Old Dogs
 

There is a good book on taking care of your friend with aging.

GOOD OLD DOG. Vet. Med. Faculty of Tufts Univ.

Get it and read it. Here are some notes to review while waiting for the book to arrive:



Arthritis – not usually wear & tear; instead often due to a condition that has progressed over time, such as hip dysplasia

Incontinence – often caused by loose sphincters (leaking unawares), esp. in females – easy to fix with PPA, DES or other drugs, even soy extract or canned pumpkin to tone up sphincters
- may mean kidney disease or diabetes, so check for that
- if above ruled out & has mystery incontinence, then often a sign of dementia

chocolate, grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs

GOOD OLD DOG. Vet. Med. Faculty of Tufts Univ.

normal thyroid level = 4.3 mg/dL for puppy; 2.6 mg/dL at age 12 (study in Beagles)

I. Emergency

vomiting 4x, 5x; same with diarrhea

loss of ability to move around

abdominal bloat – may mean stomach has filled with air & twisted over, blocking blood vessels

II. Vital Signs

gums pink?

temperature (rectal) between 100F to 102.5F

pulse on inside of thigh (press fingers into depression in the center of the groin) – above 140/min. = cause for concern

noise when breathing, struggling to breathe

III. Cancer
sores that do not heal
abnormal swellings that persist or grow
weight loss
loss of appetite
bleeding or discharge from any body opening
offensive odor
difficulty eating or swallowing
hesitation to exercise
loss of stamina
persistent lameness or stiffness
difficulty eating, urinating, or defecating

Mast Cell Tumors
commonly originate in lumps in or under the skin as lumps or bumps; if the lump moves with the skin then it is in the skin

most skin bumps in dogs are benign; ones that are subcutaneous are more likely to be cancerous

mast cell tumor may also feel gelatinous, rather than hard or fixed

any new lump or bump on the body should be evaluated by a Vet.

IV. Vet. Visits

complete Blood Cell count (CBC)

serum biochemical panel
- low albumin may indicate kidney disease, GI protein loss, or liver disease
- liver enzymes
- blood glucose
- electrolytes (kidney function)


Insurance:
petinsurance.com
gopetplan.com
purinacare.com

V. Nutrition

Senior diet dog food – no regs; some may not be adequate

some dog foods certified by Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC)

acvn.org

aavn.org

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keep an eye out - you may be able to catch Canine Senile Dementia while early enuff to treat

My sistser's dog does every single one of those things except the urinating and defecating indoors. Hopefully he doesn't start with that any time soon

Probably too late to treat it now but is there anything that might help alleviate things? He does not suffer, I think. He doesn't hurt but it's difficult to guess whether his being senile is a burdon for him or not.
It's kinda funny to see when he gets stuck in corners and stuff but I wonder if it's also funny for him...
If there are any things we can do to get his mind more clear, that would be great.

Billy, he's sixteen.

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Our last Daschund made it to 18. She was doing fine until one Thanksgiving. With all that food around she was not underfoot looking for dropped food. She had a stroke that day and was in sad shape so we had to have her put down.

Our current Daschunds are 15. The male has gone blind so he moves real slow. The female still plays and acts like a 4 year old dog but she is getting very Grey.

One of the many reasons I stopped getting Labs.....7-8 year old puppies, then a 9 year old senior.....my Dachshund is two. Got a long ways to go with her.

Geron - your sister needs to talk to her vet.

if no luck then, then see a specialist Vet. who has studied behavioral med.