34 Saber Tails Spring 2017
Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America
from building up. Consider having your dog’s teeth pro-
fessionally cleaned at the vet when possible. This usually
involves anesthesia so it’s important to discuss with your
vet whether or not your dog is healthy enough for the
procedure.
T
rim Toe nails more frequently…
Your older dogs aren’t running
around like they used to. It seems
like our dogs toe nails grow faster in
older age…but the simple fact is that
our veterans aren’t moving around
as much. They don’t cover as much distance, they don’t
move as quickly and they aren’t choosing to travel over
the same rough terrain they did as youngsters. They are
simply no longer being exposed to or experiencing the
same surfaces and outdoor settings that naturally served
to file down the nails as youngsters. If you take your dog
for walks every day and walk your dog on cement, you
will not need to trim toe nails as often as someone whose
dogs get all their exercise in the back yard.
Lumps and Bumps
O
lder dogs sprout all manner of lumps and bumps.
Most are harmless and have no medical relevance.
But it’s a good idea to investigate if you find that a new
lump or bump has popped up in a new place. Skin tags,
fatty tumors and cysts can seemingly grow overnight.
But these can closely resemble cancerous growth and it’s
a good idea for you to regularly check for changes in your
dog’s skin. Your vet may want to perform a needle aspira-
tion to determine if the lump is harmless or of concern. If
you groom your dog at least once a month, you will have
a good baseline of your dog’s “normal” state and will know
when something out of the ordinary pops up. Be sure to
remember to check in ears, mouth, in between toes and
around private parts every time you groom.
Vet Care
I
f you have always gone to the vet only for an annual
checkup, it might be a good idea to switch to a bi-annual
visit. Ask your vet if a blood test is recommended. Kid-
ney, liver and many other health issues might be detected
at early onset when they will still respond to treatment.
With your aging dog, the goal of a vet visit shouldn’t just
be about treatment but prevention as well. It’s also im-
portant to act quickly when you do notice any issues to
allow you to maximize treatment options.
Be patient
P
atience is a virtue and our older dogs will try our pa-
tience at times. But it is imperative that we have pa-
tience and demonstrate understanding to our old friends.
In their advanced years, dogs slow down and take longer
to comply with our requests to come. In fact, whether it is
from discomfort or simply willfulness, they may ignore you
altogether. Our 9 ½ year old Cricket was the only PBGV in
my house who actually listened to me reliably and would
come when called. Not anymore! She has decided she
likes being in the front room where the other dogs aren’t
allowed to be except when we are feeding. She stays in
the kitchen and stares at the food container in the utility
room or she will nestle down in the laundry pile in front
of the washing machine. At night, when it’s time for bed,
she will now only come willingly when bribed with an ap-
propriate treat. She will not come for a milk bone…leav-
ing her front room requires a piece of chicken or cheese.
Any attempt to persuade her by calling is ignored and
if you raise your voice to her, she slinks into kitchen and
crawls into a crate. Older dogs have a tendency to oper-
ate completely on their own agenda.
O
ther age related issues we have to deal with are prob-
lems that are physical in nature. For Truffle, if I am try-
ing to get her attention, I need to waive my arms and not
just call her name. She can’t see far away any longer, but
she can still pick up movement quite easily. Luckily, we
haven’t had to worry about incontinence yet, but it is also
a realistic issue that is completely out of our old dog’s con-
trol. If your older dog is starting to have accidents in the
house, your vet might have something that will help and
you will need to go out with your dog more frequetnly.
Fear Factors
Y
ou may notice your old friend is suddenly develop-
ing fears of things that never were a concern before.
Our old ladies have suddenly developed a fear of thun-
der. Not unusual for a PBGV…but not normal for my crew.
Noise sensitivity is particularly common as a cause for fear
and concern. Ironic since this probably develops simulta-
neous to the beginning of hearing loss. Maybe there’s a
connection?
W
ith advanced age seems to develop an awareness
that there are things in the world that can be scary
and not in our dog’s realm of control. They seem quite
aware of the fact that they are not physically up to meet a
lot of the potential challenges they could face confident-
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