Princess- the white senior woman

[Nickyb]

I need some help from the Vets here. Princess is my 10 1/3 year old PB white GSD. I live in a 3 floor house with stairs everywhere (literally 5 flights of stairs + a flight of stairs coming to and from the backyard) that have taken a toll on my babies hips.

I have moved down in the basement and made a studio out of it (moms house) for myself and have her live down there with me. Reason why i want her to stay down here with me is that in order to go outside, you must go up 4 steps into the garage and out that door. MUCH easier then going up 15 stairs and going down 7 just to go outside.

Princess also has a hard time getting on her couch (thats right she has her own cough right next to my bed) now and she cant make the bigger leap onto my bed. I hate to see her struggle now.

Now my question here is what are you guys doing to to help the seniors improve their mobility? I was about to buy a thing of cosequin DS but after doing some searches, people recomend different. I put her on some cheap hip and joint dog treats a month ago @ petco and it really seemed to help her move around. I want something better though and i'm willing to spend the money.

BONUS**** here are some pics of her.

When i walk in from work


her eyeballing me

[Whiteshepherds]

I'm such a softy when it comes to the whites, there's something about the expression on their faces that sucks me in everytime. She's beautiful.

Take a look at this site, it shows some good examples of sling type harnesses that you can use to help a senior dog stand up. You can make something similar using a regular harness and a cut up bath towel or piece of fabric. Just putting a bath towel under the dog will allow you to help them up if they need it. Just grab both sides so the towel cradles the dogs chest and stomach and lift gently.

AST Support Suit Dog Harness Questions and Answers

You can buy or build a ramp so getting on the couch or your bed isn't a struggle. Ramps can also be built for stairs. When our senior started having trouble with stairs we made a ramp using wood that we covered with carpeting. (so she wouldn't slip) We put it on the stairs when she needed it and leaned it against the wall the rest of the time. Not pretty but functional.

There are several products on the market that can help with joint problems and help reduce pain from arthritis, HD etc. We used glucosamine and rimadyl for our HD senior and they worked well. Others have different opinions.You need to weigh the benefits against the side effects, but first it helps to know what condition your dogs kidneys and liver are in, so a visit to the vet is probably the best place to start.

[Nickyb]

Thanks for the info! I need to take her to the vet soon, we havent been in quite some time. As far as the ramp for the couch, i put small stool (14x14 about a foot off the ground) but she wants no part of that... not sure why.

Also my girl is going to the bathroom frequently. I'll let her outside and shell attempt to pee 4-5 times and not much will come out everytime. She doesnt cry though. I just want to make her as comfortable as possible since a few weeks ago she tried to jump on my bed and fell... since then she wont even try it

[Bridget]

She is beautiful!! Heidi takes glucosamine twice a day (600 mg.) and an aspirin when she is having a really hard time. Heidi is 10 also. She can't jump up on our bed anymore either. I make a sling with my arms under her tummy and between her effort and mine, we get her up there.

[Whiteshepherds]

Originally Posted by Nickyb

Also my girl is going to the bathroom frequently. I'll let her outside and shell attempt to pee 4-5 times and not much will come out everytime. She doesnt cry though. I just want to make her as comfortable as possible since a few weeks ago she tried to jump on my bed and fell... since then she wont even try it

Some dogs are very stoic, never letting you know they're in pain. She really needs to see a vet. Is there blood in her urine?