I guess every dog lover knows this quote! ;-))

Let me tell you a little bit about our dog lady Nica. She came into our lives at the age of 3 months. I can still remember exactly how we saw her for the first time in a dog shelter and she ran towards us clumsy with her long legs (still the same).

We have never regretted to bring her in our home, on the contrary, it has made our life so much more beautifulI and complete. It’s so good to know that she trusts us and needs us. And the best feeling ever is, when we come home we are always longingly awaited. She come into our lives to teach us about love and loyalty. It’s always a big joy for us to see her sincerely happy. What a big luck for us that we met her at the dog shelter over 12 years ago. Only one day later she would have been taken to Germany. But on the same day we decided to take her home and she could stay on Gran Canaria. Sometimes I think about how her life would have been if we hadn't decided to take her, which I quickly stop it, because it’s better not to think about. All I know is that it was the best decision of our lives.

Now when somebody asks me how old our dog Nica is, I often have got surprised faces. Although she is already 12,5 years old, many people think she is younger. Actually she is already quite gray in the face, but it’s not so visible, since she has white fur around her nose anyway.

As you already know he has been with us since her puppyhood and we were able to accompany every stage of her development. However, in the last months we noticed more and more clearly that she is slowly getting old. We observe this process with mixed feelings. We love her for the whims she develops, but at the same time we realize that our remaining time together is getting shorter and shorter. She has been our best friend and she is a full member of our family for many years. We understand each other without words and we love her like our own child.

That’s why a difficult but also special time begins for all of us now.

Dogs Are Not Our Whole Life, But They Make Our Lives Whole.

Thats why today I would like to write about how we can optimally support our dog in its old age, so that we can enjoy life with them in its fullest, however long it may be. So we have it in our hearts to make Nica’s life as comfortable and pleasant as possible.

Unfortunately, right now she has some stomach and intestinal issues, which worries us very much. Because of her age it affects her more than young dogs.

That’s why I started to check out how treat and feed our senior dogs.

Maybe you have the same trouble and the following may helps you too.

The aging process in dogs is as creeping as in humans. Slowly, little things change in its appearance and behavior. Our dog not only gets grey fur in his face, but most changes take place inside the body and cannot be noticed directly as they can’t tell us. A number of years is no criterion to say that a dog is old. While some of our four-legged friends with 10 years are still jumping around like a young deer, others are already extremely fragile at the same age.

So first important thing is, how do we recognize that our dog is getting old?

These are the most obvious signs that our dog is probably getting old.

▪ Has to pee more often.

▪ Is losing muscle mass.

▪ Sees and/or hears worse.

▪ Can no longer concentrate well.

▪ Getting age warts.

▪ Seems forgetful.

▪ Needs more rest and sleeps deeper.

▪ Its joints hurt.

▪ Has difficulty getting up or climbing stairs and appears stiff.

▪ Gets gray hair and/or dull fur.

▪ Develops a bad smell from the mouth

But these symptoms may or may not appear. So one dog gets fat with age, the next one does not. It’s not a proof but only a guideline.

Getting older is not a disease in general, but a normal process. Nevertheless, it can lead to more diseases in old age. Therefore it’s not easy to draw the line between a sign of aging and an illness. Does your dog not want to go for walks for so long because he gets tired faster or because his bones hurt? Does your dog eat less because he is not as hungry or because his teeth hurt?

You see that a symptom can have different causes.

One of the first obvious sign what Nica had was difficulty in getting up, climbing stairs and she appeared more stiff. To be on the safe side, we did a special senior checkup at the vet, where besides the blood values and other things were checked like inflammation of joints and teeth. In this way possible illnesses can be recognized and treated in time. Our veterinarian didn’t find anything serious, blood values and thyroid values were very well . Only a little arthritis was recognized in a spine at the back, which he classified as not very painful which we treated for a while with anti-inflammatory and green-lipped mussel powder.

But do you know that we can make an impact as well in their every day life’s by an appropriate nutrition, sufficient and adequate exercise and mental activities? Yes it will help to keep them healthy.

Since we have always give Nica sufficient exercises, we gonna concentrate a little more on the food to start to change it. 3 month ago we alreday changed the dry food and now I will additionally start to cook special food to treat against her osteoarthritis. But it’s important to consider some parameters, because older dogs need less energy than young dogs with much more activity. You should take this into account when feeding your dog. It is better to give an old dog several small amounts, because his digestion works slower as he ages.

In addition, our four-legged family member taste buds may change or they may have dental problems. The food of senior dogs should be adapted to all these things. A senior dog suffering from osteoarthritis needs a different food composition than one that has kidney problems.

Besides these individual needs, it’s important that the food is easily digestible and easy to chew. It should contain as little fat and calories as possible. Old dogs can also no longer process protein so well, so it must be of particularly high quality.

Important that the changeover of food will be slowly step by step and we should pay attention to how our dog will react to that change of food.

No less essential is the physical and mental workload!

A senior dog does not necessarily belong to the old guard. He should not simply treated too gently. On the contrary, even aging dogs need exercise and mental support. Maybe you can't go on long bike rides with your dog like you used to, but you should keep the walks varied. New impressions are good for the brain and keep its head fit. Doing brain exercises or practicing tricks are also good. Let your dog search for food or do simple exercises with him, for example balancing over a tree trunk. But always consider whether your dog is still up to the task. If his muscles have already severely deteriorated, he can no longer jump high. And if he is blind in one eye, he may not perceive some obstacles properly. So put yourself in your dog's position and adapt games to his physical condition.

Old dogs are still good teachers and they have something special. They appear calm and partly wise. Their whims can drive you crazy, but they can also provide many funny moments.

It ‘s important not to leave your faithful companion alone in old age. When we see the world through their eyes, we can even learn something from them: to enjoy the moment and take it easy.

In this sense, enjoy the little things and have fun with you best friend…your dog!

Love,

Katy

Pics by Daniell Bohnhof

Text by Look2 Ocean