Golden Oldies - hints, tips and advice

I'm Dun said:
My oldest whippet is 8yrs old, so slowly approaching old age. I've got a question about when you reduce the walks? Hes hard fit at the minute, does about 50miles a week about 75% off lead and quite a lot of fast sprinting and wrestling with the younger one. We tend to do 2 or 3 big walks, then a quiet day and roughly repeat. He is incredibly happy and loves his walks, but he's also a bone idle whippet and usually has to be removed from under the duvet if its wet/cold or early. Its always been that way though, so I don't know how I judge when to reduce the exercise. Or how I'll do it when he wont be left and the young dog needs a lot of exercise. Thats a problem for another day though!

Hes obviously very slim, fit with no known issues and looks like a young dog to most people so hopefully a while off yet. I've just been mulling it over for a while and this seemed a good place to ask!
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Mine did the same sort of exercise levels at the same age (mostly whippet) as we lived in the Peak District. Other than all the advice already mentioned, the only thing I wish I’d changed would have to have had an assessment by a physio to see if any issues to be managed/prevented. I can’t have done too badly, he’s 14 and still happily trotting along
 
My Great Dane x is a month away from her 15th birthday.

Shes on 2 paracetamol a day. We have to be careful what medication she has as she is prone to mild pancreatitis.
She does two 20 minute walks a day on lead, then at the weekends (and sometimes a Friday too) she goes to the sand dunes for an off lead walk of 30-40 minutes. She happily jogs along and does the occasional ‘canter’.

Secret to her longevity I think has been keeping her lean and for pretty much all her adult life regular off lead walks where she could keep herself fit. She would go out to the sand dunes twice most days- 45 minutes at a time. A couple of days she would go with me on a 1-2 hour walk down the wirral way, to the beach or in one of the country parks.

Aside from that, i think we just got lucky with her. She is incredible for her age.

At her sand dunes a couple of weeks ago
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Last month
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I don’t think I have anything else to add that hasn’t already been covered - and everything mentioned gets implemented for my 13 year old boy!

Maybe to point out how vital it is that pain is appropriately managed through medication, so as not to cause compensation in other areas of the body. Supplements, and additional therapies like hydro & physio are fantastic, but they must be properly supported by medication for pain management, as well as home & exercise adaptions.

It’s been really heartening to see clips and articles from Canine Arthritis Management being shared, and to read that all this great info is becoming knowledge that is being practically applied to senior dogs!

Just a note that senior cats often need the same adaptions and considerations as they get older, too :)
 
This is a great idea for a thread. Ivy is only 4 so I hope we are a way off considering her a Senior dog but would like to do what we can to keep her fit and healthy as she gets older.

Currently doing the Metacam trial to investigate some subtle pain signs and hoping the follow-up next week will help narrow down what is going on. Will be looking to consider physio as part of the treatment.

I have been thinking of starting supplements for joint health but not sure where to start with this or if it is too early. Also thinking about diet in general as she gets older but think we are doing okay with the current kibble with toppers situation we have.

One thing I feel conflicted about is Zoomies! It is important she gets regular time to run off-lead but the full-on zooms do worry me in terms of potential for injury when she makes quick turns or stops just the sheer speed she is moving at is quite scary and I imagine the joints/muscles/tendons take a huge amount of force/stress. A case for more regular physio check ups perhaps!
 
I have to say that in many years of having sighthounds I couldn’t deny them what they loved doing @SaddlePsych'D - even with my boy who turned out to have osteosarcoma, I gave him all possible treatment (even if it did take the vets far too long to diagnose) but I also allowed him to do what he wanted in the time we had together - which included zoomies and chasing toys ❤️
 
Take it at their pace and realise they know better than we do about how they’re feeling and what they’re up for. That’s my key philosophy with the OAPs.

I don’t have any oldies left since last summer, for the first time in forever. For the last 18 months of his lordships time here I let him take the steer. When he wasn’t excited by the lead rattle, he stayed home. When he was, he came with. When he went back to the bowl I gve him seconds (he was a rough collie so naturally a faddy eater, they all are). When he didn’t want more than a mouthful, I didn’t push it. Sometimes there’d be multiple days where he only moved for a drink, a single toilet trip out and maybe a snack - and we were ok with that.

I do think, as I see it with family and friends, people are often really shitty at adapting/dealing to the fact an old dog is just that - old, and often very different to their younger selves.

He’s missed. I can’t get too mawkish though, his body was simply worn out by time in the end.
 
SaddlePsych'D said:
I think I am just feeling more worried just now because there's something up. It is a joy to see her joy at running.
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You are doing all the right things as a very responsible owner, you have immediately recognised a possible problem and you are getting it investigated and treated. Of course we all hope it is easily sorted, but whatever the outcome you have done the absolute best for Ivy ❤️
 
paisley said:
Mine did the same sort of exercise levels at the same age (mostly whippet) as we lived in the Peak District. Other than all the advice already mentioned, the only thing I wish I’d changed would have to have had an assessment by a physio to see if any issues to be managed/prevented. I can’t have done too badly, he’s 14 and still happily trotting along
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The younger one has had physio a few times when he's done insanely stupid things like jump off the top of a canal bridge, and I get floydy checked and he never needs treatment. They play with a ball about once every 6months, so that's not a thing. He is an utter idiot for his nails trimmed so that worries me, they arent super long, but I do let them go longer than ideal to save everyone trauma. He finds going to the vets for nails so upsetting and screams and drops to the floor like he's dropped dead, so everyone hates it! I'm going to try one of those nail scratching boards next. Hes definitely not flat footed though thankfully.
 
