Give Back the Love to Your Senior Dog!

Let's be honest, it's easy to love a puppy and enjoy playtimes with him. But, what will be your response be as he grows older, eventually entering his golden years and isn't quite as chipper? Will you still be committed to him?>br>
Sometimes when families bring home a cute puppy, they haven't thought much beyond the pleasure of having a pet who will joyfully greet them every time they come home and give them years of loving companionship.

Hopefully your dog will remain just as special and beloved when he starts to show signs of aging and slowing down. This is the time you can give back the love by being more aware of your aging dog's needs. With some dog breeds, you'll need to be particularly observant for signs of age related conditions. I'm speaking of those dogs with a high pain tolerance, that are able to carry on as normal showing no signs of any discomfort they may be enduring. Retrievers and terriers are typically in this category.

Checkups And Your Aging Dog:

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so the saying goes, and there's a lot of truth in that statement. The best way to spot changes in your aging dog's health is to learn how to give a weekly checkup. When you do this you'll be able to notice subtle differences in his condition that may indicate a problem. Early discovery of a potential illness can make all the difference in curing an illness. Not only that, but you may just be saving your aging dog from a lot of needless suffering - something really worthwhile for your best friend!

So, how to do go about doing this checkup thing?
One way is to schedule a visit to the vet and have him demonstrate how to check your dog's vital signs so you'll be able to tell what is normal vs. abnormal. Things like, pulse, temperature, respiration, circulation and fluids. Once you start doing this at home, keep a journal to record the information so you'll have an accurate record from week to week.

In addition to recording vital signs, you can go one step beyond this with a very convenient in-home monitoring test called ThePetCheckup - an innovative and simple to use, in-home early detection test kit that enables you to detect possible illnesses in your dogs and cats — even before symptoms appear. Within minutes, the test screens and gives you results for the most common diseases affecting dogs and cats.

In fact, ThePetCheckup is an excellent addition to your routine vet visits, keeping you alert to your dog's health throughout his life - you don't have to wait until he's an aging dog! It's a simple deed to do - just a few minutes of your time devoted to helping your dog stay healthier and live a more vibrant longer life. He's worth it, don't you think?

Early Detection Can Save A Pet's Life

As I mentioned earlier, on a week-to-week basis, your dog's vital signs are fairly simple to track and good information to record - here's how to go about it:

Vital Signs And Your Aging Dog:

Temperature:
Let's start with the dog's temperature, which normally falls between 99.5° and 102.5°. A fever would be indicated at a temperature above 103°. If you're not the nervous type or too squeamish, you can take the temperature with a lubricated rectal thermometer - I'd go for a digital model myself to make it extra quick. Another even better option, less invasive and virtually instant, is one designed for taking a reading inside the ear.

Pulse:
OK, now that's done, let's move on to pulse to find out what's going on with the heart. This is where it will come in handy to ask the vet what is normal for your breed of dog, because it can vary between size and breed.

So once you have that information, what you are looking for is a strong and regular beat. You can check the beats in either of two locations. One is inside the upper thigh on your dog's rear legs, which is where you'll find the femoral artery. The other is on the chest behind the left leg. Count the beats per minute - actually you can do it for 15 seconds and then do the math, times 4. Normal beats can fall in the 60-150 range, but that's why is important to know what is normal for your dog as I mentioned earlier.

Respiration:
Respiration, or in other words breathing, is another good health indicator to review. Do this when your dog is in a relaxed state, not after he's been playing fetch or is panting due to summer heat etc.

Once you know what is normal for your aging dog, it will be easy for you to spot any distress or changes in his breathing. The average range is around 10-30 breaths a minute, but again it varies according to breed and size. You can visually do a 15-second count of the breaths, or use a stopwatch, then multiply by 4 to get the one minute result.

Circulation:
Another health indicator is circulation. Just as with humans, the blood must be carried efficiently around your dog's body to deliver nutrients to the tissues. You can check out your dog's the circulation by lifting his lip and pressing a finger on the gum line above the canine tooth. When you take your finger away, count how many seconds it takes for the gum to return to its normal pink color. More than a couple of seconds is an indicator of a problem and you should talk to your vet as soon as possible.

Aging Dog - Water Intake & Hydration Levels:

Water, as we know, is necessary for all life forms to exist. Observing your dog's water intake as well as checking his hydration levels can give you life saving information. I know this first hand because this is how I came to know of my dog's diabetes. Don't hesitate to talk to your vet if you notice a sudden and significant increase in your dog's water consumption.

Here's a simple way to check for dehydration in your dog. It's often referred to as the tenting test. Just pull up some skin around your dog's neck and then release. It should fall back to normal right away if enough fluids are present. However, if your dog is dehydrated, the skin loses its elasticity and remains in a tented position, taking longer to return to normal. Any sign of dehydration, which can be life threatening, is a solid reason to call your vet.

Aging Dog - General Overview:

After you have completed these measured health stats, follow up with a hand's on and visual once-over. If your dog has become used to your tender touch, he'll just think he getting some more pampering. So run your hands over his joints, back, and belly for signs of discomfort or swelling, and check his eyes, ears and bottom for any signs of infection or parasites. Don't overlook the paws, as this is a prime spot for trapping foreign matter or hidden abrasions. And finally take a peek at your canine's canines.

If you become very familiar with the routine aspects of your aging dog's life, including what goes in and what comes out, you will quickly notice any changes that occur.

Inevitably in an older dog, there will be some physical signs of aging. Stiff joints or arthritis are common ailments, but there is a lot that can be done to ease the pain of these conditions. Hearing and vision loss are also often affected and sometimes there are changes in behavior.

The good news is, dogs are living far longer these days thanks to incredible advances in veterinary medicine!

When I think about helping an aging dog, I think about this quote: "He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." author unknown

With compassion, there is so much we can do to make our dog's senior years comfortable and enjoyable. And, this is the greatest gift a master can give his loyal friend.



NOTE: Information in this article is not intended to take the place of advice from a vet.