How best to care for dogs, so they reach a good age in good health?

[Odyssey]

I've been wondering about this for quite some time. I've read a fair bit about dog nutrition, and the downsides to regular parasite preventative products and yearly boosters etc. From what I've read, raw food is by far the best diet for the majority of dogs, though obviously there are exceptions. I'd be really interested to know what people did as regards feeding and general healthcare for dogs that lived in good health for longer than about 14 years. I understand that feeding dogs kibble, even high quality ones, is far from ideal as even the high meat/fish content ones are essentially "dead" due to the processing, and high temperature it's cooked at. Do some of you feed both kibble and raw, which I know is controversial, but is surely a lot better than just feeding kibble? What extras do you add, such as wet food, tinned fish, fruit and veg, and supplements?

Do most people still get yearly boosters done, and use conventional flea/worming products every month? I know there are no easy answers, there are pros and cons to most of these things, though it seems that yearly boosters aren't essential as we're led to believe, and that titre testing would be far preferable. People don't have booster vaccinations after their initial childhood ones, so why is it considered necessary for dogs? From the reading I've done, I believe many of these things we do that are considered necessary are in fact detrimental to dogs long term health, and reducing their lifespan. Surely it can't be good to put chemicals into our dogs on a monthly basis for 12 years or so. Of course I'm not saying that we shouldn't ever flea treat, worm, or do worm counts. I know that lungworm, for example, can be fatal. I wonder if worm counts are a better option than routinely worming dogs, and will become the norm in time. Unfortunately I don't think natural worming/flea products are as effective as their chemical equivalents. I would be interested in debating these issues, while not criticising those who question the conventional wisdom.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I only use worm or flea treatment if I have to travel or if I see physical evidence of parasites. I only really keep on top of vaccinations if they have to travel also.
I use dry food for training but I supplement coconut/fish oil, eggs, fish, meat (whatever is in the shit corner of the supermarket some weeks).
When I was growing up you could go in and cut your own tripe at the abattoir and mince it at home, then add to Winalot or some awful muesli mix.
My Nan fed all the animals on table scraps/old bread/bit of a tin of dog or cat food and milk, mixed in an old saucepan and doled out to whoever showed up at tea time.
Greyhounds would often subsist on 'brown bread and black tea' back in the day.

From Kat's post, I wrote: "If you can, feed, supplement, condition and mitigate when they're younger and when the damage is being done. I have been criticised for being conservative in the past but I have two older gents who have had a heavy workload but are often mistaken for being years younger than they really are."

So when my dogs are young I lift them in and out of car, on and off sofa, no going up and down stairs, no excessive jumping or tear-arsing around until 12-18 months/after x-rays are done. I supplement them after work, warm them up and cool them down properly, give them a good rub down before and after work, do road work and conditioning exercise outside of the work, use hydration and muscle aids, weights and rear-end awareness stuff. I regulate what they do/when they have had enough, they don't, their drive will carry them through any pain, discomfort or fatigue.
I'd rather do this and have dogs who are comfortable and sound in old age, as mine currently seem to be, rather than let them rag themselves when they are too young and then be hobbling and off their legs in old age, touch wood, anyway.

Verging into behavioural stuff but I also teach my dogs to deal with/come through low level stress and out the other side again, when they are younger, so that when stress comes from an external source, it is not too much of a shock/upsetting.
A lot of the dogs I have seen who have been trained positive only/have to figure absolutely every behaviour out/what is the right thing or not, for themselves, look very grey/old before their time. Again that's an observation, not a criticism.

 

[AmyMay]

Without being too obsessive about it;

Feed them the best diet you can afford, keep them at a healthy weight, exercise them appropriately.

I only worm maybe twice a year, and give around five flee and tick treatments a year.

My dogs are now six and seven and have not had boosters this year, and will not going forward (but I appreciate that that is a personal choice).

 

[laura_nash]

All my dogs have lived over 14 and been healthy most of their life, and I just feed cheap dried food and probably do all the "wrong" things.