My oldest current dog is aged 8 and has been on Loxicom for 4 months due to stiffness in her hind legs.

I can tell she feels better in herself as she has started to chase the Whippet pup when Lola steals her ball. As a consequence, she has lost weight and looks better than she has done in years😄

With my previous Labradoodle, she stopped bringing herself up the stairs to bed when she was 12. She would go on the first walk in the morning, but later walks she wasnt bothered about. She would happily stay at home with a bone as I walked the others.

She was on YuMove for elderly dogs and had fish oil on her food.
 
Has anyone got any tips for meds or any other support for potential CCD? Over the past two nights I've been awoken in the early hours by an almost 14-year-old dog who isn't desperate to pee and can hold it in for protracted periods during the day so wonder if he is sundowning.
He had a UTI in March and another suspected one early October and was prescribed antibiotics but this isn't presenting like one. Very hale and hearty in other respects.
I've left a pee sample at the vet and have bought some Nutramind in the meantime.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Has anyone got any tips for meds or any other support for potential CCD?
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There are a couple of dog foods which might be worth trying: Hills BD and Purina Neurocare.

CorvusCorax said:
Over the past two nights I've been awoken in the early hours by an almost 14-year-old dog who isn't desperate to pee
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If he is restless during the night, have you ruled out joint pain? He could be wanting to get up and move around to get comfortable.
 
skinnydipper said:
There are a couple of dog foods which might be worth trying: Hills BD and Purina Neurocare.



If he is restless during the night, have you ruled out joint pain? He could be wanting to get up and move around to get comfortable.
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He's not presenting that way but it's a good shout. He's on a joint aid and a very low dose of paracetamol. If the urine sample comes back OK I'll explore that further, thanks.
 
When a vet suggested adding a supplement for CCD I spent ages looking at different options and settled on Dorwest Braincopa. I can’t comment on effectiveness as the root problem was joint pain (but she was showing signs of pain and that was the reason for seeing the vet).
 
Ok....so another factor I just thought about...since Wednesday night he's watched me treating the young female's feet before putting her to bed and this has really agitated him as obviously she's getting attention and he is not. I'm wondering if this is keeping him in a hyperactive state/less likely to rest/sleep and maybe he's thinking if he wheedles enough then *he* gets to go out and run around the garden or up the lane a bit.

There's also a LOT of feline activity around the house at the moment, there's three or four different cats hanging around so that may be disturbing him as well.

I was at home most of the day and he was chilling/made no noise out in the kennel/didn't ask to go out/stayed clean as normal so I really don't know if it's a UTI.

He's never really loved being in the house, even as a young dog but I don't feel right at his age keeping him out in the kennel (it's in the garage so not exposed to elements) even though he'd have more room to move about.

Anyway, I've got leggings and a jumper on in bed and my boots, hat, coat and keys in the hallway ready to leap out of bed again 🤣
 
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CorvusCorax said:
Ok....so another factor I just thought about...since Wednesday night he's watched me treating the young female's feet before putting her to bed and this has really agitated him as obviously she's getting attention and he is not. I'm wondering if this is keeping him in a hyperactive state/less likely to rest/sleep and maybe he's thinking if he wheedles enough then *he* gets to go out and run around the garden or up the lane a bit.

There's also a LOT of feline activity around the house at the moment, there's three or four different cats hanging around so that may be disturbing him as well.

I was at home most of the day and he was chilling/made no noise out in the kennel/didn't ask to go out/stayed clean as normal so I really don't know if it's a UTI.

He's never really loved being in the house, even as a young dog but I don't feel right at his age keeping him out in the kennel (it's in the garage so not exposed to elements) even though he'd have more room to move about.

Anyway, I've got leggings and a jumper on in bed and my boots, hat, coat and keys in the hallway ready to leap out of bed again 🤣
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Could you put a camera in the kennel and put him to bed in there one night to see how he settles? Now you've said that I'm thinking he just wants to get back to.his 'normal' routine. Sometimes you can't do right for doing wrong, with them.
 
It's something I can look into. He's been in and out at night over the years, depending on our living situation and it was on rotation when I had three of them, and always seemed to prefer being out. He came back in full time from the start of this year as he had a few health scares.

Quiet night last night, I closed the kitchen door (I would still be able to hear him but him not hear me bimbling about if that makes sense) he was put on the Nutramind yesterday and he got a squirt of Meloxicam, so who knows what made the difference!!
 
CorvusCorax said:
It's something I can look into. He's been in and out at night over the years, depending on our living situation and it was on rotation when I had three of them, and always seemed to prefer being out. He came back in full time from the start of this year as he had a few health scares.

Quiet night last night, I closed the kitchen door (I would still be able to hear him but him not hear me bimbling about if that makes sense) he was put on the Nutramind yesterday and he got a squirt of Meloxicam, so who knows what made the difference!!
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With Brandy pain relief made the biggest difference to her settling. I know when my legs ache after a busy day I don’t sleep well.
 
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