Thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, quality dog food and health care supplements, our canine friends are now living longer, healthier lives. We share our home with two 13 year old Pointers, who have both had their share of health issues through the years. Toby and Jessie are littermates who’ve spent their entire lives together and are now living out their “golden” years comfortably. We hope to have them in our family for as long as possible, and have done our best to accommodate their needs at this life stage. 

Annual check-ups are important for senior dogs so your veterinarian can monitor any ongoing or new health issues, but there are also a variety of things you can do at home to help your senior dogs live their best lives.  We feed a good quality dog food formulated specifically for seniors and limit table scraps (I’ve given up trying to stop my husband from sneaking a few to them). Just as elderly people often experience mobility issues, so too do our aging dogs. Both of our dogs have had leg injuries in the past, so we have taken a few steps to keep them both mobile and as safe as possible:

• Encourage moderate exercise, but nothing overly strenuous
• Maintain ideal weight
• Restrict access to stairs to prevent falls
• Place throw rugs on any slick floors
• Provide comfortable, easily accessible beds
• Provide joint health supplements – there are a vast array of products available containing common ingredients such as glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM.
• Use pain management veterinary prescriptions as needed

Our aging pets have also both experienced vision and hearing loss in recent years, so we keep this in mind as they navigate the house and yard. We don’t rearrange furniture, and make sure their pathways to the back yard are well lit. Dogs seem to adapt fairly well to aging sensory losses with stable, familiar surroundings.

Lastly, we are fortunate to have found a pet sitter who will stay in our home and take care of our dogs when we’re away. They no longer do well in a boarding facility and it’s comforting knowing they can stay in their home when we go out of town.

Toby and Jessie have been a source of unconditional love and companionship for my family over the past 13 years.  It is the least we can do to ensure their golden years are enjoyable and peaceful.