Making some easy lifestyle changes for your senior dog can really make a massive difference to their mobility and overall well-being.
Feed fresh - adding fresh food to your dog's meal and avoiding or reducing processed food is going to really help minimise and manage inflammatory changes. Fresh food such as vegetables and fruit are full of antioxidants and this is key when we want to create an anti-inflammatory environment in our dog's body.
Also limit chicken as it is pro inflammatory because of the ratio of omega 6 to 3 and choose a variety of other meat sources. Swap 10% of kibble out and replace with fresh and the same for raw feeders adding in 10% veg and fruit. Adding interactive feeders helps maintain cognitive function and works the body too!
Also add in omega 3 oil - 1000mg per 10kg body weight once a day this is important to maintain good cognitive function and a well oiled musculoskeletal system. Also
copaiba and
DDR prime are both great additions to the diet as well.
Motion is lotion - it's important to keep your dog moving, unfortunately it is a factor of old age that as we get older we do slow down but getting those joints moving is essential. The synovial fluid that coats your joints is the same in dogs and is one of the reasons they or we can be stiff in the morning which loosens up as we move. This can be a sign of joint disease so make sure they are pain free so that they can move. Give them regular exercise and a variety to work different muscles and maintain core strength, make their walks a sniffari and choose different surfaces and terrains to maintain proprioception and try and choose regular durations too.
Don’t over exercise either if during the week they have limited exercise, a 3 hour hike on a Saturday can cause them to be uncomfortable as they overwork their muscles unfortunately as we get older we don’t spring back the way we did when young!.
Comfy Bed - Make sure they have a comfortable bed, test it, sit in their bed for 5 minutes and see how your bottom feels afterwards. Is their bed easy to get out of? Does it have a lip on it that they are going to have to lift their legs up out of it? Changing this to an orthopaedic option with a pillow can make a massive difference to their comfort and ease of getting up. Also make sure that if they are getting out of bed they are not going to be slipping on the floor so you might want to place a rug in front of their bed as well.
Maz's comfort is maintained even when we are away in the campervan!
Raised water and food bowls - this might be useful for your dog to have their food or water bowl higher up this can be far more comfortable on their next and prevent unsteadiness or pain when eating and leaning down to get their food. Always make sure they have access to water and adding more water bowls around the house to facilitate access particularly by their bed helps make sure they are drinking enough. I also like to add a bit of extra water to my senior dog’s dinner too.
Massage - Regular massage is so beneficial to the body it is a natural pain killer soothing aching joints and muscles and decreases areas of tension and trigger points and supports lymphatic drainage. It is worth getting a professional on board to do it and then some maintenance at home. I like to do some gentle massage with some aroma touch added in to enhance it.
Feel free to get in touch with any questions
Information given here is not intended as a substitute for medical or veterinary consultation - the author has no liability nor responsibility with respect to any issues occurring out of use such as damage, loss, injury.