How To Improve Your Senior Dog’s Quality of Life
Your sweet little puppy has grown older in the blink of an eye, and as your beloved senior dog has entered the golden years, age-appropriate measures are crucial to ensure the best quality of life. Believe me, I understand any concerns you may have. I have had the privilege of caring for many wonderful pet family members as they aged throughout the years.
A senior dog's quality of life can be greatly improved by recognizing their distinctive needs, whether it be health-related, emotional or environmental. By giving them the utmost attention, your faithful companion can live long and prosper.
What is a Senior Dog’s Life Expectancy?
A typical dog would be considered aged at 8 to 9 years, with an average life span of 12 years. However, there are variations in canine life spans depending on the breed. A Bernese Mountain Dog would be considered a senior at 4 to 5 years of age, as they have a comparatively short life span of 6 to 8 years. Chihuahuas on the other hand have been known to live well into their teens, even their early twenties.
Understanding senior versus geriatric dog
Before considering how to keep your ageing dog happy and healthy, it's important to know the difference between a senior and a geriatric dog. To get a clearer perspective, we’ll look into your dog's age first to determine where they fall in senior and old age.
Senior
Geriatric.
“When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not.” -Yoda
There is a big difference in how a dog's age can play into deciding the needs for their proper care. A senior dog, if healthy and absent of medical illnesses, should be well behaved and playful. In contrast, a geriatric dog shows ageing symptoms and loss in cognitive, hearing and movement capabilities. The care plan should be adjusted accordingly.
FUN FACT:
On May 11, 2023, Guinness World Records announced that Bobi, a mixed-breed dog living in Portugal, celebrated his 31st birthday! His owner, Leonel Costa, says he believes that the peaceful environment where they live has contributed to Bobi’s longevity. (Photo: Guinness World Records)
Ways to Enhance your Senior Dog’s Quality of Life
Following are some effective ways to improve your senior dog’s quality of life:
Senior dogs diet
Diet plays an integral part in seniors' lives, mainly because their digestive system starts to act differently. A synergistic effect is put in motion when a dog is less mobile. A well-balanced diet is the first thing you should consider to help your senior dog in daily activities. As a dog ages, a good diet should be more inclined to proteins and less preference given to carbohydrates, sodium and calories.
While discussing diet and nutrition, let's not forget how decidedly different animal and plant-based diets can be. A study published in The Journal of Animal Science compares the effects of a plant-based diet, and an animal-based diet, administered to healthy dogs.
Twelve senior dogs (11 years old) and 12 weanlings (8 weeks old) were chosen. After a 12-month administration and a continuous assessment, the dogs fed with the animal-based diet showed greater cholesterol concentration than dogs administered a plant-based diet. Moreover, the plant-based diet had a significant impact on the digestibility of nutrients and poo characteristics.
When food that is palatable and an appetite-increasing diet is given, until and unless a dog is nearing the end of life, appetite shouldn’t be impaired.
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Note: When a dog is generally sick, palatability and appetite are affected most.
Best supplements for senior dogs
Supplementation in the diet is the one way for vigilant dog owners to ensure the best quality of life for their old timers. As a dog progresses in age, nutritional requirements also increase.
Recommendations:
For dealing with osteoarthritis, pain management is reinforced with glucosamine and chondroitin, as they efficiently support dog joint cartilage. Obese dogs can benefit even more from the same.
Omega 3 fatty acid is not just beneficial for human health but a dog's health as well! It reduces inflammation and promotes cell membrane health, reducing the need for frequent painkillers. It also increases the sustainability of supplements.
Antioxidants' role in improving memory and cognition is well established, although not much research has been conducted on dogs yet. You could start incorporating berries though, such as blueberries, raspberries etc., and add an apple for its proven antioxidant action.
Never use the same supplement intended for human use in dogs, because ingredients and quantities differ and are added according to the need or the intended use.
Also, quality measures should be checked. Always buy from an authentic manufacturer or supplier who can provide clinical evidence and ensure no substandard ingredient is used in the manufacturing or packaging of the supplement.
Mental stimulation for senior dogs
As a dog ages, they may suffer a significant reduction in activities and mobility. Also, a dog owner may feel no need for a walk or ongoing training, given the decreased level of conditioning. In either case, a reduction in physical or mental stimulation can drastically impact a senior dogs’ quality of life and may even increase the ageing process.