I suspect the best thing any owner can do to have a long lived and healthy dog is to get a medium sized dog-shaped mongrel from healthy parents.

 

[teddypops]

All my dogs have lived over 14 and been healthy most of their life, and I just feed cheap dried food and probably do all the "wrong" things.

I suspect the best thing any owner can do to have a long lived and healthy dog is to get a medium sized dog-shaped mongrel from healthy parents.

Same. My little jack Russell was a rescue and I got him aged 7, he died age 20 just because he was very old. My border collies is 15 and has arthritis in his hips but otherwise well and my parsons terrier who is around 12 (was a stray so no exact age known) is fit and healthy. All fed on cheap dried food, wormer and flea treatment when needed.

 

[Goldenstar]

My last three labradors lived till over 16 .
All where in great shape right up to the last short illness, two where PTS and the third suffered what’s thought to have been a stroke and was PTS by the vet at home I feed a good quality kibble ,it’s grain free but I give my dogs are not grain free they eat grains in the house hold left overs I give them .
I also feed some raw meat but not daily .
I only use skin parasite control if I think there’s an issue these are excellent products if you have an issue but they are not wholly benign so I use them only if I need to .
I am also very strict about of exercise that I allow the young dogs to do .
There will no long walks until they are about 18 months .
I have a nine month old lab at the moment if we go for a special walk we will do it with her on the lead ( we recently took her with us on a short break and she had three walks in a day but with sleeping in the car in between ) so she’s not ranging about to much
I don’t let her go upstairs( easy the house she lives in has few stars ) or jump although I will admit she taught her self to jump in the car last week because she has been watching the other dog .
She won’t follow the horse for exercise until shes between a year and half and two .
She lives in the country and has access to a lot of freedom she ranges about while I do the horses and she spends lots of time lying on the stable yard watching wants going on .
I think too many puppies get too much exercise I shiver when a see exhausted puppies being dragged alone ,my rule is to get them to rest before you see them tired .
My dogs are crate trained ( although I never fully cracked this with Dram ) and with Pearl I also have a large dog pen in the kennel ( whoops sorry garden room )off the kitchen this has been a great investment she takes her self in there to play with toys
I also have a very old kibble fed Lurcher who was my mothers she was a rescue as a young adult we estimate she’s at least 15 based on the fact she was a young adult when she was found .
She spend years on a dreadful kibble that my mum insisted on using but is in excellent shape .

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

A vet once told me that getting a Labrador to over 10 was an achievement and most of ours have been pts aged 13+. We always make sure that pups are vaccinated and have their first booster but then let it lapse, unless there is a particular reason not to do so. We monitor carefully for parasites and treat if necessary. I used to treat prophylactically but having seen the effects taht some of the treatments can have have stopped doing that. They are currently fed on Butchers Tripe and biscuits, others have had various kibbles over the years.
The best way to protect joints ime is to not encourage jumping/chasing until the dogs are fully developed and to introduce 'forced' walking slowly.

 

[blackcob]

I don't hold with the 'it's pumping chemicals' view and my dogs are annually vaccinated, flea and wormed as necessary (admittedly this is only when parasites are either observed or when travelling to an area where a preventative is needed, not blanket monthly treatment), have been fed a huge variety of things over the years including home-made raw but now mostly on kibble and any raw is complete and balanced and from a company which adequately tests for campylobacter etc.

IMHO it's more important to get a moderate size/type dog-shaped dog, from long lived and healthy lines, keep it slim, exercise it with caution before it's finished growing, brush its teeth and find a vet who you trust and can foster a good relationship with, so you can have honest unbiased conversations about the pros and cons of meds and preventatives and whatnot.

 

[tda]

Keep them fit and don't overfeed! Simple

 

[deb_l222]

All of my dogs have been 15+ years when they died apart from Rufus (died at 13 of a brain tumour) and Buddy (died at 12 from pneumonia, secondary to lung cancer).

My thoughts are this:

I’ve never fed raw and never will. Most dogs will thrive on kibble and raw is not always best. What’s best is what’s best for YOUR dog.

Regular exercise and routine.

