Who are you daring to call a senior dog?
BlogPaws has designated August as Senior Pets Month. As you may know, my sister Katie turned eleven in June which has her in the midst of life as a senior dog. Luckily for a large breed, the Kuvasz has a fairly long life expectancy of 12-14 years. This is my mom’s first time really having a senior dog. Her first dog passed away at the age of ten rather suddenly from pancreatic cancer. She did not show many signs of being a senior other than slowing down a bit, and then suddenly she was gone.
Being a senior dog is not always a bad thing.
- I have noticed that my sister is allowed to do lots of things that were not allowed before and frankly, I find this unfair! She gets even more spoiled and also gets more snacks…I’ve actually caught Mom sneaking her stuff when she thought I wasn’t looking! The nerve!
- When you are a senior dog, you are pretty well behaved which means you might regain some off leash liberties that you lost as a younger dog.
- We still walk the same routes, but often times we are taking more time along the way to smell the roses and wabbits. We tend to follow Katie’s lead when it comes to setting the pace.
- When Katie decides to act like an immature puppy, Mom actually reinforces that behavior – seriously, what happened to acting your age? Mom used to get mad at Katie when she would lie down and kick her feet in the air and refuse to move, now Mom finds it cute and funny. When I do it, I hear a stern, “Emma get up right now”. What’s up with that?
Sometimes being a senior dog can be a drag.
I wish I was just a young pup again, getting old can be tough!
- Arthritis is a problem which has gotten worse over time. Staying at a proper weight and keeping up on her fitness has helped her a lot, though. She also takes some medication to help out with the stiffness when she first gets up. Mom says she is like a car in a Minnesota winter…when it first hits the road the car rattles, sputters, and is hard to maneuver but after a block or two it runs fine…Katie is the same way when we go walking.
- One of Katie’s favorite things in the world has always been playing chase, but now she is not able to keep up with the younger dogs which sometimes turns her into a mean old lady dog. Watch out for older dogs when they get frustrated because they may lash out, not knowing a better way to handle their situation.
- When Katie gets sick, and she has always had a sensitive tummy, instead of feeling better in a day, it takes several days to get back to normal.
- Katie sleeps a lot more and tends to not appreciate getting up really early like she used to.
- Fears seem to get worse. Katie never liked fireworks, thunder, or gunshots, but as she ages she gets more and more bothered and frightened.
What to remember.
- Love a senior dog as much as you can…they tend to be big snugglers.
- Keep them at a healthy weight to cut down on health problems.
- Make sure they stay fit. Keep up their exercise program for good overall health but make sure it is something they can handle.
- Don’t exclude a senior dog from activities. Take them along but modify things so they can participate such as walking slower, or taking a few breaks.
- Know your dog and if something doesn’t seem right, contact your vet.
Great advice Emma. I have to admit that I think Katie is adorable. I have had a few senior dogs now and one of the hardest things is watching them get up and get moving with arthritis. With Aspen and Daisy I had an older dog and a young dog. Balancing the two can be difficult, but taking it slow on walks can help a lot. More time to sniff!
Sometimes her slowness causes me to miss out on squirrels and wabbits which is frustrating but I know she isn’t doing it on purpose. It all changes slowly so we have adapted pretty well.
Senior dogs rock. Well we would say that both being seniors. Have a super Saturday.
Best wishes Molly
Seniors are pretty great, sometimes I do find the treatment a bit unfair but I will be a senior too one day and look forward to the extra liberties.
Hi Y’all!
Oh sweet Katie…I’m nearing Senior status. Right now I consider myself middle aged.
Emma, be nice to your sister and patient with her…you’ll be there soon enough…According to my Humans we all get old too quickly.
Y’all come by now,
Hawk aka BrownDog
Most of the time I am pretty nice, but sometimes I get frustrated and try to get her to race and play a bit more. My mom says we get old too fast too. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Loved this post, and sorry Emma, seniors are entitled to be spoiled. And to get away with things we never would let you younger pups do. And to make us laugh at things that used to frustrate us. Tell your mom this is my first experience with senior dogs too, our first dog passed at 6 unexpectedly. But now we have Toby turning ten and Leah turning fourteen, and I spoil them just like she is spoiling Katie, while Meadow gets to go to obedience school and have to learn things. (don’t worry though, she enjoys it.) 🙂
It’s okay that Katie gets a bit spoiled, sometimes I get some of it too because Mom feels bad. Hopefully we will have many more years together as I really am attached to Katie and so is Mom.
Oh Emma, putting up with big sisters can be trying sometimes – I know – but I’m sure Katie has taught you many things over the years. This was a sweet tribute to her and I’m glad you have a good list of things to look out for to make her senior years easier. One thing that’s good, she won’t notice any gray hairs with that beautiful white fur!
