Dogs are wonderful, loyal companions and an integral part of our families. Time flies, though, and in a few short years we start seeing changes in our faithful friends. There may be white hair around their muzzle, they may be less active and energetic, and they may be a little slow getting up. As a dog ages, his metabolism also slows, just like ours, and his health care and nutritional needs may change. Here is a look at how we can make life a little easier for our aging pets.

Exercise
Exercise is important even for older dogs. They need to keep their muscle tone and weight in control as they age, just like we do. Mature dogs may not have the stamina they once had and do better with frequent, brief walks or short swims. If your dog still likes being active, don’t forget to play his favorite games, like fetch or tug-o-war. Further, older dogs tend to urinate more often so they may need more frequent walks.

Get an Elevated Feeder
Elevated water and food dishes can be helpful. The height makes it more comfortable for dogs (not just older dogs, by the way) to eat and drink because it prevents strain on the neck and the feeding position is easier on their digestion.

A Comfortable Bed to Cushion Joints
Dogs often develop arthritis to some degree or another as they age. We can help them stay comfortable by providing them with a dog bed with firm orthopedic foam to support and cushion their bones and joints and help insulate them from the floor. There are many styles available, from traditional style dog beds to nests with orthopedic foam bases, to bolster beds and mats.

Give Him a Boost
A ramp to get up or down safely from high areas such as a car, or a step to give him a boost to his favorite chair or your bed (if you allow him on it) may make it easier on your dog’s aging joints. They’re especially handy for larger dogs that are too big or heavy to lift easily. They come in a variety of styles and prices.

Review Your Dog’s Nutritional Needs
As you dog gets older, his nutritional needs may change. Generally, senior dogs need to eat a balanced diet that is lower in calories, protein, and fat than the food they ate as youngsters. Mature dogs may experience constipation, so a diet high in fiber is recommended. If your dog is still active and healthy, you may be able to continue feeding him his regular food, but a lesser amount. You can add oat bran or wheat for extra fiber. There are also commercial senior dog foods available.

Also consider nutritional supplements. I have been giving my dog a supplement of glucosamine and chondroitin since she was a puppy to help keep her joints healthy. Hopefully this will help reduce the possibility/effects of arthritis as she gets older. Also, if you feel your dog is not getting his nutritional needs met through diet, there are number of good canine nutritional supplements available.

Pay Attention to Changes in Behavior
You may see signs in your dog like loss of appetite, weakness, irritability, changes in his gait, incontinence, or slowness in getting up. Typically, these are signs that your pet is getting older and will need extra care and attention. Talk to your vet about what you can do to help your pet as he ages, and have your vet perform a yearly geriatric exam so he can try to take care of any new health issues before they progress.

Love and Attention
Most of all, give your mature dog extra love and care. Our dogs give us years of affection, loyalty, and attention; don’t they deserve the very best care we can give them?

Valerie Goettsch is webmaster of My Favorite Dog featuring articles and information on dog health care, puppy training, and more.

Share This

Can you imagine letting a toddler run along the edge of a mountain? Would you leave your elderly grandparent who suffers from dementia alone on a bench in the hot sun? Would you let your mom whose eyesight is failing, walk around the edge of your pool? Of course not!

However, many loving pet owners make the same mistakes with their elderly dogs. As a dog ages his eyesight fails along with his mind and energy. Things that were easy for him to navigate such as the edge of a hill or a walk through the woods are now extremely difficult. He can’t always see the edge of a pool or cliff and his joints won’t allow him to recover from a misstep as easily as when he was a young pup. Older dogs, like elderly people, tend to be more susceptible to heat and need to be kept comfortable during extremely hot days.

Here are a few reminders of what are dangers to your older pet and some ideas on how to keep them safe.

Daily Walk Safety

Retractable leashes are a great way to let your dog run a bit without getting away from you. Many older dogs get a little “puppy” in them and they will take-off running only to get into trouble because they can no longer see you very well or hear your commands. Some older dogs also develop dementia and cannot sense danger. They need to be kept from wandering too far. A retractable leash will keep you in control but allow your dog the ability to roam.

