Senior Support/Check-In

[BowWowMeow]

How are everyone's seniors doing?

Does anyone else have a senior who is really going downhill? What kinds of health issues is your dog (and you!) struggling with? Do you worry about their quality of life? How has their daily routine changed? What's working (supplement, food, physical adaptations) and what isn't or didn't work?

I thought I'd start this thread so we could give one another some support.

[WiscTiger]

Ruth that is a great idea. My group hasn't reached the Senior level yet, but my last GSD was when he left at 13 1/2 years old.

Val

[ninhar]

Sheba is doing wonderfully since I started giving her Dasaquin with MSM. Yesterday morning she jumped up to put her front paws on my bed, something she hasn't done for at least 6 months. Then this morning I woke up to find that during the night she pooped on my bedroom floor. That has never happened before. I'm not sure what to make of it.

[WiscTiger]

Nina, when did you start giving the Dasaquin and the MSM?

As dogs age their systems have a tendency to be on different schedules. But that said if it is just that once I wouldn't worry to much, more than the once then it is time for a Senior Check up at the Vet.

Val

[BowWowMeow]

Sorry this is so long!

I have two seniors, Cleo, a 16 yo cat (who thinks she's a gsd) and Chama, a 13.5 yo muttweiler.

Chama has really gone downhill over the past 18 months. I have pictures of a hike we took with a friend about 16 months ago and I look at it and can't believe that Chama hiked 3 miles that day. Now it's a challenge sometimes for her to go a mile.

She has pretty serious arthritis as well as scaring on her lungs which makes it hard for her to breathe. She coughs when she's having a really hard time. This summer she had something like an asthma attack and scared my mom and niece (I wasn't there). She has torn ligaments in her knee too. It's not a pretty combo. She gets short of breath going up the stairs or playing with Rafi for a minute. She also has a lot of trouble when it's humid and/or hot out. Of course her joints also hurt more on those days.

She used to be an athlete. She lived to run in the woods and chase bunnies. Now she sleeps a lot of the time or she stares off into space. On bad days she pants a lot and bites at her joints. On good days she hangs out on one of her beds, plays a bit with Rafi and is engaged on her walks (3 a day) and marks her territory.

I have tried so many different supplements, herbs and therapies. I keep expecting that one will be the magic wand that will turn back time. I read reviews and comments about this herb or that supplement or that type of therapy and I think, "Ok, this one is going to be the one that turns her back into her old self." But although some have helped, none has turned back the clock for her. I have realized that a lot of the stuff I read is written by people whose dogs were on NO supplements. So it makes sense they would see a huge change. I have Chama on about 10 different things now. My vet says she is doing amazingly well, all things considered, but I want her to do better than she is. She really isn't enjoying life much anymore.


Rafi is a great support for me and for Chama and Cleo. He loves both of them and is very gentle and sweet with them. Chama is almost completely deaf now and Rafi wakes her with kisses. He plays with her very gently. He accepts her limitations and modifies his behavior--I could learn a lot from him.

It is me who is having the hardest time with this. Chama was the dog who would live forever, who would be running up mountains at age 14. I try each day to adjust my expectations and give her the best quality of life, under the circumstances. She loves treats so I try to get her something special from time to time.

I do find it harder to connect with her now that she's deaf. She misses so much and I miss talking to her.

Anyone else dealing with anything like this?

[Amaruq]

Despite their ages I have a hard time admitting the "senior" status of the Paq. All three of my eldest half have birthdays coming up in November and December.

Lakota (Siberian Husky) is 11 and is on the second week of her holistic meds for yet another UTI. I added cranberry suppliments to her daily suppliments of C and E and will be starting her on gluc once her UTI meds are over. She is the toughest to get pills into but has been a trooper for me. I have noticed recently that she is slightly starting to show her age a bit. Her ears are turning a gray/white. Ya cant really say she is gray in the muzzle since she was born with a white muzzle. I will be adding blueberries and cranberries to her diet as well. She loves blueberries just tossed in with her food. I will grind the cranberries in with some ground meat for her. I will add these to the other guys diets too because it wont hurt a thing for them to get the extra fruits anyway.

