Advice for taking care of aging pets

[Chaotic]

Well, to the point two of my fathers dogs just died within the past 6 months. Great dogs , and our remaining two (younger, but 7 years old now) dogs are aging.

It's getting to the point where they are putting on weight due to not being as active, teeth are beginning to decay, groaning getting up / laying down etc. Nothing bad, but the signs are there.

Was just wondering what I can do to improve the quality of life at this point for the next few years? I switched to a diet food, and was considering picking up some vitamins / joint support and maybe a bed to toss on the floor (one dog always sleeps in the bed, the other dog alternates between the couch and the hardwood floor, to this day i don't know why she sleeps on the floor but I think she'd hop in one of those doggy beds if I put it on the floor)

Any ideas from people would be great, just things, as I mentioned that would improve quality of life and help them age in a more comfortable manner I suppose.

[MagicNumbers]

Try talking them out for more walks or runs.

Exercise is huge for the health of your dog.

[CnCGOD]

7 seems really young to be seeing serious age issues unless its a shorter lived breed. My lazy dog who never ate enough and just moped around randomly lived 16years and had just lost the ability to climb stairs at 15.

[nosf]

Take 'em to the vet and ask for professional advice, I mean, unless someone who follows up here actually is a vet.

Mom takes her dog in for checkups, buys good quality food that's reccomended and isn't made by the chinese melamine industry etc. If she can't take him out for a walk, he gets a good run chasing a ball in an open part of the basement.

[yknits]

Originally Posted by nosf

Take 'em to the vet and ask for professional advice.

Probably the best bet. Pets are just like humans and the internet isn't going to come close to a vet's up close inspection and monitoring.

One question you need to prepare yourself for is: "how much am I willing to spend."

Once you know how much you are willing to spend, the rest is easy. For mobility, aquatic therapy can restore movement to dogs who have been lazy and had their joints deteriorate. Diet is huge for dogs. Keep it consistent and limit treats.

For the teeth, a professional cleaning is fairly expensive. I would start with a finger brush which can be purchased at most pet stores. Keeping your dog's teeth intact will help keep them active. Dog's who lose their teeth usually, not always, lose interest in chewing. If the dog isn't fixed, I highly recommend it. Males run a huge risk of testicle cancer.

You may not always be able to extend the lives of your animals. However, with effort, you can definitely improve their living situation.

[Alyssarie]

I lost two of my three dogs last year within a couple months from old age. My third dog just got over cancer about 6 months ago. Had surgery on his left hind leg and chemo for 5 months. He's fine now with the cancer but he's 16 and he doesn't go upstairs at all, can't get on the couch, just kinda lays around. My other dogs did that for a couple months to before they passed. I would estimate he doesn't have much time left just based on those signs.

We're not doing much for him. We changed his diet but walking him isn't really an option because his body can't really support it. I honestly don't know how long he'll last but I don't think it's long so I just spend a lot of time with him and treat him well, giving him extra attention.

I'd say change the diet (something with lots of anitoxidants, vitamins and protein) get them some joint and hip medicine and some toys that can help with their teeth maybe?

There's this really great website where I get lot's of stuff for my dog Dog Supplies | Dog Products & Supplies | DrsFosterSmith.com

They have great prices and it's run by Vet's so it has some really good articles and products.

Best of luck with your dogs

[Etoille]

Originally Posted by CnCGOD

7 seems really young to be seeing serious age issues unless its a shorter lived breed. My lazy dog who never ate enough and just moped around randomly lived 16years and had just lost the ability to climb stairs at 15.

Not if its a large breed dog.

Plus OP did say his dogs were younger. If hes got a large breed and his dad's died at age 10 it makes sense that he's starting to think about the next 2-3 years being serious.

How Long Do Dogs Live

Most experts agree that small breeds tend to outlive large breeds. The general rule of thumb is the larger the dog the shorter the life span. Large medium to large breed dog tend to live about ten years, although there are exceptions to every rule.

I'm not a vet (though I wanted to be til I was like 17 ) - I just like animals. My fiance's jaw dropped when we watched the Westminster for the first time. "How the fuck do you not only know all the breeds but their descriptions?????"

If you've got a small ish dog I'd say you probably don't have many big issues to worry about - just focus on following your vets advice and making sure exercise and diet are priority. (The worst thing you can do is feed your dog people food as a regular part of their diet). Smaller dogs tend to start having age issues around 10-12 whereas the large breeds its 7-8 ish.

But whoever said "talk to your vet" just gave you the best advice. They know your dog and they'll be in the best position to help.

