You may have noticed that your friend has slowed right down, doesn't seem quite "with it", seems to be forgetting basic things like letting you know he needs to go out or staring at you blankly when you ask him to do something, it seems old age has sneaked up on you all when you weren't looking!

When caring for an older dog you have to slow life down a bit, take it easy in these twilight years as your dog may be reluctant to go out walks or play, indeed some of them don't seem to want as much contact with you as they used to, again some may turn very clingy, not letting you out of their sight.

Elderly dogs tend to become less active, eat less, have toilet problems, his coat may become dull and lifeless indeed he may start loosing his hair.
Due to his lack of exercise he may become over weight, lethargic and depressed and his appetite for life may have waned so what can we do?

First off we don't stop going walks, we just go shorter more interesting walks at a slower pace to allow him to sniff about and generally do what he wants to do.
We gradually change his diet onto one more suitable for a dog of his years, we may even cut back his food slightly to prevent him becoming obese as well as sharing his food out over an extra meal or two to ease his digestion.
We keep his food dishes clinically clean as elderly dogs are usually more susceptible to bugs and illness and we change his water throughout the day as well as monitoring how much he drinks.

We groom him, make time for him and him alone whilst we massage him checking for lumps and bumps as well as soothing his aching joints.  We also play with him, even if it's just a little tickle of the paws, a little teasing game just to keep his interest and let him know he's still loved and if he allows it, we cuddle him, sit on the floor just touching him, letting him know we'll always be there for him.

He may want to drink more so we allow him out more often as his bladder control may not be what it was.  We take him out first thing in the morning, during the day, after feeds and at bedtime so he can relieve himself although through time he may not even know he's needing the toilet or can leak due to muscle weakness.

As for his aches and pains, well we provide him with a soft, easily washed bed well away from draughts and close to us should he be seeking companionship.  There are a lot of different medications that can be given to him for his arthritis as well as some excellent alternative remedies.
It is worth mentioning here that some of the treatments can have unwanted long term side effects so if you have access to an Alternative Practitioner then even better as some of the Alternatives have a very high success rate.

He may have very erratic sleep patterns, sleeping all day and becoming very restless at night leading to him prowling about.

In his elderly years his eyesight could become impaired, close up objects may be missed whereas things in the distance can still be seen.  He may be disorientated, needing a little comfort and reassurance on his daily walks as some dogs show signs of dementia.  We don't let him out of our sight on his walks in case he wanders off or worse still, a younger dog comes over to bother him although he should still be encouraged to interact with his fellow species.

It is also important to look after his teeth as the mouth area can hold clues to other ailments such as tooth or gum decease but most of all you make him feel loved, an important member of the family who deserves some extra special time from you.

He may also become quite grumpy, fed up and very intolerant so do try to protect him from younger animals in the house as well as you own younger off spring.  Explain to the kiddies that he is an older dog and needs his rest and a little peace and quiet.

It's a sad fact that parents of the elderly tend to let the older dog do his own thing which is fine to a point but in doing this unbeknown to them, they could be excluding the dog from daily activities as they don't want to "bother" him.  With the best will in the world the older dog does need to be bothered with, he needs love, extra attention and should he show signs of senility, he needs to be watched as if he was the puppy you brought home not so long ago.

Also remember that although he used to love going long trips in the car, he may not be up to them anymore due to the lying still in the one place too long so extra bedding can help a little.
He may also need a gentle lift into the car making sure you don't hurt his aching joints.
He could become a little nervous when faced with a situation that not so long ago wouldn't have even deserved a second glance.  Should this happen a little reassurance is called for.
The older dog also doesn't like change in his routine so any changes should be made gradually as he's pretty set in his ways, a sudden change in routine could confuse and even upset him.

In a multi dog household you may have a problem with the pecking order as a younger dog may try to take over the top dog role.  This adds to the upset of watching your friend age as you have to let the dogs sort this one out for themselves within reason.

With Corra and Mick this problem finally cropped up in her last year.  Mick was very good with her really but he did push her about a little and all we could do was monitor the situation and cause a diversion when he got a little too rough, in doing this we felt neither dog lost face, there was no winners or losers and the intervention wasn't even noticed.

Corra was a very dominant bitch so it was very upsetting to feel you had to defend her as you really can't interfere too much no matter how much you want your top dog to remain top!  In reality, they older dog steps aside for the stronger and fitter younger one. Whether you like it or not, it's a fact of life.

So to summarize:---
Do make time for your elderly friend.
Do continue walks albeit them shorter ones at a slower pace.
Do keep your eye on your friend whilst out just in case they wander off.
Do change their food to a more appropriate one for their age, you can even add in supplements to help him cope better with the riggers of old age.
Do provide spotlessly clean food dishes and plenty of fresh clean water.
Do keep playing little games with your dog, grooming and massaging can be very beneficial as well as helping check for lumps.
Do keep your eye on his teeth and mouth.
Do provide a warm, draught free bed nearby at night so you are on hand should your dog need out or just start wandering about the house.
Do try to be patient when asking him to do something as he may be getting forgetful or could just be stubborn.
Do try to remember that his eyesight may be failing as will his hearing.  His bowels and bladder control may not be as it was and he's just an older guy needing a little tlc.
Do try to keep any change in routine to a minimum as change can lead to upset and confusion.

I suppose a good rule of thumb is let him guide you but don't let him just lie about miserable waiting on the inevitable...Should he shown signs of senility then treat him as you would when he was that little bundle of fluff.  Take him out often in order to relieve himself, take him short but interesting walks and allow for him not understanding what your asking off him.

It is a good idea to visit your vet for a full check up on at least a 6 monthly basis, should anything at all concern you then into the vets straight away with him as he will be susceptible to illness and disease which hopefully can be tackled before it leads to a major problem.

Dogs nowadays are living longer as a rule so more and more things are going wrong with them but with the right veterinary treatment, back up support and tender loving care, his twilight years can be made a lot more pleasant as time goes by.

This article may be grim reading but I do believe that should you employ most of the above then your friend should enjoy his twilight years instead of them being a penance to him.

Do enjoy your dogs.

Liz A Woods
jan 2003

footnote:  April 2005
Mick is now 11 years old, a fine age for any Gsd.  We have been experimenting with a ramp to help him into the car as his rear end has became weaker in the last few months.  I'm glad to say that after a few false starts, using the ramp comes as second nature to him which also means that he can still take part in his favourite past time, going out for runs in his motor.
It's these little adjustments that can make all the difference to the elderly dog leaving them to get on with enjoying their happier, longer twilight years.