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Growing older is something that happens to all of us, and that includes our dogs. It may seem like it was just yesterday that you brought home a bouncing ball of fur who was trying to chew your shoes but today that puppy is a senior dog. It’s important to provide some extra love and care for your older dog to make him comfortable and happy.

Older dogs can start to show signs of age as early as six or seven years old. When you visit the vet you should ask about having a senior health check-up for your dog. Your vet can do a blood panel and run some other tests to check your dog’s kidney function and make sure he’s in good health for his age. You should have an annual senior check-up for your older dog past the age of seven. Be sure that your vet also checks out any lumps or bumps on your older dog. As dogs get older they can be more prone to tumors. These tumors may be benign, but your vet may want to do a small biopsy just to make sure. It’s always best to catch potential problems early.

As your dog gets older some of his senses will probably start to dull a bit. His hearing may not be as sharp as it once way. His eyesight may dim a little. Even senses of taste and smell won’t be as good as they used to be. These changes mean that your dog may need a little extra help.

Many older dogs begin having problems negotiating steps and stairs. This can be due to arthritis but it’s also possible that it’s because your dog doesn’t see as well as he once did. If your dog is having problems with stairs try walking down with him. He may be able to do fine if you are there to guide him. He may also have problems seeing at night which can make him reluctant to go outside to use the bathroom at night. Try walking outside with him in the evenings and see if this improves things.

If your dog can’t smell and taste things as well as he once did he may not be as interested in his food anymore. Go ahead and doctor up his food a little to make it smell and taste more appealing to him. If you feed kibble then you may need to add canned food to make it smell and taste better to your dog. Add some home cooked food to his meals to get him more interested in eating.

If your dog refuses to eat don’t assume that he has lost his appetite. Many older dogs have dental problems that keep them from eating no matter how hungry they are. Check your dog’s breath. If it’s very bad then he may have some serious tooth decay or a tooth that needs to be removed. Look at his teeth. Does he have any brown or green-looking teeth? Take your dog to the vet and have him or her do a dental check to see if dental problems are keeping your dog from eating. Your dog may need to have a bad tooth pulled or some other problem fixed.

Many older dogs have some problems with arthritis. If your dog has severe problems you should check with your vet to see if your dog needs some pain medication. You can also look for supplements that have helped many dogs, such as glucosamine-chondroitin and MSM. There are also products that contain shark cartilage and other ingredients said to help arthritis that may benefit your dog.

Older dogs can also benefit from sleeping on good bed. Orthopedic dog beds can make your dog feel better. Look for beds that have an egg-crate type mattress or which distribute the dog’s weight evenly across the whole mattress. This makes it much easier for your dog to get up without any pain. A heated bed will also help your dog.

There are many things you can do to help your geriatric dog feel better and live a more comfortable life. If he seems to be having difficulties you should always check with your vet. Otherwise, do what it takes to make him comfortable and happy.

Caring For Your Geriatric Dog courtesy Dog Articles.

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Hip dysplasia is a complicated disease that affects both cats and dogs. It is considered to be an inherited disease but it is polygenic — that means that it is not a case of simply breeding parents together who don’t have hip dysplasia and producing puppies that don’t have the disease. There are many factors that can affect whether or not a dog develops the disease, even if he has parents with or without hip dysplasia.

Hip dysplasia results when the cartilage around a dog’s hips shows signs of breaking down. This can happen for several reasons. There may be bony projections in the hip joints. There could be shallow hip sockets. There can be evidence of bone changes called “remodeling.” All of these indications are bad because they lead to the breakdown of cartilage in the hip area. Cartilage is necessary to cushion the hips when a dog walks or moves. Without proper cartilage the dog begins experiencing some degree of pain.

The breakdown of cartilage leads to various stages of arthritis in the dog’s hips. This arthritis can be diagnosed by a veterinarian as degenerative joint disease, arthrosis, osteoarthrosis. These are all painful conditions and can eventually lead to a dog being debilitated and unable to walk.

If your dog is having difficulty with his hips or is showing any signs of pain you should visit your vet to get a professional opinion. Your vet can make a preliminary diagnosis. You can also submit the x-ray to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals for evaluation. The x-ray will be viewed by three veterinarians who are extremely experienced in evaluating hip dysplasia. They can give you a precise rating for your dog’s hips. Ratings of Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline, Mildly Dysplastic, Poor and Severe may be given. For cases where dysplasia is indicated the vets report back with a checklist of where the problems are. Having the opinion of these specialists can provide your vet with more information if your dog is dysplastic.

Many people have their dog’s hips x-rayed when the dog is two years old to find out the dog’s hip status, especially if they are considering breeding the dog at some point. As a general rule, dogs with ratings below Fair should not be used for breeding unless there are very important extenuating circumstances.

Hip ratings can depend a great deal on the x-rays submitted so it’s important to use a vet who has some experience with taking x-rays for OFA. Bad x-rays can make even a dog with wonderful hips look like he is dysplastic.

Other people choose to use Penn Hip to evaluate hips for dysplasia. Penn Hip stands for the University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program. This radiographic technique measure the level of joint laxity in a dog’s hips rather than the absolute position of the joints and bones, as with OFA. Both systems have their supporters but OFA seems to attract more people.

If your dog does have hip dysplasia a lot will depend on how much he is affected. This is a degenerative disease meaning that it will get worse with age. He will most likely become more arthritic as he ages. Fortunately, there are a lot of things that people can do to help offset the early stages of hip dysplasia. Many people give their dogs joint supplements, such as glucosamine and chondroitin and MSM. You can buy the same supplements for dogs that you buy for yourself in drugstores or places like Walmart. Ask your vet about the proper dosage for your dog’s weight.

There are many other supplements sold in pet stores for doggy arthritis, such as Dog Gone Pain. Some dog owners swear by them. You will have to try them for yourself and see if you think your dog improves when he takes them. Most dysplastic and arthritic dogs also do better when you keep them from gaining excess weight. Watch their diet so they aren’t too chubby. Carrying a lot of extra weight is bad for their hips.

As your dysplastic dog ages he may experience some degree of pain in his hips. Your vet may recommend using one of the NSAID medications for pain relief, such as Deramaxx. There are drawbacks to these medications and your vet should advise you about possible side effects. It’s also advisable to do a blood panel before starting to use an NSAID with a dog to make sure your dog is a good candidate for taking the drug.

There are plenty of dogs who may have some minor degree of hip dysplasia who never exhibit any symptoms. If your dog does have some hip dysplasia it’s not the end of the world. He may run and play for the rest of his life without experiencing pain. Even if he does develop some arthritis there are many ways to counter the problem. A diagnosis of hip dysplasia doesn’t have to mean the end of good times for you and your dog.

What Do I Do If My Dog Has Hip Dysplasia courtesy Dog Articles

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