The Forever Dog: Surprising New Science to Help Your Canine Companion Live Younger, Healthier, and Longer

by Rodney Habib, Karen Shaw Becker

Overview

#1 New York Times Bestseller

In this pathbreaking guide, two of the world’s most popular and trusted pet care advocates reveal new science to teach us how to delay aging and provide a long, happy, healthy life for our canine companions.

Like their human counterparts, dogs have been getting sicker and dying prematurely over the past few decades. Why? Scientists are beginning to understand that the chronic diseases afflicting humans—cancer, obesity, diabetes, organ degeneration, and autoimmune disorders—also beset canines. As a result, our beloved companions are vexed with preventable health problems throughout much of their lives and suffer shorter life spans. Because our pets can’t make health and lifestyle decisions for themselves, it’s up to pet parents to make smart, science-backed choices for lasting vitality and health. 

The Forever Dog gives us the practical, proven tools to protect our loyal four-legged companions. Rodney Habib and Karen Becker, DVM, globetrotted (pre-pandemic) to galvanize the best wisdom from top geneticists, microbiologists, and longevity researchers; they also interviewed people whose dogs have lived into their 20s and even 30s. The result is this unprecedented and comprehensive guide, filled with surprising information, invaluable advice, and inspiring stories about dogs and the people who love them.

The Forever Dog prescriptive plan focuses on diet and nutrition, movement, environmental exposures, and stress reduction, and can be tailored to the genetic predisposition of particular breeds or mixes. The authors discuss various types of food—including what the commercial manufacturers don’t want us to know—and offer recipes, easy solutions, and tips for making sure our dogs obtain the nutrients they need. Habib and Dr. Becker also explore how external factors we often don’t think about can greatly affect a dog’s overall health and wellbeing, from everyday insults to the body and its physiology, to the role our own lifestyles and our vets’ choices play. Indeed, the health equation works both ways and can travel “up the leash.”

Medical breakthroughs have expanded our choices for canine health—if you know what they are. This definitive dog-care guide empowers us with the knowledge we need to make wise choices, and to keep our dogs healthy and happy for years to come. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063002609
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/12/2021
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	49,174
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Rodney Habib is a sought-after public speaker, filmmaker, multiple award-winning content creator and founder of Planet Paws—the world’s largest pet health page on Facebook—and most importantly, a pet parent. Driven by a passion for citizen science, Rodney established the non-profit organization Paws for Change Foundation to further education and research in the area of animal nutrition and lifestyle. Rodney’s first TEDx talk on pet health stands as the highest viewed TED talk in history pertaining to dogs. He was recently honored by the Canadian government as having one of the most influential platforms in Canada. 

Veterinarian Karen Shaw Becker's deliberate, common-sense approach to creating vibrant health for companion animals has been embraced by millions of pet lovers around the world, making her the most followed vet on social media. She has spent her career as a small animal clinician, empowering animal guardians to make intentional lifestyle decisions to enhance the wellbeing of their animals. Dr. Becker  writes and lectures extensively and serves as a wellness consultant for a variety of health-oriented organizations. She is the first veterinarian to give a TEDx talk on species appropriate nutrition, which has been a lifelong passion. In 2023 she received the Stange Award for outstanding professional achievement in veterinary medicine, the highest award granted by the Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine. 

