What do i give my elder dog?

Posted April 27th, 2010 by admin




Okay so my good long time dog friend Lyka is almost 10 years old. Ive noticed shes started to get a SLIGHT limp….and sadly our house is 100% concrete in the backyard where she lives. So all that affects her. Shes an ordinary sized German Sheppard and i was wondering if anyone could help me with advise to help maintain her healthy through these hard elder times for her. Any advice? Products i should give her? She eats Nutro brand dog food. And we give her these tablets for joints and bones. She gets 4 and we feed them in her food and she eats them. But can anyone help with anything else?

PROBLEMS WITH HER:

-excessive shedding
-SLIGHT limp
-laziness and lack of activity

HELP PLEASE? For Christmas im buying her a soft pet cushion bed to put in her dog house. Hoping it will make her feel more comfortable…..




4 Responses to “What do i give my elder dog?”

  1. sunstar

    She does need soft bedding to sleep on. It will help her joints. Older dogs mostly suffer from some arthritis so it’s good you are giving her a supplement. A glucosamine/chondroitin/msm supplement is good.

    Shedding is a fact of life. Don’t let it bother you.
    Slight limp…keep your eye on this. It could be just arthritis or could be something more sinister.
    Laziness…nah! She’s not lazy, she’s just reach the age where she needs more rest. She’s earned it at her age. A short walk each day is all she needs.

  2. Painted Pony

    Really the kindest thing you can do for an elderly dog is take them to the vet and have some blood and other tests done. Especially as dogs age, their needs change along with their bodies and the vet may be able to give you some good insights into what ails her.

    It does sound a lot like the common symptoms of aging, but it could be something else and he is the one who will know what meds and how much is best for her. So, get her in for a thorough exam and go from there.

    Wish you lots of luck with her and a Merry Christmas

  3. Merios

    My dog is turning 13 and she sometimes has a spasm in her back left leg when I go out for walks. I almost had to carry her home, but thankfully it passed.

    We started taking her for a walk every day- not too far, just far enough so she feels she’s okay and wants to turn around and head back home. Play with your dog some more, have fun- make sure she knows she’s still your little puppy at heart. I still rough around with my dog and sort of scrunch her fat face up and squeeze her and tease her with treats and stuff, like I used to when she was a pup.

    Oh, and if you’re wondering, I have a Chow/Akita (Chikita Japanese/Chinese mutt). Cute as anything but she started losing all of her fur all of a sudden but she’s growing it back, so she sheds off and on. That and she lies around all the time.

  4. TM1070

    we have 2 Boxers and I just purchased two baby crib mattresses at the local flea market ($45 for both). They use them to lay on in the living room. The mattresses have vinyl covers and I slip cheap baby sheets over them and wash these once a week.
    As far as the shedding is concerned, try using the ‘Furminator’. It is a grooming tool that has a razorblade attached to it ($30 at PetSmart or Wal*Mart). Read the instructions (I believe they also come with a DVD). If done correctly, you can stop the shedding for up to 6 weeks at a time. Then repeat the process.

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