I need some help with information on my shepherd

[62Deville]

I apologize if this is in the wrong section, but my GSD Tank is a local stray well maybe not local but he showed up one day while I was at work my fiance took our pitbull Mr Bailey outside and Tank just walked up and layed down on our porch. After looking for his owner we kept him. He's a great dog and we love him the problem is no one can give me a rough estimate of his age our vet says between 4-10yrs not helpful. In the year we have had him his grey muzzle is getting bigger and farther up his cheeks his brown eyebrowns are fading to a white-cream as are his tan paws. I have been told black dogs will fade to grey faster. He still loves to jump and play a couple times a day but spends most the time lounging around. when we got him he was only 60lbs he's now around 70-75lbs and still on the short side for a male shepherd in my eyes. His hips are good but we do believe he has arthritis as occasionally he limps on the front paws maybe from sleeping on the wood floors where its cool, we do not know enough about his history I know but any ideas from the breeders or more knowledgable owners would be helpful. Thank you John

P.S. no Tank did not drink the beer he just happened to lay down in the backyard with it between his paws and had a funny face with the picture lol

[GSD Fan]

Thank you for taking in a Shepherd who needs rescuing! I hope you enjoy him!

It seems like he is still growing so he could be younger than 4-6 years. That's my thoughts and I'm not an expert.

[LaRen616]

JMO I would say he is at least 7 years old.

[62Deville]

Oh I love him to death I have always liked GSD's and my last dog before I enlisted was a german shepherd/artic wolf mix best dog I have ever had.

[Miss Molly May]

I have no clue how old he looks but is he ever darn cute!!

Oh and he has great taste in beer!!!

[Emoore]

Any way we can see his teeth?

I'm also thinking older than 6 or 7.

[62Deville]

Originally Posted by Emoore

Any way we can see his teeth?

I'm also thinking older than 6 or 7.

he looks to have one tooth missing between his canines on the lower jaw they are rounded some and show tartar buildup. We adore him so much we are just scared of the next step with a senior dog. Me and Kim both know how hard it is to lose a family member

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by 62Deville

he looks to have one tooth missing between his canines on the lower jaw they are rounded some and show tartar buildup. We adore him so much we are just scared of the next step with a senior dog. Me and Kim both know how hard it is to lose a family member

With good care and a little luck they can live to 13 or 14. My mother-in-law's GSD is 13 and just now starting to really decline. My older guy will be 10 in a couple of months and he still runs and plays and goes off-leash hiking with me a few times a week and keeps the younger one in line. He takes some arthritis supplements he didn't need to take a few years ago, but other than that he's still incredibly fit and active.

[LaRen616]

You could start giving him some joint supplement pills to help out his joints.

Emoore, can you share what supplements you give Rocky, it might help the OP out?

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by LaRen616

Emoore, can you share what supplements you give Rocky, it might help the OP out?

Sure. Rocky gets Annamet Endure, which is a glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM/Perna supplement. That's kind of a "building block" supplement-- a first line of defense. Then he gets Zeel, which is a holistic anti-inflammatory that is useful for dogs (and humans) with moderate arthritis. He also gets a fish oil caplet 2x per day. His mobility has improved immensely since starting him on this regimen.