Table of Contents

Authors' Note ix

Introduction: Humanity's Best Friend xi

Part I The Modern, Unwell Dog: A Short Story

1 Sick as a Dog: Why We and Our Companions Are Losing Our Longevity 3

2 Our Co-Evolution with Dogs: From Wild Wolves to Willful Pets 27

3 The Science of Aging: Surprising Truths about Dogs and Their Risk Factors for Disease 51

Part II Secrets from the World's Oldest Dogs: The Long Tale

4 De-Aging through Diet: How Food Is Information for Health and Longevity Genes 99

5 The Triple Threat: How Stress, Isolation, and Lack of Physical Activity Affect Us All 149

6 Environmental Impact: The Difference between a Muddy Dog and a Dirty Dog 177

Part III Pooch Parenting to Build a Forever Dog

7 Dietary Habits for a Long and Healthy Life: Building a Better Bowl 207

8 Supplemental Habits for a Long and Healthy Life: The Essentials to Navigate Safe and Effective Supplements 249

9 Personalized Meals as Medicine: Pet Food Homework and Fresher Percentages for a Durable Dog 279

10 Putting the OGS into DOGS: Fitness Guidelines and Controlling for Genetic and Environmental Impacts 345

Epilogue 391

Acknowledgments 395

Appendix 397

Notes 413

Index 415

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/05/2021

“Dogs are dying prematurely of more chronic disease than ever before,” warn animal health activist Habib and veterinarian Becker (Dr. Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats) in this must-read guide for canine owners. Their DOGS formula for optimal dog health consists of “Diet and nutrition, Optimal movement, Genetic predispositions, and Stress and environment.” The authors draw parallels to health risks common in humans: obesity, for example, is dangerous for pets and can often result in heart disease and diabetes. Exercise is also essential for dogs’ longevity, because they “need to move their bodies every day, and the type of exercise depends on your dog’s personality, body, and age.” The authors are wary of kibble and dog biscuits, instead suggesting a diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, and raw meat, and for a pooch’s environment they recommend cultivating a “rich social life for them” with a group of dog friends. Habib and Becker go deep and share plenty of scientific data (on dogs’ microbiomes, aging, and epigenomes) along the way. For readers looking to keep tails wagging for as long as possible, this is a no-brainer. Agent: Kimberly Witherspoon, InkWell Management. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

[A] must-read guide…to keep tails wagging for as long as possible.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

If you optimize your own diet and exercise for wellness and longevity, shouldn't you provide your dog with the same thoughtful care? The Forever Dog has solid scientific guidance from trusted experts to help your dog live a long and healthy life, disease free. — Mark Hyman, New York Times bestselling author and Pritzker Foundation chair in Functional Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

Everyone who lives with dogs needs to read this book. We all want our dogs to live longer lives, but the ingredients to healthy longevity aren't in a pet food bad: The Forever Dog aims to make the tools just as accessible as reaching for that bag. This book is a thoughtful, deeply researched tribute to the author's love for not just their dogs but all dogs. — Alexandra Horowitz, author of Inside a Dog and Our Dogs, Ourselves

The Forever Dog is the ultimate guide to becoming your dog's best health advocate. Its practical tips will help your dog live longer, healthier, and happier. — Sergey Young, author of The Science and Technology of Growing Young, founder of the Longevity Vision Fund, and development sponsor for the Age of Reversal XPRIZE

The Forever Dog applies the latest science and principles about health and longevity to help your dog live longer and healthier. — Dr. Jason Fung, physician and New York Times bestselling author

From the Publisher

12/17/2021

People want the best for their canine companions, and this has only become more evident during the pandemic when dog rescues and adoptions increased dramatically. Just as people became more cognizant of their own health and happiness, their dogs' came under the same scrutiny. In this book, Habib (director of the documentary The Dog Cancer Series: Rethinking the Canine Epidemic) and veterinarian Becker (The Whole Dog Journal's Best Homemade Diet Book of All Time) persuasively offer thoroughly researched information on ways to improve dogs' quality of life and longevity. Their "D.O.G.S." formula for optimal dog health consists of "Diet and nutrition," "Optimal movement," "Genetic predispositions," and "Stress and environment." Diet and nutrition are the main focuses of this highly readable book, where the authors decipher ingredients in kibble and list the vitamins and nutrients dogs need for optimal health during various stages of life. The authors say that the more highly processed a dog food is, the less nutritious it becomes, and they offer suggestions to improve the quality of meals. Nonjudgmental in tone, the book guides readers through options such as purchasing better-quality dry or canned food; using a combination of better kibble with healthy add-ons (mostly fruit and veggies); migrating to a fully raw diet; or making home-cooked meals. Exercise, timing of feedings, breed differences and genetics, and environmental contaminants are also addressed. VERDICT This best-selling book is already in hot demand in public libraries and bookstores.—Susan Riley, formerly at Mamaroneck P.L., NY

Library Journal