About the Book
The journey through your pet’s lifespan requires that they trust you.
Trust is a life-long endeavor, and building that trust early on will benefit both you and your pet’s journey through their life-stages.
This book is written for pet parents who want to know how to help their pets. Knowledge is power, and as is the case with all medicine, knowledge is the best defense, best insurance, and surest offense against the feelings of failure, confusion, indecision, fear, and guilt that so often accompany death and dying.
We hope you find this book to be a useful “how to” manual as well as a comforting companion as you and your precious friend navigate the road toward the Rainbow Bridge together.
Cats and Dogs: Senior Wellness is a tabbed reference manual with 27 chapters covering the gamut of considerations for your senior pet. It consists of 300 full-color pages with illustrations, graphs, and foldout charts that will make informing yourself about your pet simple and painless. Cats and Dogs can be consulted as a guide for an emergent need or read cover-to-cover for a comprehensive understanding.
The eBook version comes with the physical copy or can be purchased standalone, so you can refer to it while traveling or at the vet’s office.
About the Authors
This book represents the combined expertise of two lifelong advocates for animal health and well-being whose backgrounds complement one another in unique ways. Together, Sandy Lerner and Dr. Thomas P. Burgess bring decades of experience in veterinary medicine, companion animal nutrition, scientific research, animal welfare, and hands-on animal care.
Dr. Burgess contributes more than 50 years of clinical veterinary experience treating thousands of dogs, cats, horses, and other animals. His practical approach to diagnosis, treatment, and client education has helped generations of pet owners navigate every stage of their companions' lives.
Lerner complements that clinical perspective with decades of research into companion animal nutrition, healthy aging, humane agriculture, and the science of pet food. Her analytical approach and lifelong commitment to improving animal welfare have shaped innovative work in nutrition, farming, and responsible animal stewardship.
Together, the authors share a common goal: to help families make informed, science-based decisions that enable senior dogs and cats to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. Their combined experience bridges veterinary medicine and nutrition, offering readers practical guidance rooted in evidence, compassion, and decades of real-world experience.
Dr. Sandy Lerner, PhD, MS
Sandy Lerner is an entrepreneur, scientist, author, and internationally recognized advocate for animal welfare, companion animal nutrition, and humane agriculture. Best known as the co-founder of Cisco Systems, she helped build one of the world's most influential technology companies before turning her attention to a second career devoted to improving the lives of animals.
Her passion for animals began in childhood as an active member of 4-H, where she raised and cared for a variety of animals. Those early experiences fostered an enduring interest in nutrition, preventive health, and animal husbandry that evolved into decades of independent study and hands-on work.
For nearly 30 years, Lerner has owned and operated Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, Virginia, one of the nation's pioneering humane-certified organic farms. She founded and supported numerous enterprises dedicated to humane treatment, sustainable agriculture, and the highest standards of animal care.
A respected authority on companion animal nutrition, Lerner has spent years researching commercial pet foods, evaluating ingredient quality, manufacturing practices, and nutritional science to better understand how diet influences healthspan, longevity, and quality of life. She also helped develop a premium pet food line built on sound nutritional principles.
Drawing on decades of research, practical experience, and collaboration with leading veterinarians—including co-author Dr. Thomas P. Burgess—Lerner is dedicated to helping pet owners make informed decisions that allow companion animals to live longer, healthier, and happier lives.
Dr. Thomas P. Burgess, DVM
Dr. Thomas P. Burgess has devoted more than five decades to veterinary medicine, earning a reputation as one of the Shenandoah Valley's most respected clinicians. His combination of medical expertise, practical judgment, and compassion has earned the trust of generations of families.
A native of West Virginia, Dr. Burgess earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from West Virginia University before graduating with honors from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He also completed supplementary studies at the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne.
He began his career in Woodstock, Virginia, later practiced in Harrisonburg, and established his first veterinary practice in Bridgewater in 1981. After selling that practice, he founded Broadway Veterinary Hospital, where he continues to care for patients today.
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Burgess has treated thousands of companion animals while also developing one of the region's few equine practices and caring for livestock throughout the Shenandoah Valley.
Known for taking time to educate clients and tailor care to each patient, Dr. Burgess believes outstanding veterinary medicine begins with strong partnerships between veterinarians and pet owners. His decades of clinical experience provide the practical foundation for the guidance shared throughout this book.