Oldies and ailments

[Jingleballs]

My lovely boy is 11 ½ now and in the last couple of months so seems to really be starting to age.

We’ve been aware that he was starting to slow down and act his age as such but he’s never really had any health problems, was always very active and therefore very fit and muscled.

We were at the vet for his booster the other day and also for a full check up as he’s seemed a bit lethargic in the last few weeks which we initially put down to the warmer weather as he's always struggled with this.

Firstly vet diagnosed a minor ear infection which has cleared quickly with antibiotics. He also now has cataracts although they are not yet mature and he can still see the vet advised that these will probably continue to develop and that he’ll start having problems seeing at night or as clearly as he usually did and that we should perhaps consider a night light and not letting him wander too far in the dark.

The most surprising thing for me though was that he has now been diagnosed with a grade 2 heart murmur. I know it’s not severe and the vet has said that nothing needs to change (we’ve to look out for symptoms that it’s getting worse) but this combined with his general lethargy does make me concerned.

He does get a bit stiff and sore sometimes and can be tender around his back – he gets a physio/shiatsu session every couple of months, has a ceramic back brace to help with the inflammation and gets daily doses of glucosamine and green lipped muscle extract. He gets walked as and when he wants - he dictates where he goes and how long he walks for - he always has - although these days he'll sometimes only wander a couple of hundred yards then wants to come home and lie in the garden.

Bearing all this in mind is there anything else I should be doing now to ensure that he stays as fit and healthy as possible in his remaining years? I do worry that we are now on a downward spiral and am praying that he perks up when we take him on holiday next week and when the weather cools down.

Any thoughts/suggestions from you knowledgeable people would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ladyt25]

Probably not a lot more that you can do but we got our oldie a magnetic collar as he used to get very stiff afte a walk. Although we were a little sceptical at first but thought it's at least not going to do any harm trying, it did actually have a positive effect on him and he certainly did not suffer with the same level of stiffness and lethargy as he had prior to having it.

He is 15 this year and still going ok although getting a little more doddery on his back legs these days. He also has the odd physio session at least once a year which i think helps him too.

 

[Jingleballs]

Thanks ladyt25 - I'll look into that!

I'm going to order him one of these - http://www.backontrack.com/uk/products/dog/mesh-rug/ - he already has the back brace but doesn't like wearing it for long so I think this might be better.

The physio always says his muscle condition is excellent for an older dog and he has no muscle wastage (but rather over developed back legs because he does a lot of running and sliding stops while chasing things)

Good to know we're doing all we can - hopefully he'll perk up a bit soon!

 

[wyrdsister]

Don't assume it's a downward spiral yet. One of my girls is 15 now and I've lost count of the number of times she's had a rough few days or even a few weeks and I've thought: uh oh, this is it. She's still going and currently ambling about the kitchen seeing if I've left any crumbs for her to snarfle up, occasionally looking at me with her stupid spangle grin in place, happy as you please. The oldies do feel heat and cold more, slow down, go down hard and take longer to buck up again after a bout of illness. Give yours time and try not to panic. Not every dip is a downward spiral and even dips where the animal plateaus rather than picking up to where they used to be can afford a pretty good, if different, quality of life.

 

[WeedySeaDragon]

Don't necessarily worry too much about the heart murmur.

Our oldest lad is 13 now and has had a congenital heart murmur his whole life. It was a grade 2 when it was discovered (when he was about 3) and over the years has progressed and is now a grade 4. He finally started showing symptoms of having a heart problem late last year, he'd cough after exerting himself and was a bit less active than he had been. He was put onto Vetmedin and the difference has been amazing, he's lively (possibly too lively sometimes ) and I really don't think anyone would guess his age at all.

He just recently had a check up and the vet is really pleased. He's confident that he'll keep going for a good while yet and we're only on the very first stage of treatment so should the Vetmedin no longer be enough there's plenty more we can try.

 

[zippo]

Vivatonin.

 

[fredthoroughbred]

My Millie is in the same situation. She too is eleven and a half and has in the last month really slowed down. It's really sad witnessing the slow down when you think about their previous wild and youthful behaviour but it sounds like your dog is super lucky to have you and you're definitely doing all you can. Hopefully our hounds will push on for years : )