Low impact exercises. I won’t and never will be a tennis ball thrower. Normal walks and swimming for my pooches.

I worm and flea only if I see worms and fleas.

Vaccinate yearly until ten years old and then stop totally. I do however push the yearly vaccine to the 6 week limit my vet will allow.

I’ve never crated any of my dogs, except for medical reasons. I’m not totally against them but most people buy them too small for the dog.

Probably most important of all. Keep their weight down and seek medical advice when required. It’s not rocket science.

 

[Books'n'dogs]

I feed a good quality locally made (to me) kibble, brush my dogs' teeth at least multiple times a week (I wish I could do it daily but sometimes my chronic health condition prevents me), brush their fur on a nearly daily basis (I notice any lumps or bumps as soon as they start to form, this has enabled me to have them treated, if necessary, at an early stage and it also helps get them used to being handled, my vets love how cooperative my dogs are), they all had their puppy series of vaccinations but now only get their rabies boosters every 3 years which is what the law requires, I have never used chemical pest prevention but I do lightly mist them with a lavender essential oil/water solution which thus far has worked, I worm them monthly for heartworm because it's a real threat in my area and I have adopted an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure mindset in this instance, I have never used crates since I was in the position of being able to have them completely trained and trustworthy before having to ever leave them (they are separated on the rare occasion they are left home alone but they each get their own room to themselves), and of course they are all an appropriate weight for their breed and size. So far I have an almost 12 year old GSD who is slowing down but looks younger than her years, an 11 year old Miniature Schnauzer and a 10 year old Australian Shepherd, both of whom show zero signs of being senior dogs.

 

[fankino04]

Whilst I would hope that there are things you can do to help I think much of it is down to the genetic lottery. My last girl was a little over 13 when she was PTS, as a Malamute that was considered a good age. We got her from the breed rescue when she was 6, her previous owners gave her up when they had a baby so she wasn't a mistreated or abused rescue dog, she was however grossly overweight and had been fed bakers her whole life so I don't think she could have had a much worse start in terms of nutrition and looking after her joints. We put her on Skinner's field and trial kibble, added some sardines or salmon oil sometimes and occasional eggs, she also had tumeric as a supplement and later in life you move, given her build and how overweight she was for as long as she was before we got her she shouldn't have made such a good age but I guess she just had good genes. The boy before her came from the RSPCA when he was 2, he was an abused dog but only had 2 years of poor care / feeding then was on the same regime as her but he only made it to 9.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I’m so relieved to read some of these replies!
I often feel a bit bad that I don’t give flea or wormer to the absolute dot. I don’t feed dog food that costs £250 a bag, I don’t walk 4 times a day for an hour.
I do give jabs yearly til they are older, lab is 7 and still has his, collie is 16 (how did that happen!) she missed the last few.
I worm the puppies as per the book but the older ones as and when.
I’m being careful that Cecil doesn’t do any huge jumps or long walks to hopefully prolong his joint health.
I mainly focus on making them happy and content tbh rather than by the book dog care.

 

[Clodagh]

I think nature is a lot more important than nurture. Like a 15hh horse is likely to live longer than an 18hh one, dogs that are bred to do what they do and that do it properly should live on.
We have mainly had working dogs and I would say a dog that works and is kennelled will likely not make as old a bones as a fit house dog.
Maintenance of the workers is much better now though, (ours) they have better food, better fittening work, rugs after work, and all live in the house ( theft paranoid). Formerly it was terriers and now labs but all have worked for a living.
Oldest now is 12. She is a doddery old thing but happy and healthy.
Ours are jabbed until they aren’t, usually about 7 with the last few. They are wormed twice a year and that’s it.

 

[Lipglosspukka]

Just like people, some dogs just aren't destined to make old bones.

We can do our best to feed the best quality food, make informed decisions on vaccinations, worming etc, supplement where necessary and try to keep our dogs fit.

The sad fact is though, no matter what choices you make, it doesn't guarantee a long life.

 

[Goldenstar]

For labradors if you want them to live long and well you have to keep them slim