“But my dog isn’t a senior yet.” You might be surprised to learn that if your dog is seven years of age it is considered a senior. I share life with three senior dogs myself. Time sure flies by! It is important to learn about and adjust for the changing dietary and physical needs to help keep your senior dog fit. Consider a few ways below to support her as she grows old gracefully.
The second Law of Health in animal naturopathy is Exercise. Canines are designed for movement! It’s just as important to provide opportunities for your older dog to stay physically active as it is for youngsters, in fact, maybe even more so. She needs to be active in order to remain mobile and comfortable.
Regular exercise keeps your dog’s joints flexible and her muscles strong. It provides mental stimulation, may slow down aging, and definitely enhances the quality of life. Dogs that remain active throughout their lifetime tend to live longer, higher-quality lives than those who aren't given such daily opportunities.
Walkabout
Walking is a fantastic lifelong exercise for you and your older dog. Most dogs love to get out and about, although a few short walks each day might be more manageable for her. Allowing her to also use her powerful canine sniffer while on a stroll will serve to engage her mind and keep it fit as well.
In the warm months, watch your dog carefully for signs that she's tiring out or getting too hot. Avoid walking her when it’s frigid outside, too. Walking up gradual inclines will help strengthen her hips, while a zigzag pattern on any steeper declines will prevent stress to her front legs.
Training while on walks with your senior dog can help keep her mind sharp. It’s not true that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks, it just may take a bit longer! Work on refreshing her loose-leash skills, teaching new commands, or just for socializing. Keep the scenery fresh while on walks for both your sakes’! Drive a few blocks away or to a picturesque park for new things to see, smell, and experience.
Consider meeting up with neighbors or friends for group walks so two-and-four-leggers get to exercise together!
Exercise for Flexibility
The aging process for dogs can become a vicious cycle of decreased muscle strength and increased muscle stiffness which often lead to weight gain that adds further stress to the joints.
One way to help your dog avoid these issues is to engage in exercises designed to maintain strength, flexibility, and balance. Focus on these three areas:
Movements that target the large, body-supporting muscles
Movements to address balance and fluidity
Range-of-motion movements
Slow, gentle stretching to promote flexibility is generally well-tolerated by most senior dogs. As with humans, help your dog stretch before and after exercise.
Bodywork
Massage is a personal favorite type of bodywork because the therapeutic benefits it offers are vast. There is increased muscle flexibility, reduced pain in joints and muscles, stress relief, and promotion of overall health.
Some other benefits for your dog include:
Loosens muscles around joints for comfortable movement
Improves circulation and encourages lymphatic drainage
Eases the stiffness of arthritis to help maintain normal gait and ability to stay active
If you plan to use a professional canine massage therapist, some will come to your home while others work in veterinary offices.
However, you may prefer the idea of massaging your dog yourself which provides additional calming and bonding benefits! There are workshops and courses for in-depth learning or books and videos (search YouTube) that teach the basics.
Water Therapy
I can attest to the wonderful benefits of water therapy! Years ago, after being in a car accident part of my healing therapy was taking a water class.
For dogs as well, movement in water provides gentle resistance to help strengthen muscles while the water supports the weight of dogs whose muscles aren't as strong as they once used to be. The lack of gravity relieves stress on aging joints and the pressure of water on the body serves to improve circulation and helps decrease swelling.
Since the water in backyard swimming pools tends to be too cold for dogs with arthritis, if you have access to a water therapy center (hydrotherapy) take your dog there. The tanks and pools are warm which is soothing to sore joints.
If your dog is fearful of swimming, an underwater treadmill actually allows for better extension of limbs and joints than swimming and may be better accepted by her.
Diet & Supplements
Keeping your senior dog fit includes giving her health-supporting foods. There is nothing like the nutrition a biologically appropriate raw diet can provide dogs of any age. Even if your dog has missing teeth, it is still possible for her to benefit from this wholesome food.
Implementing one Fast Day each week is highly therapeutic. By allowing the body to rest from the hard work of digestion, with only water available, it supports the body in eliminating built-up toxins. It is also well-known that fasting stimulates the process of replacing damaged cells with healthy new ones. What’s not to love about that!
There is a wide range of supplements that may help your senior dog with any particular needs- from collagen to vitamins.
Radiant Animal Wellness would be happy to assist you in developing a personalized diet and supplement program for your senior dog.
Note: Before switching your dog to a raw meat and bone diet, especially if your dog is not in good health or is a senior animal, please set up a consultation with me or a qualified natural pet health care consultant.
Copyright © 2021 Radiant Animal Wellness, Krystal L. Beers. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the Author/Publisher.
PHOTO ATTRIBUTION: Krystal L. Beers. Copyright 2020. My 9-year-old English Shepherd, Ailagh.
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About the Author: Krystal L. Beers, C.S.A.N. is a board Certified Small Animal Naturopath consulting on animal nutrition and wellness. With years of experience in animal wellness, Krystal is a blogger, writer, and presenter on natural pet care as well as the published author of three animal care books, including Rabbit Care… Naturally, Give Your Dog a Species Appropriate Raw Food Diet, and The Eight Laws of Health in Animal Naturopathy. Krystal’s articles have been featured in various publications in both print and online. Krystal is passionate about using and sharing Young Living Essential Oils. Visit her Website: https://twohunnyz.wixsite.com/rawnaturopathy
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