I know Katie is the best big sister! Katie will never have old looking fur, and I am lucky to have a fairly white face myself…no need to have our fur colored since grey and white doesn’t show.
Being a senior really does have its advantages and disadvantages. Maya’s turning six this month, which isn’t really a senior but isn’t considered young either. I worry mostly about the disadvantage of arthritis. I think Labs are prone to this.
The biggest thing we learned is that different breeds respond better to different medications. Katie took Rimadyl for almost a year and it did nothing really, but we switched to Metacam and within a few days she was so much more limber and happy. Moral of that story is that if the vet prescribes something and it isn’t working see if they have other medications to try or talk to a breeder about what works best for the breed.
Senior dogs are awesome… I swear Boomer and Dottie get sweeter everyday!
Mom says that Katie is like a whole different dog in a good way!
Great post Emma! Katie looks great 🙂 Your mom is a very wise person and she knows what is best for the two of you!!!!!
She does her best…we are her girls!
Yes indeed, seniors are super duper super!
At least until they get crabby which Katie does too on occasion 🙂
Very good advice for owners of senior dogs and obviously they like to spend time with you. Katie is very pretty at any age:)
I’m pretty nice to senior dogs…I guess I will be turning seven so I have to start thinking about being a senior in a few years too.
Great post, Emma, I especially love the “things to remember” portion…it is all so important.
Kobi doesn’t have arthritis or stiffness (maybe because he’s a smaller breed), so he’s the opposite when walking….he starts off strong and then slows way down! But I think we’ll be dealing with the same thing as Katie with Sheba when she gets older.
Remember you will be a senior one day too, and then you will appreciate all that special treatment! 🙂
You two are so cute together, I love that last photo!
Thank you! The best pet photographer in the world took that one of us. She also took the one on my book cover that I will be revealing on Thursday. I can’t imagine myself as a senior, but I guess it happens to all living creatures.
Great post Emma! Are dogs wont be senior for a while, but we do agree that seniors are wonderful in their humble age!
I have a few years to go myself, but I am learning how to be patient from my sister. She has taught me so much since the day I came to live with her and Mom.
Great advice there. Katie is super cute, not as cute as you of course but cute nonetheless!
Have a great wheekend
Nutty, Nacho, Buddy & Basil
xxxx
Mom says I am the cutie and Katie is the beauty…that’s fine with me as I’m not into the being all fancy stuff 🙂
What a great post (and love that little video clip!) I’ve been blessed to love several senior dogs and found everything you say to be true. You left out only one thing I can think of – that extra special sweetness of a senior dog 🙂
That is true, Katie is getting sweeter, but she also has that old lady thing, the nasty streak. If she is mad or not happy, look out! No matter, we love her and cherish her! At least she still lets the puppy out now and then.
I absolutely love that first pictures of Katie. Wonderful post. 🙂
Thank you! She is a beautiful lady.
Merci is 10 or 11 and we hope she will be around for more good years. She can still leap into Jan’s lap, even jumped on the bed this morning. Seniors are great!
Mom is trying to get Katie to make it to 25…why not shoot for the moon? We like to think big.
That was such a great post! many thanks. Sometimes we will be Seniors too and it’s good to know all this interesting things about Seniors. Have a great Sunday, dear Emma &Katie.
Thanks for stopping by. My sister rocks as a senior most of the time!
Senior dogs are great, just make good companions! Our dog is a senior now and wouldn’t take anything for her. Will never betray my dog and be there to the end to care for her.
Mom and I would do anything for my sister. She is the biggest sweetie around! Sometimes it is sad to see her when she can’t keep up like she used to but we love her no matter what!
Such a great post Ems. Senior dogs rock
You don’t have to worry about that for a while…I am approaching, but it happens to all of us I guess. As long as we have a great home, there is nothing to worry about.
Emma we love those photo’s and we have a lot of older furiends who are super cool 🙂 xx00xx
Mollie and Alfie
We will all be there someday, so I try to respect my elder dogs. 🙂
Well said!
Thanks, seniors are super!
It’s lovely that you all look after Katie so well.
We do our best to keep her happy and healthy 🙂
This is such a great post. Often times as pet parents we don’t even realize our pets have slowed down. I notice Sampson is a bit slower on his walks and seems to tire a bit easier, but he’s still got the enthusiasm to go and also to wrestle with Delilah. It’s important that you know your dog and pay attention to the aging signs. So glad Katie has you and mom to take care of her.
We try our best but sometimes when the cranky old lady dog comes out it is not easy 🙂