32 Saber Tails Spring 2017
Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America
Are You Prepared?
How To Make Your Dog Comfortable in Older Age
Written by Tiffany Cannon
W
e have 7 dogs in the house right now ranging in
ages from 7 months to 10 ½ years. It’s obvious that
they have different energy levels but they have different
needs on a lot of different levels. As hard as it is to believe,
dogs are considered senior somewhere between 7 and 10
years old. Vigilance and close observation will help you
know when it’s time to make some changes to keep your
best friend as comfortable as possible.
Diet
O
lder dogs might have different dietary needs than
they did when they were young. If they are particu-
larly sedentary, eating the same food in the same quan-
tity could lead to excessive weight gain. There are sev-
eral foods formulated specifically for older dogs – some
contain supplements that help manage joint health and
provide necessary vitamins and minerals. But other foods
advertised as ‘for seniors’ might be more marketing ploy
than anything else. Consult your
veterinarian to help you determine
what food might be best suited to
your dog’s dietary needs. Your vet
might also suggest a supplement
containing chondroitin or glu-
cosamine. Finally, older dogs can
develop sensitive stomach even
when they previously had no prob-
lems at all. If you have always fed your dog once per day,
it might be necessary to feed your old guy two or three
times a day in smaller meals to help ease digestion issues.
M
ost people agree that table scraps aren’t good for
your dog, but they can be even more dangerous for
an older dog. Rich, fatty foods can cause all kinds of di-
gestive issues including pancreatitis. Stick to low fat, dog-
appropriate treats.
Soft Bedding
I
remember as a teenager when I loved laying on the floor.
My brothers and I would play board games at night, ly-
ing on our stomachs in the living room, propped up on
our elbows playing Monopoly or Battleship. If I tried to
lay that way now for any length of time, my back would
really start expressing its disapproval! My joints just aren’t
what they used to be. Thirty years has taken a toll. I get up
more slowly in the morning, stretch a bit to get the blood
flowing and definitely prefer a softer bed to keep my back
and hips comfortable at night. It’s important to provide
soft padded bedding
for your older dog too.
They’ll sleep more com-
fortably but hopefully,
you will too. Dogs that
have comfortable bed-
ding won’t tend to wan-
der as much at night,
they don’t need to reposition themselves as often to al-
leviate pain, they stay asleep and are more rested in the
morning. Our old guys deserve comfort.
Home Accessibility
S
tairs, jumping on beds and on furniture etc. can be-
gin to present challenges they did not in earlier years.
Observing your dog’s movement through the house can
sometimes provide your first glimpse into aging behavior.
O
lder dogs (like older people) have less padding in
those joints than they used to. This fact can have a
lot of implications for you and your home. Our dogs love
to hop up on the couch and lounge there during the day.
Our older dogs can still hop up most of the time, but will
be hesitant about hopping down. We don’t have any car-
pet in the den where the dogs stay during the day and it is
obviously painful at times when they jump down from the
couch to the tile floor. If my oldest girl Truffle sees me in
the room, she will move back and forth until I come over
and give her a “puppy elevator” ride to the ground.
I
think I prefer having a girl who ‘sort of’ knows her limits
though to one that still thinks he’s a puppy and tries to
jump off the bed or the back of the couch. Older dogs
are definitely more susceptible to injuries. If we leave re-
ally comfortable beds on the ground, our older girls tend
to prefer sleeping on the ground level beds rather than
jump on the couch. We have also needed to change up
the types of beds we leave on the floor for the dogs. Our
dogs have always loved having beds with walls – some-
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