How to best live life with an elderly dog ?

[Tiddleandplonk]

Hello, we have a 13 year old dog. She used to love commimg on days out with us , overnights in camper van, walks .
We live rurally and do many places to go.
She now just seems to want to stay in either sleeping in her bed or next to us.ahe still follows me around the house, but is happier if I am sat still.
We hate leaving her as she has always come with us . But she doesnr travel well now , stands still onnwalks and wants to go home. Wd try and fit round her but once a week we really want to go for a long walk wothout her. We also have a weeks holiday. She would hate to come in the van with us but equally would hate staying with out daughter innthat she would miss us ( sits lookimg for us when we did a trial of this before for one day, and she has never been in kennels. Those with elderly dogs .. how do you do it and manage to do things ? Any tips please?

I have an oldie here too - please do not dismiss pain meds, these do make a huge difference to her quality of life.

I am personally prepared to limit what I do when that time comes for me. There will be no holidays and long walks with her, and that’s ok.
I am planning on getting a dog pram so we can still go on her walks when she’s up to it.

Hi Tiddle, I have been reading this thread with interest as I have just got back from an awful weekend away with my old boy - he really used to love getting out and about but he clearly just wanted to be at home.

We do use a doggy pram and I can really recommend it as a way of just extending your walks or even if you go to an event like an outdoor show. There are lots of different types but the brand I have is called InnoPet, it’s Dutch and really solid quality. Some bicycle trailers for children have a detachable front wheel, these are good as they have a very low floor so the dog doesn’t feel unsafe, they can get in and out with reasonable ease.

Keep an eye on FB marketplace for dog trolleys as a lot of people either buy them and find their dogs don’t adapt or buy them for a short while for an older soul.

I always think they are quite happy relaxing at home at that point and we live our lives around them. It was extra difficult for us with our recent elderly dogs because we had younger dogs that still needed walking. I found scattering dog treats around the kitchen while I snuck the other dogs out worked well. Or leaving the them with a big bone. I’d sometimes leave them with my dad next door, who they knew well, but he said they were always happier in their own bed. (I’m saying dogs because we’ve had two elderly dogs in recent years, but it was one elderly dog at a time)

Reading with interest as life has changed due to very elderly boy. I'm seeing vet this week to discuss the way forward.
I stopped walking my lad other than very occasional gentle strolls (very little distance covered sometimes...he sniffs a lot but barely moves)

I spend time with him on the sofa and know our time together is not that long
Considered slings but felt his arthritis and pain would mean it wasn't nice for him. The vet prescribed pain relief and he's been stepping dose up and is on max dose now.

@RedFrogsRule

Reading with interest as life has changed due to very elderly boy. I'm seeing vet this week to discuss the way forward. I stopped walking my lad other than very occasional gentle strolls (very little distance covered sometimes...he sniffs a lot but barely moves) I spend time with him on the sofa and know our time together is not that long Considered slings but felt his arthritis and pain would mean it wasn't nice for him. The vet prescribed pain relief and he's been stepping dose up and is on max dose now.

Do you feel that he’s happy in himself, living quietly?

This is so lovely, @PollyRoulson

“He could not walk with the other dogs so he had his own bimble walk which involved being driven to a new location and then just standing and sniffing the air and having a sniff of the ground for a bit - then back for lovely long sleep [sleep]”

I think my boy would enjoy this.

Agree with adding a sitter to his life. When my 9-year Chihuahua was dying of congestive heart failure, I engaged a woman to come in 2x a day when I had to work.

He ADORED her. She took him for very short walks or just held and cuddled him. Texted me photos. Once when I had a family emergency she moved in for a couple of days so I could travel to my sister. Because the sitter was known to him, he was fine with no anxiety.

@NoIdontwanttoseeyourknob in answer to your question....He was but no not currently and am on cusp of decision

Our oldie is on loxicom, had the appointment booked to have him put down and he was crying in pain over the weekend before hand so I gave him a dose of left over loxicom and he was like a new dog! The appointment was cancelled. He still won’t walk very far but is happy.
As with the last oldie, we just won’t go on holiday until he’s gone. It was three years last time. I suspect this one could be another 18 months. It just confuses them too much and I would never forgive myself is anything happened when I was away.