Chimo is 10 and was diagnosed three years ago with spondylosis. Earlier this year he strained the ligaments in one knee and was the heaviest that he ever has been. He has lost the extra weight with cutting back a bit on his food. When he was in for his knee I had the vet shoot an xray of his back. The spondylosis does not seem to have progressed much at ALL in three years. I made some dietary changes for him after researching spondylosis. He does not get nearly as much chicken quarters/backs as he used too as the poultry skin has inflamatory properties in it. If he has a stiff day his holistic vet gave me some bone pain pills for him. I think we have used them 3 times all year. He has homeopathic remedies for kidney, prostate and b-complex that he takes daily. His kidney levels were " a bit high" in Sept last year and by January they were already back in the normal range. He is raw fed (and loving that hunting season is coming). In addition to the homeopathic remedies he takes daily he gets vit c, e, and gluc/con and or msm. He gets fish oil capsules a several times a week.

Tika is border line senior in my book. She is still as bouncy and happy as ever. The only signs of aging that she has is the graying on her muzzle/face. She has no health issues at this time and gets the same suppliments as Chimo; e, c, gluc + cond/msm plus fish capsules several times a week.

[ninhar]

She's been on the Dasaquin with MSM for about 3-4 months. It took about 1 1/2 months before I noticed the difference in her activity level, namely that she was climbing stairs again.

We had an incident about a month ago where one morning she peed her way from my bedroom, down the stairs and through the family room until she got to the back door. Then no other elimination issues until this morning. <sigh> Good thing I own a steam cleaner. Its been raining the last few days so we didn't go for a walk last night, she just went in the yard. She doesn't like to go out in the rain, so I didn't push the issue. Guess I have to now.

[BowWowMeow]

Chama's current food/supplement regime:

Food (twice daily)
Orijen 6 fresh fish + Orijen senior
Something for flavor (grain free canned food, canned salmon or sardines or tuna, hard boiled egg, preprepared raw, shredded chicken, etc.)
Preprepared raw and yogurt (at night for a snack)

For joints:
Longevity
Advanced Joint Support with Cetyl-M
Ester C
Salmon Oil
Coconut Oil
"Get Up and Go" (at night, with her snack)

Other supplements:
Vetriscience Canine Plus Senior (just started this one)
Digestive Enzymes
Bug Off Garlic
Herbal tincture for asthma

[middleofnowhere]

13+yo Barker the elder - another "fleet of foot" dog in her youth- has back problems, a bad eldbow, a bad hip and a bad knee. She also has a heart murmur. She's on the most expensive heart meds (Vetmedin) and the more if not most expensive anti-inflamatory (Derramax) The dog who in her youth was tireless on trail rides, now follows us a little in the arena where we do a lot of serpentines, circles & figure eights so she won't have to go so far. Then she waits while I go on a trail ride.

Barker the younger (10 +) - always sturdy but not nearly as "fleet of foot" ever has back problems and has had her second TTA on her knees.

Barker the elder has always been rather fastidious. When her older partner had problems with bowel continence 11-12 years ago, she always came to get me. Now, however, the dog who delicately stepped around dog poop, finds it easiest to just lie there. I figure it is easier on her by far. Now I am greatful when their stools are firm, their stomaches not upset, and there is no injury to another joint.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Weird now to have one senior. The older one, too.

I tried to get Dausquin in Kramer. Bruno likes it! Mario will eat it! Not Kramer. It probably contains a poison I am not aware of.

Kramer was doing poorly what? A month ago? To the point of an EKG and me looking into getting him a quad cart for handicapped dogs. I believe it happened when he fell down the stairs-my guess was that he hurt his back in a way similar to how I hurt mine and once I was able to get some REAL crate rest for him he was able to improve. I also took him to a few of his favorite places, which perked him up(kind of like-well, I guess she doesn't count me out yet). Still doing the crate rest, cut back on the Metacam yesterday to 35# and he did okay. He's eating better too. I am very pleased with Metacam for now-there was immediate relief and it is easy to give.

I am holding my breath, and know he misses Nina, so I am taking him for rides to keep him occupied and happy. He goes next week for his Adequan and I think I'll have bloodwork done because of the Metacam.

This is a great idea. It is helpful to read about other seniors.