Extending my dog years

[Velinda81]

As my Nadia turned seven last October, I soon came to learn that she is considered a senior. I love my dog as much as the rest of us here who love their dogs. It breaks my heart to think that someday in the future, hoping in the long, long, long future she will leave me. I changed her food from Iams to Canidae. What other steps could I take that would benefit her health wise being that she is my first GSD?


Nadia at Hume Lake this past February.

[caview]

How beautiful she is!!

I don't have the answer for you as our first GSD is a 7 month old puppy, but I can fully relate to you question!

As I look at our pupster, I'll do anything to give him as many years of joy as possible!

Many blessings and years and years of happiness together!

Tanya

[phgsd]

What is your vaccination schedule? I would not do any more vaccines from now on other than rabies which is required by law. But many people will stop that after their dog is 8-10, you can get an exemption letter if your vet is reasonable
Keep her trim and active, that always goes a long way!

[Toffifay]

Yes! I agree that over vaccinating is horrible for your dog. I had a client pick up her "almost" EIGHTEEN year old cocker and had an appointment at her Vet for his shots. Say what?????!!!! I said something like, "they are still giving this dog vaccinations?!" After seventeen years of the same vac's you'e think he'd be immune already!

[Zisso]

She is beautiful! I wish you many more happy years together. This is The Best place to get advice from Looks like you have done a fabulous job with her!

[3K9Mom]

I'd consider switching her to a grain-free food, perhaps one of Candiae's, if she is doing well on that food. As seniors get older, their nutrition needs change; they still need lots of protein, but they need more bio-available protein.

Also, grains tend to be inflammatory. Inflammation can make arthritis and joint and spine issues worse.

If you're not doing so already, look into adding fish oil (omega 3 fatty acids) and vitamins E and C in her diet. There's a lot of threads about these in the BARF and Food/Nutrition sections, so I won't go into dosing and such. These are antioxidants.

http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/antiox.html

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/antioxidants.html

I also like cranberry as an antioxidant, and I use cranberry capsules for that purpose. For female dogs, in particular, it helps ward off urinary tract infections as a nice side effect.

So, start there. We can go wild with supplements. But these four are the ones I would do. You can get them at any drug store. I get mine at Costco for really reasonably priced.

We look forward to having Nadia around here for years and years to come!

[BowWowMeow]

Hmm, I usually agree with 3K9Mom but I don't agree about the cranberry supplements. I think those should be used when there is a problem and that's it. In fact, the cranberry supplements I've given in the past all say not to give more than a couple of times a week after the initial problem is resolved.

I agree that anti-oxidants are a great idea. And I agree about the vaccinations and the food. I also use filtered water for my dogs.

I think a good joint health supplement is a must for gsds. Adding fresh foods (and raw, if possible) also seems to have helped my dogs' health.

Daily exercise and mental stimulation is key to keeping your dog healthy and happy.

As Chama started to show signs of aging I added in a senior vitamin and a few other things that were directly related to her particular health problems.

Your dog is gorgeous and I hope she remains healthy for a long time!

[MelissaHoyer]

I have a seven year old too. She has always had health problems so I am very concerned with keeping her healthy.

Here is her "regimen" :

Raw Diet - As much variety as she can tolerate...chicken, turkey, beef, rabbit, green tripe, veggies, fruits, etc.

Supplements:
B-Naturals Immune Blend (vitamins, minerals, probiotics, digestive enzymes)
B-Naturals Green Blend
Fish Oil (1000 mg per 30 lbs)
Vitamin E

Minimal vaccinations, no flea prevention (has horrible reactions) and heartworm prevention only during warm months.

Luckily, she still acts very young and she keeps up with my 3 year old GSD...only changes I have seen are a bit of stiffness if we do long physical activity (like over 2 hours of hiking) and she does sleep a bit more. Not bad for an old girl

[Velinda81]

No vaccinations!! I've never thought of that before, she is enrolled in Banfield's wellness plan which involves comprehensive exam every six months. She receives bordatella every six months I believe, lyme disease and giardia once a year. Why are the vaccinations no longer needed? As for raw food, I honestly wish I had the time to prepare but I'm willing to comprimise if it can meet somewhere in the middle. I like the idea of supplements so I'll look into that. What about flea/tick prevention, Nadia is currently on K9 advantix so do I stop giving her that as well? I thought ticks/fleas contributed to diseases that would harm our dogs.

[LisaT]

Oh. My. You are getting all the "extra" vaccines too. Most vets don't think the giardia vaccine is all that effective and the lyme vaccine can cause all sorts of problems in the long run, and a healthy dog doesn't need bordatella - good health is your best defense. Those vaccines contribute to the business end of your vet, not the health of your dog!!

Your girl needs no more vaccines, other than rabies because that was is determined by law. Are you in a 1 or 3 year state?

I also like chiropractic care to help delay spine and hip problems.