly imbedded in veterinary practices?
trying to ensure that discussions about nutrition, and opportunities to enhance health and well-being, are factored into wellness exams throughout animal’s lifespan
What are the hallmarks of aging?
Primary hallmark - causes of damage
- genomic instability
- telomere attrition
- epigenetic alterations
- loss of proteostasis
Antagonistic hallmark - response to damage
- deregulated nutrient sensing
- mitochondrial dysfunction
- cellular senescence
Integrative hallmark
- stem cell exhaustion
- altered intracellular communication