[bouhhan]

just want to put in a plug for pet health insurance.

unlike people health insurance, it isn't a scam yet, and any of the major providers have really nice plans for pretty cheap - $20 a month for a dog with full coverage.

will help to remove the 'how much can i spend' question when the time comes...

npr recently had a great story on it: link

[Phelps McManus]

Originally Posted by yknits

For the teeth, a professional cleaning is fairly expensive. I would start with a finger brush which can be purchased at most pet stores. Keeping your dog's teeth intact will help keep them active. Dog's who lose their teeth usually, not always, lose interest in chewing.

Diet and everything else you mentioned was spot on. The only thing to add is that if the dog needs a professional cleaning, brushing their teeth now will only slow any worsening. It will not correct any existing issues. If they have gingivitis then brushing might be painful and not recommended until it is cleared up by a vet.

As for someone mentioning insurance, like human insurance it will not cover pre-existing conditions.

[Haus]

My wife and I have three dogs.
Mid sized mixed breed terrier - Turned 17 earlier this year
Black lab mix - Around 7
Longhair Dachshund - 3 years old - Was 1 year old and HW+ when we got her.

The old girl Churla is still pretty spry. Fetches, runs around with the other two. Although her joints are giving her some issues. I found that the glucosamine supplements seem to make her feel better. She had lost some weight, but it was hard to feed her more since the other two dogs are a bit chunky. I started letting her inside three nights a week and giving her additional food and she picked back up to her normal weight. Although you can see her age in that if she's inside her optimal activity is to lay on her bed in my office and watch me do whatever I do on the computer.

I've had more than one friend mention that often keeping an older dog active is key, some of them recommend the idea of getting a younger dog for the older one to have around.

As for end of life care when they really get that old, IMHO it just comes down to making them as comfortable as you can and wrestling with if you can pull the proverbial trigger on them. My wife and I went through this last year when her 16 year old cat came down with an inoperable tumor up against it's brain.

[Taloo]

I have a 16.5yr old Golden with some bad joint problems. Not an option for everyone but she takes some form of doggie arthritis medication that is amazing. Can't think of the name off the top of my head but without it she has trouble with the three steps to get into the house with it she flies out the door trying to catch startled wildlife.

What kind of dogs do you have? Grunting when they lay down and get up is a little odd at that age unless you have a wolfhound or something crazy big.

[Chanur]

Something to consider if they are big dogs is trying to keep them from jumping so much, can be really hard on their hips. Other than that, try and keep em exercised and watch their diet.

[Ender4212]

I haven't had a dog die of old age since I was a kid. Now I have two pups, a 20 month old Boxer and a nearly 6 month old English Mastiff. I'm not looking forward to them passing. I'm glad I have plenty of time to enjoy them now.

This thread got me thinking of diet again. My Boxer was on Purina One large breed from weaning until a few months ago when we got the Mastiff. He was on that food since I was more ignorant than I am now and that's what his breeder feeds her dogs.

We switched to Eagle Pack large breed puppy with the addition of Echo(mastiff). Everything I read was great, aside from the price. $53 for a 33 pound bag every two weeks was getting pricey. I then made the mistake of picking up a bag of Science Diet. The gas they had and the general smell of the food was horrid, not to mention that it's just shit food. After a little more research we have now settled (hopefully) on Diamond Large Breed 60+ food. The price is good at 30 bucks for a 40 pound bag and from what I've been able to gather, it's a quality food.

What are some opinions on foods? What are some of you guys feeding? Also, forgive me for somewhat derailing the thread, but I'm not sure this requires a new one.

[Foler]

Lmao, is this really a thread? Take them to the vet and get them put down, easy way to take care of aging pets.

[Mahes]

Take them to a Vet. Do they have a Vet already? If they do, you can get a lot of information about them from thier records.

I suppose if you want to, you could have some simple tests run.

1: Fecal exam to see if they have a parasite load. Are they on a Parasite preventative?

2: Quads : This is a PCV(Packed cell Volume), TS(Total Solids), BUN and a Glucose test.

3: I always recommend a Heartworm test. If you plan to use a preventative, it is mandatory.

4: Finally you could have them run a Urinalysis.

These are 4 basic tests that usually do not cost an absurd amount to do. If you want more information, then you start running Complete Blood Counts. At this point though, the cost starts to go up depending on whether or not the information can be gotten in house.

Usually a Vet will run a simple Physical Exam and ask if you have noticed any unusual symptoms(History) recently. Based on your answers they will then continue on with suggestions or more testing. They will then go over preventatives like Vaccinations and Anti parasitics. Good Vets will inquire about thier diet as well.

7 years old is not old for a dog. Geriatric age is usually around 12 for most breeds.

Hope this helps.