Mom Says Her Senior Pug Is ‘Aging in Reverse’ and She’s Honestly Right
Aging is a natural part of living. As we age, we wrinkle. Our bodies are not what they once were, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Some are "luckier" than others when it comes to aging, though. As it turns out, one pug is the luckiest of all, and she's aging very gracefully. Just look at this video from Thursday, February 1st:
Loulou, I love you. Her eyes are so beautiful. She's just perfect in every way!
As pups age, they go grey around their faces, a phenomenon that many lovingly refer to as "powdered donut face," because it looks like they've just eaten one! Powdered donut face is absolutely precious, but it's also a little bittersweet: it's something that forces us to acknowledge that our dogs are aging. Along with grey hairs, pups will often start to wrinkle a bit, and their eyes become cloudy.
Not Loulou, though: her eyes are bright as can be, and there's hardly one wrinkle to be found on that pretty face of hers. Truly, she looks like a puppy again! Her mom says she's aging like Benjamin Button: a character who starts his life as a grown man in a nursing home and ages backwards. It's a fabulous book/movie (so good that Taylor Swift named a cat after it) and it definitely fits Loulou's look!
It's just that, however: a story. There is a disease called Progeria that has been nicknamed "Benjamin Button Disease," which is a genetic mutation that results in children rapidly aging. Typically, children with this disease only live about 15 years - but that's kind of reverse Benjamin Button disease, isn't it? Progeria can occur in animals, too, but that is not what Loulou has. Loulou is just a pretty pup aging like a fine wine!
Why Does My Senior Dog Look Like a Puppy Again?
Just like humans, the way a dog ages has a whole lot of do with genetic and environmental factors. Stress, unclean air, a bad diet, and genetics can make for some very "accurately-aging" dogs, while others live easy lives and are able to age "better."
In many cases, especially with light-colored dogs like Loulou, going grey can actually make the face look smoother and diminish the appearance of wrinkles. My dogs are all black and white, so aging is obvious on them, but a light dog will look younger for longer as they go grey. As for her pretty eyes, Loulou is blessed enough not to have cataracts. With age, both humans and animals develop a cloudy film on the lens which both impacts sight and gives the eyes a cloudy "aged" appearance. Again, genetics.
Not every dog is going to get old, sit around, and wait grumpily for the end. If a dog is in good health for its entire life, it will spend its golden years in good health, too. Plenty of senior dogs never lose their zest!
🐶 SIGN UP for Parade’s weekly pet newsletter for more inspiring and entertaining stories about our furry and feathered friends 🐾
