From Animal Planet, Sonya Fitzpatrick offers her wisdom and advice for helping your beloved pet when it is dying. This is such a hard time in your life and it can be so difficult to know when to let go. Fitzpatrick says that she made the mistake many years ago of waiting too long to euthanize her cat and realized too late that the animal had been in such pain and had lived such a long life, that she probably ought to have made arrangements a week or two ahead of its actual passing.
Fitzpatrick also wisely recommends that when it is time to help your beautiful furry friend cross over, ask to see if the vet could come to your home for the procedure. This will be a wonderful way to help your dog feel comfortable and calm as they are surrounded by all those that love them. You can also ask the vet to please administer a tranquilizer before the medication that stops their hearts. Again, this will help your pet to not feel anxious at all and to simply feel sleepy before anything else happens. Invite everyone who loves your dog to come and say good bye and to be there to help them as they cross over.
Crate training will help your new older dog feel like they have their own space
You may happen to be one of the wonderful and amazing pet owners that picked out your new family member from a shelter. This is so wonderful since shelters often have lots of older dogs. Older dogs are usually a lot more calm and are able to pay attention better than puppies. For this reason, older dogs are often a bit easier to train than puppies. The training itself, however, is best when you follow tried and true training methods.
Meaning, the training methodology itself really should work no matter what age your dog happens to be. With an older dog, your approach might be slightly different in that you want to be sure your dog can hear you well and can see you well enough, otherwise, you simply need to be nice and patient.
Crate Training Older Dogs
First, have your new dog tire out by exercising him outdoors. Even if you have a fenced-in yard, it’s still better to keep him (or her) on a leash when you first bring him home. Being outdoors also allows your dog to go potty before he enters his crate.
Crate Train Immediately
Although some people may think sticking a dog in a crate is mean, it’s actually good for not only you and your house, but for the dog as well. A crate is a safe haven where your dog will grow to be secure, knowing this is his “room.” Realize dogs are den creatures that naturally gravitate to crate-like areas in nature. (Read more here)
Always prepare a crate before you even bring your new dog home. It should have a washable dog pad for the bottom and perhaps a towel and a nice soft towel. You can entice the dog into the crate with a treat. When he goes in, be sure to praise him lavishly and with lots of positive wording. You do not want to close the door after the dog goes in, but instead allow him or her to go in or out freely.
Keeping a positive attitude and being patient will really go a long way here. Repeat this training exercise for a maximum of 5 times. This is just often enough that your dog will get the idea but not enough to tire him or her out. Keeping their attention really is half the battle!
Warning: This video might be hard for you to watch. We see Mark as his parents take him to the vet’s to be euthanized. Mark had cancer of the bones and throat and was very sick. His parents made the decision to end his suffering, and since they had documented much of the rest of his life, made the decision to document the final good-bye as well. This video is a tribute to Mark and his memory, but also was intended to help others see that the decision to euthanize is sometimes the kindest thing to do. It is not a scary or invasive procedure, but is often a calm and caring event that can relieve your furry friend from ultimate suffering.
The most common reason most dog parents think about getting pet insurance is to cover health costs as your dog ages. This can also cover any accident your fur baby may encounter and either illness or an injury is a likely event in the life of any pet. As we all also know, vet bills can get astronomical quickly when the situation gets serious or lengthy. having covered yourself with pet insurance by this point just may save you from some tough times and tough decisions.
As time goes on in the life of your dog, however, you may find that there are plenty of other reasons to consider getting pet insurance. The best time to purchase it would ideally be when your dog is still a puppy or pretty young. Pet insurance is no different in this matter. You always want to do your due diligence and research your options and purchase insurance as early as you can in your dog’s life. Here are some other reasons to consider pet insurance that you may not have thought of.
Possible Reasons To Consider Pet Insurance
If you have to be hospitalised and there is nobody to care for your dog, your dog pet insurance can pay for boarding kennels (if you have a policy that specifically includes this). The policy won’t pay for putting your dog into kennels while you go on holiday! However, if you have booked a holiday and your dog is sick or injured at the last minute, preventing you from going, you can have a policy that covers the cost of cancelling your holiday.
If your dog is lost or stolen, dog pet insurance can pay for advertising and rewards. Some policies will also cover replacement – some will even pay for bereavement counselling. (Read more here)
Insurance could also come in handy if your dog were to cause a motor accident. This could happen, if say, your dog ran out into the road and if someone sued you. The same legal situation of your dog happened to bite someone or were to cause injury to anyone etc.
If other issues were to arise that required you to need the help of a professional dog trainer or behavior therapist, the insurance could again help and assist you in covering the costs in the care and comfort of your dog.
It is perfectly normal to feel all the regular and documented stages of grief. So if losing your dog has brought you to your knees and has you feeling angry, guilty, depressed or even if you are in a bit of denial, know that this is all okay. When lose someone we love, it is natural and correct to go through this grief process and it is necessary to deal with our emotions in as healthy a way as possible. Here we will discuss some ways to handle the loss of your beloved dog.
First, do not try to avoid your grief. Recognize it and then let it out. If you need to cry or yell – do it. Express it through writing or poems…what ever makes you feel better is fine to do.
Second, be as rational as you can if a decision to euthanize needs to be made. Consult with your vet and get their opinion regarding euthanizing your dog, but ultimately you will want to make your decision based on what is best for your friend. You may feel that you want to keep your dog with you as long as possible, but is this the right decision for him or her? If they are in serious pain, you want to make the best loving decision that you can for them.
5 Ways To Deal With Losing Your Beloved Dog
If your family or friends love pets, they’ll understand what you’re going through. Don’t hide your feelings in a misguided effort to appear strong and calm! Working through your feelings with another person is one of the best ways to put them in perspective and find ways to handle them. Find someone you can talk to about how much the pet meant to you and how much you miss it-someone you feel comfortable crying and grieving with.