Flashing safety collars or bright safety vests are also a great way to keep your dog visible to you and others. The collars can be seen up to one mile away and the vests are reflective. If your dog does wander off during his nighttime business, your dog will be less likely to be hit by a car and he will be easier for you to locate.

Water Safety

Accidental drowning is a major problem for older dogs. Many older dogs develop cataracts because they are no longer able to determine the edge of the pool. Once in the pool, they often do not have the energy to swim long enough to be noticed, nor the strength and agility to jump out. There are several options to keep your dog safe. There are pool alarms designed to float on the water and react to motion in the water. Another alarm attaches to your dogs collar and sounds if they fall in to the water. There are also life vests for dogs which are great for boating or when your dog is around a lake or river.

Extreme Temperatures

No dog is comfortable in extremely hot or cold weather but again, just as elderly adults are more vulnerable to the excessive temperatures, it can also be deadly for your dog. Keep them in air conditioning as much as possible on extremely warm days. Make certain that they have access to plenty of water. Avoid taking your dog in the car with you if you cannot bring him inside at your destination. If your dog is long-haired or tends to be easily overheated, consider a cooling bed or collar.

In the extreme cold, make the outdoor visits as brief as possible. Remember, dogs can get frostbite on their paws and noses. Outdoor dogs need to be brought in from the cold when the temperatures are significantly below zero.

Car Rides

Your dog might still love to ride with you in the car but now his safety is more important than ever. Getting your beloved pooch into the car can be a challenge. Arthritis can mean his jumping-in-to-the-backseat day are over! Ramps are available to help your dog into his co-pilot chair. There is also a lifting aid that will wrap comfortably around his middle to give you a way to assist him into the car. Remember, his balance is not as good as when he was younger so consider a seat belt harness to keep him from falling off the seat.

Household Dangers

It is as important as ever to keep your dog away from any plants, foods, or poisons that are toxic to canines. As dogs age, their systems won’t be able to tolerate the damage from the poison or the treatment.

ASPCA is warning dog owners the newly discovered danger posed by is grapes and raisins. These fruits have been used as a training treat for dogs, but have been recently found to cause renal failure if eaten in large doses. If your older pet was trained using grapes and raisins or you have used these fruits as treats for your dog, he may have developed a taste for them. You will need to store grapes and raisins where your dog cannot get into them. Of the 10 dogs that were reported poisoned by overeating grapes/raisins, only 5 survived. And that was with early, aggressive treatment. An older dog would not have much of a chance of survival from an accidental poisioning. Please visit the ASCPA Animal Poison Control Center Website, www.napcc.aspca.org for addition information.

Copyright 2006 Dave Eckholm/Old Dog Paws

Dave Eckholm is the owner and creator of http://www.olddogpaws.com, a site dedicated to the care and comfort of our old friends. As our dog Tikki began to lose his eyesight and became grey around his muzzle, we were concerned for his quality of life. As a senior dog, he started to have special needs. We searched for new ideas, resources and products to enhance his life. Old Dog Paws shares this information, including a national pet sitter directory, with all dog lovers so your friend can enjoy wonderful senior years too!

Share This

Bailey is a three year old Bull Terrier, and she’s the love of Maruchy Perez’s life.

Maruchy is a singer, and the summer that Bailey was born she was working for one of the Disney ships out of Port Canaveral (half her luck - sounds like a great lifestyle!).

Maruchy had researched the the breed for two years before she met the breeder who lived about five hours away from where Maruchy lived.

Bailey was born in Brooksville forty miles north of Tampa on the 4th of July. The breeder sent pictures of the litter to Maruchy after they were born, and Maruchy picked Bailey out from the many pictures she received while on the Disney ship.

Bailey went home with Maruchy some nine weeks later, and she was everything Marchy had hoped for. She was a hand full but a lot of fun.

But it wasn’t long before the challenges started. Maruchy noticed that Bailey was sick a lot, with either hives or vomiting or diarrhea or all three. Maruchy repeatedly took Bailey to the vet who usually gave her cortisone for the hives, and pills to prevent dehydration.

When she was four months old Bailey was given her rabies shot.

Over the next four months, Bailey went from a loving puppy to a very nasty and aggressive dog with BIG teeth.

Maruchy spoke to the vet, the breeder, animal trainers, and anyone who she thought might be able to help. Bailey had become so aggressive that at one point it seemed as everyone was saying “put her down”.

