Our vet surgery held an evening information session on senior pet health, earlier this week, and there was a lot of helpful advice some of which I thought worthwhile to share here for anyone who has an elderly dog or one who is approaching their “golden years”.
The talk covered many topics including nutrition, general health, mobility, mental health and “end of life” preparations. There are a number of changes that are noticeable in an ageing dog and many of these are not an “illness” but just the natural ageing process which cannot be reversed but may be managed to give a better quality of life.
Nutrition:
As dogs get older, their digestive system becomes less efficient which means they need higher levels of protein (to maintain muscle and organ health) and they may suffer more from flatulence, occasional bouts of runny poo or periodic loss of appetite. Although, if a dog is exercising less and sleeping more, they are not burning up calories as they did when they were young, the fact that they cannot process the food they eat as effectively means their diet needs to contain high quality, easily digestible protein preferably from meat. Plant based proteins are much harder for a dog to process well especially as they age. Our vet favours a raw meat diet but said that, whatever the type of food, to ensure that it is high in meat based proteins and less plant / legumes.
It is also vital to make sure that your dog is not overweight or obese. As a dog ages, the strain on joints will have a really bad effect on mobility if a dog is overweight and arthritic conditions will be all the more painful. Obesity can also lead to diabetes and heart conditions as well.
Supplements:
Foods or supplements which contain high levels of antioxidants and which help maintain heart and brain health as well as those with nutrients to support joint and cartilage can all be useful for senior dogs.
The vet mentioned salmon (oil); eggs in their shell; coconut oil, turmeric; Yumove; a good probiotic e.g. Yudigest, the Nutravet range of supplements and also CBD oil as of potential benefit for ageing dogs with particular conditions.
Turmeric does need to be used with care as it does not suit all dogs and, unless purchased in a specific form for use with dogs, should be blended with an oil e.g. coconut and black pepper to improve absorption and effectiveness.
Exercise:
As dogs age, they may need shorter walks, controlled exercise, and maybe special steps or ramps to help them get in and out of cars, up and down stairs or on and off furniture. Smaller dogs can be lifted but it is important (to maintain muscle strength and independence) that they are allowed to do as much as they can unaided. Supplements such as Yumove and anti-inflammatory foods such as Turmeric can help if a dog is suffering with mobility issues / pain on movement.
If a dog is also losing sight and/or hearing, it may mean you need to be much more careful about off lead exercise away from home. Either use a long line or lead for outside exercise or hire a pet play area/ field / paddock for off lead exercise so there is no chance of your dog wandering away out of sight or sound of you and getting lost.
Mental health:
Dogs can suffer senility - loss of interest in life, fail to recognise family or places, wander aimlessly in the house or garden and become less responsive generally. To try and prevent this, do continue training type exercises with your dog throughout its life, take them on family outings, offer puzzles with treats, recall games etc. They may want to spend all day in bed and may need much less physical exertion but it is really important to keep their brain active and stimulated.
Vaccination:
Our vet stressed that the older dog is unlikely to need re-vaccination. If there are exceptional risk circumstances, this could be discussed with your vet but it is also important to remember that only healthy dogs should be vaccinated in any event so no dog suffering allergies, illness or other indication of poor health should be subjected to vaccines.
End of life:
This is always the most emotionally stressful and agonising time for any family trying to decide when their beloved dog has reached a stage where it is kinder to let them pass in dignity than to keep them living with pain, mental distress or severe illness. This chart was shared in the talk and is a useful guide to help focus on the actual quality of life a dog has in their latter years. Keeping a diary at this time to record your dog's day can be useful to assess how many good and bad times they have:
https://my.vetmatrix.com/0033049/storag ... eScale.pdf
It was also mentioned that it is a good idea to have a blood screen carried out periodically for your dog to provide a “norm” against which future tests can be compared. Not all dogs are the same and levels which are abnormal for one may be the norm for another. Diet and genetics can both have an effect on the “normal” readings for individual dogs and a blood screen carried out in a dog’s senior years only may seem to flag up issues that are actually not relevant for that individual.
Here are links to websites for products referred to above:
https://www.lintbells.com
https://www.nutravet.co.uk
https://www.dorwest.com/product/turmeri ... -and-cats/
All the above is of course generalised for senior (7 years or older) dogs going through a natural ageing process. If your dog is suffering a disease or serious health condition, specific advice must be given by your vet.
Looking after the senior dog
- zeta1454
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Looking after the senior dog
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras
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- carolinh
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Re: Looking after the senior dog
Hi, and thanks. With one of our dogs now being 14 and a half, we realise however good she is now, she can't go on forever, so this info is really useful to have at hand.
Thank you.
Caroline
Thank you.
Caroline
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Re: Looking after the senior dog
That's really interesting. Our MS is almost 14 and due to a slipped disc 3 years ago, is on Metacam. I've often considered giving him golden paste (turmeric) which I make and take myself for arthritis. Would it be ok to give him golden paste AND Metacam? He is quite prone to runny poos so I would only give him a tiny bit. Thanks.
- zeta1454
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Re: Looking after the senior dog
sbsmiths wrote: ↑28 May 2020, 13:59 That's really interesting. Our MS is almost 14 and due to a slipped disc 3 years ago, is on Metacam. I've often considered giving him golden paste (turmeric) which I make and take myself for arthritis. Would it be ok to give him golden paste AND Metacam? He is quite prone to runny poos so I would only give him a tiny bit. Thanks.
I think you might have to check with your vet about using both Metacam and golden paste as I am not sure about whether they are OK together. On the Metacam data sheet it states:
"Other NSAIDs, diuretics, anticoagulants, aminoglycoside antibiotics and substances with high protein binding may compete for binding and thus lead to toxic effects. Metacam must not be administered in conjunction with other NSAIDs or glucocorticosteroids.
And the Dorwest Herbs turmeric supplement says:
"Always consult your vet before administering if on medication, especially anti-coagulants"
The vet who gave the talk I posted about above was happy for us to use turmeric supplements instead of Metacam for our elderly affen who suffers some arthritic pain - which we have done and also used CBD oil with turmeric for him (and Yumove tablets) all of which have kept him happy and active. However a serious issue due to slipped discs might need heavy duty pain relief such as Metacam and, although it would seem harmless to add a tiny amount of golden paste, best to check with the vet first. My only misgiving about vet advice where any supplement other than pharmaceuticals are concerned is whether the vet knows much about them and, if not, may just advise against use regardless. However, if your vet does say not to use it, you could ask for a full explanation why there is a problem which may give you more confidence....or equally if they say it is OK I suppose, as you do want to feel certain they understand the medication and any potential issues with the supplement.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras
Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud
https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/C ... 916994967/
Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud
https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/C ... 916994967/
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- First Name: Jane
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- Dog #2: Alfie
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Re: Looking after the senior dog
Thank you. I will definitely have a chat with our vet.