Dog Community

Worried about Dante...I know you guys will understand.

Posted : 9/30/2006 10:58:30 AM

Well I took him to the vet about his leg and he wrapped it and told me to have him take it easy for a couple weeks. So, I am relieved that it was nothing serious.
It just seems lately that he is really feeling the effects of getting old. He is 8 years old (almost 9) and I really thought that it would be a few years before he started showing his age. His hips are getting worse, the vet told me a few months ago to give him senior food, but I think he needs more than that so today I am going to get him some supplements and some asprin, I just feel terrible for not starting them sooner. The vet also recommended getting him a sweater for the winter to help his joints keep warm because he goes out to potty alot. Has anyone herd of doing that? I guess it makes sense.
That's another thing... yesterday we were sitting outside and he was laying on the porch and when he got up there was a puddle of urine under him and it was leaking out (sorry if TMI). Is this the beginning of incontinence? That has never happened before. Is there anything I can do about it?
I am just terrified that I am going to lose him sooner than I was prepared for. On a good note, he has gone down to 130lbs from 145lbs so he has a little less weight to carry around.
I mostly just needed to get that out because most people look at me like "Its not like he's your kid or something" Angry

But if anyone has any suggestions for helping my old boy, I would LOVE to hear them!
Thanks for listening!

pofi_pasquale

Posted : 9/30/2006 11:07:44 AM

I'm afraid I have no practical experience with dogs of size aging, but I did have a smaller lab mix who lived to over 18. She was a very healthy girl for much of her life and really had only started having some joint discomfort in her last year or two.

We did give her glucosamine and it seemed to help in the last few months. We had quite a bit left over and I've given it to my friend who has a 9 year old English Setter who has his share of joint/arthritis related pain and it seems to be helping his quality of life.

The reduction in weight will surely help considerably. I'm sure there are others who have more significant ideas to contribute, but I just wanted to say, YES, I understand your fears and concerns!

Give Dante a big hug from me.

fuzzy_dogs_mom

Posted : 9/30/2006 11:14:55 AM

The glucosamine w/chondroitin really will do a lot to help his old joints. My older dog was walking better when he died at 15-1/2 than he was when he first started getting arthritis at about 13.

Joyce

LovinMyLife

Posted : 9/30/2006 11:38:36 AM

Thanks for the encouraging words!
Do you know if I can give him the human Glucosamine supplements? If so, does anyone know the dosage for a 130lb dog?
Thanks!

calliecritturs

Posted : 9/30/2006 11:56:27 AM

Hi -- if you will email me, I have a ton of stuff I can send you on dog arthritis.

You can use human g/c BUT it is very pricey and if you stop using it it stops helping. There are other things you can do that will likely help more (and help more permanently in fact). Knox Nutra Joint is simple and yet it can be a super big help to actually help the body restore joint tissue.

DON'T use aspirin -- most any NSAID will cause stomach bleeding -- and a dog will simply ignore the pain until they can't eat. Try white willow instead -- it doesn't take much. a 35 pound dog only needs half a capsule, and I'd only use a full capsule on a large dog. But it's far far easier on the stomach. So is chammomile tea -- that can be a HUGE help and it's absolutely not going to hurt the stomach ... even long term.

Other stuff you can do as well -- and massage right at home is an awesome help to keep them mobile (and it's super one on one bonding stuff too!!!!). Using a good massage oil that's a topical analgesic can be an awesome help (particularly at night -- often it will relax them into a deep sleep -- ME TOO!!!)