Maruchy couldn’t bear the though of it. She was desperate to find a better solution. After another month of living in fear, Maruchy contacted an “animal communicator”, Diane Samsel, who told Maruchy to take Bailey off the commercial dog food she was on immediately, and to find a holistic doctor. The animal communicator also advised Maruchy to let the holistic doctor know that Bailey had “auto immune vaccinosis”.

Maruchy did exactly what the animal communicator suggested. She ceased the commercial dog food, and set up a consultation with a holistic doctor, knowing that Bailey was a very sick little dog, and determined to save Bailey from a terrible fate.

Bailey showed signs of improvement withiin two days of being totally off commercial dog food! Maruchy started her on a raw food only diet and went to see a wonderful doctor who agreed to consult with Maruchy and treat Bailey. With the animal communicator’s guidance, Maruchy instructed and helped the doctor give Bailey the holistic medicines she needed to get her back on track.

For more information on the effects of vaccinations in pets, go here: http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com/RemoveToxinsNaturally

Maruchy’s understanding of Auto Immune Vaccinosis is that it is a condition which can arise when the body has been given so much poison by way of vaccines, that the body starts to reject one of its own organs. In Bailey’s case, her body was rejecting her liver. Bailey couldn’t control herself and was in a lot of pain, and she regressed to a behaviour reminiscent of times past when aggression was actively encouraged in bull terriers in order to fight them. The liver is also said to be the recepticle for feelings, from a holistic point of view, including anger.

Who is a candidate for Auto Immune Vaccinosis? Basically anything that lives and has organs that can be poisoned by injecting the body with the so called “anti-virus”. In other words, pets are at a very high risk due to the very high number and frequency of so-called essential vaccinations. And because the vaccinations aren’t necessarily given in doses which take into account the animal’s size, small dogs are probably at greater risk than large ones. But any dog can be susceptible.

Now that Maruchy has eliminated the vaccines and petfood toxins from Bailey’s system, she’s very careful not to expose Bailey to other poisons - including household chemicals.

For information on eliminating toxins from your dog’s life, thereby improving his/her health significantly, click here.

Maruchy sent me some cute pictures of Bailey and her playmate, Halle, Maruchy’s other dog. You can see the pics here: http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com/BaileyPics

Wow, what a story! I know these vaccinations (not to mention cortisone as well) can do harm and can build up in the dog’s system. I’m surprised it happened so soon with Bailey. At only 8 months old! That’s really frightening, isn’t it? To think of the potential harm it can do to an older dog when they’re given these drugs regularly over a lifetime.

When I started on my “journey” with my Healthy Happy Dogs site and newsletter, I really wasn’t aware of just how important a holistic approach is for dogs. I’d actually always had my dogs vaccinated. But not any more. The last time I received the reminder letter from the vet that my dogs’ annual shots were due, I took them for an examination, but NO shots this time. And NO more cortisone for my Rottweiler’s skin irritations (which have improved radically since I’ve been supplementing with vitamins).

I actually expected an argument from the vet when I said I wasn’t going to agree to any more vaccinations. But guess what? She said that was FINE - the important thing is to bring the dogs in for a checkup - the vaccinations are certainly NOT essential. I couldn’t believe it! Why continually vaccinate a dog when it’s not ecessary?? I was dumbfounded. I’ve done a lot of research, and know this to be the case, but for my vet who has always routinely pumped poisonous vaccine into my dogs every year to admit it was totally unnecessary - I was dumbfounded.

Bailey’s story (and my experience with my vet) are such an important lesson for you. Now, please don’t misunderstand me - I’m NOT advocating abandoning your vet’s advice - PLEASE ALWAYS discuss your concerns and your intentions with your vet. There may be valid reasons why your particular dog may need a particular vaccination (especially puppies). And some jurisdictions have legal requirements for certain vaccinations.

But whatever you decide, please MAKE SURE that you take your dog in for a general health checkup at least once a year.

© Brigitte Smith, 2005

Brigitte Smith is a dog lover with a special interest in natural health for dogs. For your free special report, as well as weekly tips, information, strategies and resources for a healthier happier dog, click here for your dog health report: http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com

Share This