More Lesson from an Old Dog
I shared before that I had been very blessed to know the love of an old dog. How does one find oneself so lucky? Some of it is unquestionably just that. Luck. Poppy was my first corgi puppy and I did buy her on a bit of a whim. I have no family health history on her. For everyone who came after her, I do. So, genetics are huge. It’s part of why we know that life expectancy for some breeds is on the shorter side due to a high incidence of cancer. That giant breeds age faster than more moderate sized breeds and toy dogs often have teenaged life expectancy. We can’t control how genetics affects our dogs longevity, but there are things we can do to help
Diet—staying on the lean side of weight appropriate is so important for older dogs. Senior food or light food often don’t work as promoted. Just like many humans, most dogs do well on a diet that is lower in carbs. Many Senior foods or light foods are higher in carb percentage than they’re regular calorie counterparts. It can often take a higher protein diet to maintain muscle mass in an aging pet. Rather than switching to a “low calorie” food, just reduce the amount fed of existing regular protein diet.
Exercise—The phrase “Use it or Lose it” applies here. Expectation on duration of exercise will likely need to change with age, whether it’s a shorter walk or a slower walk, but still get out and walk. There are also additional options out there such as pool work, underwater treadmill for modified activity
Acupuncture and Rehab—Poppy benefited greatly from both of these. Acupuncture helped her maintain mobility and rehab exercises helped make her stronger. I will finish phase one of my rehab training on November 15th. So, as much as we think of rehab as being for after surgery, it’s also huge for both injury prevention in dogs of all ages, it has a major role in maintaining comfortable movement in older pets
Dental care—We know that for companion animals just as in people there is a huge association between oral health and heart health. Besides the bad breath, dental disease for pets often means abscessed teeth; which are extremely painful. The chronic infection in the mouth can contribute to valve disease in the heart and the development of heart disease. We don’t see high blood pressure issues in dogs (with a few exceptions) but we do see leaky heart valves frequently
Regular veterinary visits—While vaccine needs change and often decrease with exercise; regular veterinary visits remain really important. This is one of our best chances to identify issues when they’re more minor and more easily addressed. Making sure that through the use of joint supplements and anti-inflammatories as needed that a pet stays comfortable. This is when we can assess for any cognitive changes impacting quality of life at home. We can’t always fix these, but we can often help with nutritional supplements.