The overall impact can be grim, and the dog-owner bond could weaken. Therefore, a senior dog needs continuous physical and mental activity to retain cognition and movement.
An interesting study was conducted utilizing dog-computer interaction (ACI '17: Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction November 2017 Article No.: 1Pages 1–12) Researchers provided mental stimulation to senior dogs with the help of touch screens that focused and prioritized that need in older dogs.
Another good read that can be downloaded is Franklin D. McMillan, DVM, DACVIM’s Development of a Mental Wellness Program for Animals. The study stresses the need for mental stimulation in animals overall and how emotionally rewarding mental stimulation can be for the quality of life of companion animals, farm animals and even zoo animals.
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How to entertain my senior dog?
There are many ways you can entertain your senior dog. Some are:
Make mealtime fun by give your senior dog his food or treats in a food puzzle toy, or make tasty ice cube treats (sized to avoid choking hazards, of course.)
Create activities like making a treasure trail with lots of treats scattered around the floor. This fun undertaking is also a good form of mental stimulation and an adventurous experience for your big buddy.
Do tricks and training for fun. Dogs are intelligent creatures, and they love to learn new things. Even the basic training skills of sitting, waiting, and listening to instructions can be done with an added trick they can show off to others.
Chew toys! Find chewable toys and offer them to them in a playful way. (Always check with your vet if you are unsure of what's safe for your dog .)
Try to give your undivided attention to your dog. It’s difficult, as we all are often busy in our work and personal life, so much so that we forget they need our time too. A gentle massage can soothe your pet, and is especially beneficial for an ageing dog as they might have sore and stiff muscles.
BobaPett Says: “Of course, keep up those regular veterinary checkups to help maintain your ageing dog’s best health. “
What to expect from an ageing dog?
Some natural changes in an ageing dog are greying and thinning of fur. Don’t be alarmed, as they grow older their hair follicles are also ageing. This is to be expected. Other than that, if you notice redness of the skin, it could be atopic dermatitis.
Normal and progressive ageing can cause your senior dog to fatigue frequently. Try avoiding strenuous exercise; however, what's not natural is if your dog is showing symptoms of tiredness after a proper rest, that may be pointing to arthritis.
You can expect weight gain due less mobility and slowing down overall. Keep a check on your senior dog's weight, as obesity may lead to severe medical conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Reduced and impaired temperature regulation. Again, due to less movement, your ageing dog may be failing to regulate body temperature. Keeping the body warm in winter and cold in summer can be a daunting task now.
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Quality of life for an ageing dog
You might start to consider your senior dog's quality of life. We can look to a scale built especially for that purpose called the HHHHHMM scale, developed by Dr Alice Villalobos, to give an insightful objective measure of a dog's quality of life. It measures hydration, hunger, pain, hygiene and happiness. The scale can also evaluate mobility, and track good days in a dog’s life vs. bad days as well.
Start assessing your dog and note your observations for three consecutive days for robust and accurate results. You may then consult your dog’s vet and share your conclusions so that more specific measures can be taken.
Additional Resources
The Kindle Edition of Stay: My Forever Friendship with an Aging Dog by Lisa Remmert is “A heartwarming and humorous memoir about one woman’s naïve attempts to ignore, deny, and will away her dog’s mortality.” A must-read for anyone caring for an elderly pet.
FAQ
What do senior dogs need more of?
A senior or geriatric dog needs more protein due to excessive muscle loss. A drop in muscle mass can make your dog unable to walk.
In case your dog is obese, try to correct its diet.
What is considered a good quality of life for a senior dog?
Your senior dog should exhibit the following characteristics for a good quality of life.
Nutritional habits should be optimum, eating and drinking appropriately
Playing and interacting with toys, family members and other dogs
Sleeping moderately, not too much or too little
Jumping, swimming, walking
Enjoying favorite activities
Being able to “hold it in” as necessary
Conclusion
We have discussed many ways to improve your senior dogs' quality of life. Remember, you can always check the signs and scales mentioned above to assess quality of life. Also, a diet should be healthy and balanced with regular exercise and physical and mental stimulation, along with regular veterinary checkups.
I hope the information provided will aid you in keeping your best buddy happy and healthy for years to come. Have I missed anything? Please let me know in the comments below.
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