Linguini | Senior Dog Update

For our friends and furiends who know and care about our senior dog, Linguini, the eleven year old dalmatian mix:

Along with a daily dose of Rimadyl and Omega 3 dog supplements for her dog arthritis, she's receiving an incredible overdose of TLC. That's our good news. The bad news is: Linguini's incontinence is out of control and she now wears diapers at night. The mop is part of our home decor.

Happy Weekend!

Twinkie

Dog Supplements For Our Senior Dog

Another emergency visit to the dog vet with our eleven-year-old sick dog. During the weekend, our senior dog, a dalmatian mix that weighs 64lbs, started to limp visibly and at times had difficulty getting up. After a thorough examination, I left the vet's with a $270 bill and an order to go get more dog supplements. Let me break it down.

Our senior dog developed her first of multiple dog tumors and started limping noticeably almost a year ago. I, the mom and owner, got all depressed and preparing obsessively for her trip to the rainbow bridge. I was so wrong. I lack experience in older dogs, that was all. The vet biopsied the tumor, declared it benign and asked me to put her on dog supplements, primarily dog glucosamine. I started her on those immediately and the change happened equally fast. I got my dog back. I was warned that there would be more tumors and not to worry so much. That came true. As for the supplements, I started her out on K-9 Liquid Health with glucosamine and MSM and when she "leveled" out I tried the Petco Joint Support III tablets. The switch gave her another boost. I plan to keep alternating her supplements about once a year.

Last weekend, while the vet's office was closed, my senior dog got worse than last time. She seemed unable to hold herself up. I waited patiently for my own vet because I don't trust the emergency clinic as much. I also gave her rimadyl that I had asked the vet to provide me with for emergencies.

Monday morning, we were at the vet's. Within a few minutes of our visit, the vet had a diagnosis ready. This wasn't a relapse. It wasn't even associated to the newly emerged tumors. The vet pulled a one inch piece of stick out of the front paw of my not really sick dog! But I had already checked my dog out meticulously! I hadn't missed it. It had simply pushed itself out, rejected by the dog's body, on that morning. The vet prescribed antibiotics for the affected area that was slightly pussy and swollen and proceeded to do a general exam. It is really important for older dogs to be seen by their vet regularly.

The vet was satisfied with my senior dog food choice. I have her on Blue Buffalo Dry Dog Food, Fish and Sweet Potato Recipe because of the main ingredients that even a human would consume. She was also happy to hear about the dog supplements, but she said I was missing one important dog supplement: omega-3 fatty acids. For my dog of 64lbs, the vet was very specific; the recommended dosage for a dog of that size is 500mg. My vet stressed the importance of omega-3 fatty acids for older dogs. A series of studies published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) has shed light on the benefits derived by this supplement for dogs with osteoarthritis. I suppose everyone knows that an eleven year old is definitely afflicted by dog arthritis. While dog arthritis does not mean sick dog, it does mean special care.

The special care of an older dog suffering from arthritis is simple: keep the weight down (overweight dogs suffer more), consistent and regular exercise, dog glucosamine, and now omega-3 has been added to the list, along with a good quality dog food, not necessarily a specific senior dog food.

Once again, a couple of short days after the emergency dog vet visit, I see my spotted senior dog happily running around. Tomorrow I will start her again on her usual exercise regiment.

M--

Senior Dog Finds True Love

It's never too late. We're all entitled to fall in love at any age. Even senior dogs that suffer from dog arthritis and other age related ailments may find love at unexpected places. Well, this is exactly what happened to our Linguini, aka Spotted Dog, the dalmatian and german shortaired pointer mix.

We switched her supplements about a week ago. She used to be on K9 liquid health with dog glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM. This particular supplement had worked like a miracle for her. As soon as she was on it, she started to feel better. A few months later, we decided to switch to another formula, just to give her a jolt. After high recommendations and gathering the data, we tried out the Petco Joint Support III Tablets. The formula contains: glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, MSM, cetyl Muristoleate, and hyaluronic acid. Our joint resident expert determined that this was definitely worth a shot and we got out first bottle. Once again, another miracle. Our senior dog did really well with the new supplements and within two days started hopping around like a pup again. The verdict: we'll alternate between the two supplements every few weeks.

  











Now that Linguini's dog arthritis is temporarily under control, now that she's feeling much better, there are two things on her mind, how to jump the fence (yes, again), and how to find a soul mate to keep her company during the last stages of her life. She picked wisely.

Love is in the air . . .

May the two of them live happily ever after!

Twinkie

Dog Arthritis | How To Care For Your Dog

There are two types of dog arthritis, degenerative and inflammatory. Inflammatory joint disease can be either caused by an infection or can appear due to immune related diseases. It's a systemic illness that is usually accompanied by fever, lack of appetite, and rigid extremities. In situations such as the one I just described, head over to your dog vet for immediate treatment.

Degenerative joint disease, arthritis caused by the wear and tear of the cartilage that protects the joints, is subdivided into primary and secondary disease. In the case of primary joint disease there is no specific cause evident. It is usually a natural result of aging and you'll see plenty of evidence of that in your senior dog. Secondary degenerative joint disease can be pinpointed and it can sometimes be treated through surgical repair. The causes for this type of arthritis are hip dysplasia, trauma, ruptured ligaments, patella luxation, etc.

General signs of dog arthritis:
Difficulty and reluctance to walk, run, jump, sometimes accompanied by whining
Overall slowing down and lagging behind
Difficulty getting up
Flinching or resisting touch from your afflicted dog
Random yelping during movement
Refusal to climb in a car

There are many drugs available for the containment and or treatment of arthritis, that's why your dog should be under veterinary care. The number one drug of choice in such instances, provided it's not long term and your dog does not have other health issues, is Rimadyl. You need a prescription for this one. I always prefer the more natural route, so I use dog supplements. The one that seems to be working so far is K-9 Liquid Health. It was recommended by a friend with a senior dog and it helped our senior dog tremendously. From limping she got to jumping the fence again. And from what we know so far, there's no harm giving your dog glucosamine.

Other measures you can take to help relieve dog arthritis include:
1. The maintenance of the proper body weight. This is the easiest thing you can do for your dog. An overweight dog will put undue stress on her joints and will suffer more. You can switch to a lower calorie kibble, or cut back on the regular portions adding some veggies or canned pumpkin to help your dog feel more full.
2. Along with the regular dog supplements of your choice, consider offering quality senior dog food and dog treats enhanced with glucosamine.
3. Make sure your dog gets just the right amount of exercise. Enough to stay fit and not too much as to strain the already inflamed joints.
4. There is a variety of products available to make every day life easier on an arthritic dog. For small dogs you can find dog steps and for larger you can find a huge variety of dog ramps to help with getting in and out of the car. For our 60lbs dog we've purchased the Solvit Telescoping Pet Ramp, that sells for about $90.00 which we've had for a couple of years now. It's sturdier than the folding type, making it easy for the dog to adjust, and it is really durable. A cheaper alternative would be the Pet Gear Bi-Fold Ramp which can hold dogs up to 250lbs. This one costs close to $60.

If you have a senior dog, chances are that she is afflicted by arthritis to a certain degree. I would recommend taking all of the above measures.

Twinkie