Senior Dog Vet and Vet Detective, Lauren Adelman

Welcome to a brand new series dedicated to celebrating the incredible professionals who make up our SDVS Certified Member community: the veterinarians and veterinary professionals on the frontlines of senior dog care!

For our first spotlight, we're thrilled to feature one of our own: a founding member of SDVS and a certified senior dog veterinary specialist whose passion for healthy aging has helped shape the very mission of our organization.

Dr. Lauren Adelman is a board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist, co-founder of SDVS, star of the hit TV series Vet Detective, and a longtime FIGS ambassador. We sat down with Dr. Lauren to talk about how senior dogs stole her heart, what SDVS has taught her, and what's next on the horizon.

On Senior Dog Veterinary Society

Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background before SDVS came into the picture?

A: I’ve always been the kind of person who loves solving puzzles, so internal medicine was a natural fit for me. I’m a board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist, which means my days are spent managing complex medical case, everything from liver disease and endocrine disorders to endoscopy, minimally invasive procedures, and those “no one can figure this out” cases that somehow end up on my desk (which I secretly love).

Before SDVS, my career was really centered around helping sick animals, but over time, I found myself increasingly drawn to senior dogs. There’s something really special about caring for older dogs. They’ve loved deeply, lived fully, and deserve thoughtful, individualized care as they age. I became passionate about helping owners understand that aging itself isn’t a disease, but there are so many ways we can support healthy aging and improve quality of life.

Also… I have a very soft spot for little old dogs with big personalities. The crustier and grumpier, the better.

Q: Why senior dogs? Was there a moment or experience that shifted your focus?

A: I think senior dogs have always quietly had my heart. As an Internal Medicine Specialist I always joke with Monica that I am the true “senior dog doc.” But in reality my perspective really shifted when I started realizing how often we normalize decline in older dogs. Owners will say things like, “He’s slowing down, but he’s old,” or “She’s stiff, but that’s just aging.” And sometimes, yes, that’s part of aging. But more often than not there’s something we can improve.

Mobility, cognition, GI health, pain, nutrition, anxiety, sleep — there are so many opportunities to help senior dogs feel better. That realization changed how I practiced medicine. I stopped seeing senior care as simply managing disease, and started seeing it as proactively protecting function, comfort, and joy.

And honestly? Older dogs are just magic. They somehow become even more soulful with age.

Q: Take us back to the beginning. Where did the idea for SDVS come from and how did you get involved?

A: SDVS came from a shared belief that senior dogs deserve better and that veterinary medicine needed a stronger educational focus on healthy aging. We were seeing a gap: lots of incredible advances in medicine, but not enough dedicated conversation around how we help dogs age well. Monica, Lisa and I all shared this passion and so we decided to join forces in creating SDVS to fill that gap.

What excited me was that SDVS wasn’t just about disease management, it was about reframing how we think about aging entirely. Frailty, function, caregiver burden, nutrition, mobility, cognition, quality of life… all of it matters.

And as with most passion projects, it started with big ideas, lots of coffee, and probably more Zoom meetings than anyone should legally endure.

On Vet Detective, The Hit TV Series Now Streaming Online

Q: How did the concept for the show come about, and what drew you to it specifically? What inspired you to take part in Vet Detective?

A: So a little known fact about me is that when I was young, I was a child actress and TV Host (mostly Saturday morning cartoons). My resident mates like to compare me to Robyn from How I Met your Mother (hopefully I am not aging myself with that reference). Throughout my career as a veterinarian, I have always been in front of the screen, mostly through news and media outlets and then later of course, on my social media channel.

While my main passion is practicing veterinary medicine, I have always had a dream of combining these different aspects of my life and creating a TV show to show people what veterinary medicine actually looks like. The complexity, the emotion, the teamwork, the wins, the heartbreak, and yes… occasionally the bodily fluids. And in my case specifically, I felt that what the current veterinary shows that were on TV were lacking was showing what specialty veterinary medicine looks like. So often I have people come to Canada West, the multi-specialty and emergency hospital I work at and say, “I didn’t know places like this existed for pets.” I don’t think the average person realizes veterinary specialists even exist for pets in the same way as they do for people and the complexity of the cases that we see and treat at these types of hospitals. My goal was really to show people what veterinary medicine is capable of!

The journey was long and arduous to get to where I am now — it took about 7 years to come to fruition. I initially worked on a different concept for a TV show that almost ended up on Animal Planet. There were lots of “almosts” and it really seemed like the dream would never become a reality. Then I hooked up with my current production company who is absolutely amazing and they pitched the idea of Vet Detective. Honestly, it felt like such a natural fit because being a vet detective is basically what I already do every day. Internal medicine is medicine-meets-mystery-solving — we gather clues, ask questions, investigate every angle, and work relentlessly toward answers for our patients. I think this show perfectly embodies what I wanted to show the world.

Dr. Lauren Adelman with her patient Dasha on her new TV show, Vet Detective, now streaming on all major platforms.

Q: Do you have a favorite case or moment from the show that really resonated with you personally?

A: There were so many amazing cases from the show that will stay with me forever — Dasha, Mitzie, Hudson, and Bentley. They all hold a special place in my heart.

I think what resonates most with me are always the moments where medicine and emotion intersect — when you can feel how deeply someone loves their pet, and you know how much getting answers matters. That’s what stays with me.

Veterinary medicine can be heartbreaking, but it’s also funny, weird, beautiful, and deeply human.

On Being a Part of the FIGS Maternity Collection 2026

Q: Tell us about your campaign with the FIGS Maternity Collection and what it means to you.

A: I have been a FIGS ambassador for 7 years (since the early days) and I cannot express how much I love this company. They do SO much for healthcare workers, including veterinarians, from their impact trips, to advocacy and of course, donating scrubs to healthcare workers in need.

My campaign with FIGS meant a lot because it highlighted something many women in healthcare live every day — the balancing act of showing up fully for your patients while your body is doing something extraordinary behind the scenes.

Working as a veterinarian while pregnant was physically demanding, emotionally demanding, and honestly sometimes hilarious — I’ve scoped dogs, performed procedures, worked long shifts, and built a whole human in between.

Sometimes strength looks like swollen feet, orange juice cravings, exhaustion, and still showing up with everything you’ve got.

What's Next

Q: What's next for you?

A: Honestly, I’m open, excited, and probably incapable of sitting still.

I want to keep building at the intersection of medicine, education, advocacy, and storytelling — whether that’s through senior dog initiatives, media, speaking, content creation, or new projects that help people better understand and care for their pets.

Also, realistically, what’s next is probably a cup of coffee, answering emails, and talking about poop at least once before noon. Oh and having a baby! Almost forgot about that.

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Want to share your story as an SDVS Certified Member?

Get in touch at hello@seniordogvets.com for a chance to be featured in the next SDVS Member Spotlight issue.