[quote RedFrogsRule]@NoIdontwanttoseeyourknob in answer to your question....He was but no not currently and am on cusp of decision[/quote]
Thanks Red I’m sorry for you and him. Sad times.

You do adapt to accepting that they need so much more rest but it's not easy.

Our 16 year old could sleep for 20 hours but still managed a 10 min walk even on the day he died.

It doesn't work for everyone but we got a puppy and had a lovely golden time where they got along beautifully and the puppy brought some great energy out in the old boy. It was a wonderful healing process for us too to still get up and walk when he'd finally gone. Not a replacement by any means, but a continuation, actually.

We used a local dog sitter (teen) to come and be in the house when we were out for long days but they reported he just slept so it was for our benefit more than his!

He had pain meds and joint gummies that seemed to help too. He never lost his appetite for roast chicken so he was treated to that 3/4 times a week.

Lots of great advice here. Just wanted to add that a good way to add enjoyment to her day might be a daily 'sniff' outing, rather than a walk. My old dogs, when too decrepit for walking, still loved to go on very short car journeys to a safe spot. I'd then get out of the car, walk about ten metres, and sit on the ground for twenty minutes (read a book if you're bored)! The dogs sometimes sat next to me looking around and sniffing, and sometimes pottered about, sniffing. A change of scene like a walk, but not actually a walk.

You can make the car comfier for her by building a sort of supportive nest. Repurpose bits of old duvets/pillows etc, so that she doesn't have to brace when the car goes round corners.

Yes i would lovw puppy but i dare not risk it in case it is annoying for her !

I wouldn’t add a puppy into the mix. Let the old dog have a relaxing, calm old age with all of your attention.

We sought advice from the vet first and they were confident we should go for it, so we did. We sectioned off a space to keep the puppy in and kept the older dog away from being annoyed and agitated. We walked them together and separately and they had time together and time alone. It helped our puppy learn a lot of decorum very quickly.

It was a blessing and helped us through our loss enormously. Like I said, not for everyone/ all circumstances but worked for us.

I absolutely know that a puppy would be a huge confortt for us . However , we had a visiting puppy today and the old girl was not happy and even tho thepup did not bother her as she learnt quickly play was not an option ,she did keep looking at me wanting attention and i rhink it would put her nose out of joint as she knew my attention was divided !

Our elderly dog wouldn’t have anything to do with the playful one year old rescue we got, but the middle aged dog played with it and it gave the elder dog a break. If we’d just had the elderly dog and the youngster it wouldn’t have worked. I’ve also watched my neighbours 13 year old dog get overlooked as everyone plays with their new puppy. I’m not saying it wouldn’t work sometimes, but I’d not take the risk of my elderly dog spending it’s final years feeling a bit neglected.

weve just got an off road dog stroller, its been a huge improvement- dog loves being out and about with us and we lift him out for a bit of a walk and sniff, but then he can go back in when its too much and we can continue at a normal pace!

Bigwave. How long did it take to get your dog to accept going in the dog buggy ?

It took our dogs approximately 5 minutes to decide the buggy (low floor) was ideal transport. But they loved going in a car. They happily hopped in and out as they needed. Seriously dogs aren’t stupid!

Thanks all. Am happy to report that we bought a buggy and from day one she has accepted ,then relaxed into using it .

Brilliant news ! Happy walking from here on.
(And no more having to carry water etc as it can all go in the buggy!)
She’s a sensible clever dog.

@scattyhattie mentioned Librela further up the thread. My 14 year old staffy/mastiff cross is 4 weeks post his first Librela injection and it has made a significant difference. He’s a big boy, 40kgs and is pretty arthritic. Two days after the injection he had a definite spring in his step when walking, although he still only does 20 minute walks he is definitely faster! His general movement seems much improved, his pain less, and he just seems brighter in himself.

It wasn’t too costly, £75 for an injection each month, which is comparable with the £65 I was spending on Metacam which just gave him a bad tummy. I’m going to take him for another next week and see if it continues but all in all it’s been pretty positive