Thursday, March 5, 2015

Aging pets – we’re not the only ones getting older

You’ve heard it before, getting older can be tough.  As we age everyday tasks are just a little harder to do.  Getting out of bed in the morning takes longer.  I immediately grab for my reading glasses to see the small print on my phone.  I have a standing appointment with my hairdresser to keep the gray at bay.  As I deal with these normal consequences of an aging body, it made me realize that I am not the only one getting older in our house; my dog is getting older too.  Some of the same ailments and conditions related to aging also affect our pets, and we need to be aware of these issues to understand how to best care for our furry family members. 
My beautiful Shepherd mix, Mickey is now over 12 years old, so he is considered ‘elderly’.  He has gray hair on his chin and now it’s even above his eyes, two little bushy gray eyebrows.  He has limited vision due to cataracts.  He takes longer to get up and get moving, he naps more than he used to.  I decided to do a little research on how to care for aging pets and I want to share what I learned so you can take care of your aging pets too.


As dogs age, taking care of them becomes more difficult. Older dogs are typically more sensitive to extreme temperature changes because of changes in their metabolism.  These changes in metabolism may also require changes in their diet to softer, more senior friendly food. 

According to several ‘experts’ I found through Google searches,
The common signs of aging you might notice in your dog include:
   Tiring more quickly
   Development of vision or hearing problems
   Graying hair
Behavioral changes like mental confusion, separation anxiety, excessive vocalization, or elimination accidents in the house

Thank goodness for me, Mickey is handling his aging well so far, but elderly pets do sometimes struggle with dementia and incontinence. I know that I will eventually have to deal with making some end-of-life decisions for Mickey.  He is still relatively healthy, but when he begins to struggle I will have to make the impossible choice of if/when to put him down.  It is especially hard because I love him very much; he has been there for me through so much in my life.  Even though my husband says I can actually talk to my dog – the fact is, he is a dog and I can only guess what he is thinking or feeling.  It is important to recognize the needs of aging pets.  They add so much to our lives and we need to make sure we are doing our best to care for them through all the stages of their life. 


12 comments:

  1. Hi Laurie. This is a great post. We also have an aging dog. Zoey is 10 now and greying around the muzzle. We have had her since she was 8 weeks old and has been our constant companion on our adventures. We added Freddie to the canine part of our family 2 1/2 years ago. He has given Zoey a whole new lease on life. She gets so much more exercise with him bouncing all around and getting her to run and play. When we got Zoey, we had just lost my best friend, Buster to old age. Buster was my shadow and constant companion. He was so faithful and gentle. In the end, he died in the back seat of our truck on our return trip from our northern trapline, his favourite place to be. He had suffered through what we think must have been strokes while we were staying on the trapline, but we were in the middle of the bush, too far to take him to the vet. We knew if he left us there, it would be where he had been happiest and where he would be happy to have as his final resting spot. But, he surprised us by rallying for the trip out of the bush and the long 3 day drive home. 20 minutes from the house, he passed away in his sleep. I still choke up now thinking about him. I still mss him.
    Zoey and Freddie are great dogs, and we enjoy them so much. I know Buster would have loved them too. Now I have to go find a tissue...-Sue

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    1. Thanks Sue-it is amazing how much our pets give to us and how they become such an important part of our families.

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  2. This hits me in the heart. My sweet Cobbler, my black lab mix, is eight now. Her chin is whitening, and she has started developing those benign fatty tumors that labs are prone to getting. I don't even want to think about a world without a Cobbie dog in it. She's my sweet girl and like your Mickey, has been with me through so much. *sigh*

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    1. Thanks Jen - My husband teases me about being overprotective of Mickey, but its so hard to see them struggle as they get older. Thanks for stopping by my blog

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  3. Love your pictures. We are dealing with two senior dogs. There are good days, and bad days. Just grateful for the time we have left with them.

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    1. Thanks Susan, I know I won't have him forever so like you, I feel grateful for every day I have left with Mickey. Thanks for stopping by my blog

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  4. My baby dog is now 11. I can see the differences in her behavior. Overall she's doing well, but she's definitely feeling her age a bit more. Thanks for sharing at the This Is How We Roll Link Party on Organized 31.

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  5. I think this is the hardest thing about having a pet. I've lost many to old age and it never gets easier. My cat is over 20 right now and I love on her every day because I know she won't be around much longer.

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  6. Oh my goodness I am nearly in tears. We have a fur baby. Fizzby, and she is my everything. She got me through the teenage years with our oldest. She rocks, and is my sidekick and my shadow. She is 8 now and she shows no signs of slowing down, but I do worry. This is a great post and thanks for giving me a heads up with what to look for. :) I also made the Hubs promise that he had to make that last decision when we got her, that I would NEVER be able to do it.... ;)

    xoxoxo

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  7. I have an aging pooch too. Zoe (my wiemaraner) is 13 and going strong but showing signs of age. Love her to pieces though and she will be by my side until the end. This post really got at my heartstrings.

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  8. Oh how this goes straight to my heart. My Chihuhua is 14, my Dane is going to be 5 this year and we just lost our foster dane who was 5. His age was one of the biggest reasons people wouldn't adopt him. Sadly. Im so glad your boy is holding strong in his late age.

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