If you don’t have family or friends who understand, or if you need more help, ask your veterinarian or humane association to recommend a pet loss counselor or support group. Check with your church or hospital for grief counseling. Remember, your grief is genuine and deserving of support. (Read full article here)
Fourth, give any remaining pets lots of love and attention. Dogs and other animals like cats can often form very strong relationships and bonds with each other and they are sure to not only notice the absence of the dog that has passed, they are likely to pick up on your and other family member’s grief and feel quite uneasy. Giving them some extra love will help them as much as it will you.
Fifth, do not rush to get another dog under any circumstances. Allow yourself to grieve and heal from your loss in as long a time as it takes. When you are genuinely ready to move on, do not get a dog that looks like the friend that you lost. Allow the new furry family member to have their own place in your hearts by being their own dog and having their own personality without any comparisons to deal with.
This is a wonderful tribute to lives of several furry friends and a celebration of the way they touched their owner’s lives. There are several wonderful quotes and plenty of beautiful images of beloved dogs as they smile lovingly for their parents and the camera. They are such huge parts of our lives and it can be difficult to say good bye and to let them go, but this video helps us to remember the good times and to know that we are not separated from our furry friends forever, but only until we ourselves have passed over – then we will be together again and renew our friendships and love for each other once again.
Everyone knows that dogs age differently than humans. In fact, they age in a nonlinear way where one human year is the equivalent to about seven to ten dog years. A dog’s social and physical growth is quite fast and can make you wish time moved a little slower at times! Puppies can be quite adorable and yet they are only puppies for such a brief while. The unfortunate part is that this accelerated growth affects how they age as seniors as well. Just like humans, issues like diabetes, arthritis, cancer and kidney issues (among others) are things that can rear their ugly heads as our pets become ‘senior citizens’.
So what can you do? You can’t change the way your dog ages, all you can do is your best to get in front of any possible issues and this mean getting to the vet. Because of the different way they age, once your dog is officially ‘senior’ it is recommended that you make a visit to the vet every 6 months.
Senior Dogs Should See Vet Every 6 Months
No one likes going to the doctor, and dogs are no exception. Nonetheless, geriatric dogs—defined as those seven years or older—should have routine veterinary examinations every six months. This may seem excessive, but it isn’t when you consider that six months is the equivalent of three dog-years. A yearly exam for a dog is equivalent to an exam every seven to 10 years for a human, and no medical doctor would advise seeing elderly human patients so infrequently. These routine exams are important, as they make it more likely that problems can be diagnosed and treated before they become more difficult to manage. (Read more here)
Again, just like with humans, the vet is likely to simply treat each visit like a yearly well-check and do some general diagnostic checks. These blood and urine checks can help catch quite a bit. The vet will also be asking you for information regarding how the pooch is eating, sleeping, eliminating, and moving around. Be sure you are keeping tabs on these things so that you can share any significant differences for the vet to evaluate. Don’t get obsessed! But if something makes you go “Uh, oh” then be sure to mention that to your vet at the next visit.
It may seem like an odd question, but it is actually completely legitimate. How does your dog need to be before you really consider it to be a senior dog? It is a bit of a relative question and subject. Some dogs simply age different due to different factors that include both their heritage and their size. What might be a sign of age in one dog may not be the case at all in another dog. This is a subject that will require you to really know your dog and be able to recognize differences in their behavior as you see it. This is the place to trust your gut. If your intuition says to make a trip to the vet…do it.
How Old is “Old”?
While there is no set age at which every pet is considered senior, many veterinarians believe a dog is in his senior years when he reaches the last third of his normal life expectancy. For instance, a large breed dog, such as a Great Dane, which only lives to an average of nine years old, would be considered “senior” when he is six. A poodle that normally lives to be 15 years old would be considered “senior” at 10 years old. These are by no means exact numbers, and you need to remember that aging is a lifelong and gradual process. Some pets that would be considered “senior” by their age, act more like juveniles, and some younger pets are “senior” due to health… (read more)
There will be changes in your dog’s coat and skin. You may notice more white hair on their muzzle as well as a certain dullness to their coat in general. Their skin may also thin out or you may also notice moles and other issues with their skin. Again, trust your instinct and if you think you might want to get to the vet to check out the changes, then please do. If the skin is thinner, then you may need to restrict your dog from certain activities that might tear at their skin – like walks through thick brush etc.
Of course, issues like horrible breath or arthritis or a change in eating or eliminating are sure signals that there could be something wrong. Always take your dog to the vet to be sure you know exactly what you are dealing with. They may be sick, or they may just be getting a little older. When you know what you are dealing with, then you can proceed as necessary and help to make your pooch as comfortable as possible.
Losing your beloved dog is never easy, but this dog parent found themselves struggling with the question of “will I see you in heaven?” This video is their prayer to God, their questions and their grief and ultimately…their hope.
In a dark time, they asked questions and they were answered. At the beginning, you will see this dog parent trying to be logical but through being quiet and allowing God to speak to him, he felt that he was answered and was assured that he will be united with Babe again. They will see each other again and this will certainly help in the times when he reaches for her and she is not physically there. Her spirit waits, and this knowing is of great comfort.
Be sure you know what you are dealing with. Get your senior dog to the vet as soon as possible.
You may be noticing some odd behavior in your senior dog, but it may or may not be dementia. To be sure, you will always want to take your dog to the vet first and rule out any other issue that could be causing similar behavior as dementia. Obviously, if it a specific illness you can treat the illness and things may get better. If there is nothing wrong with your dog, then it may well be dementia and your vet can recommend things or medication that could help. Don’t assume, though. Get your pet checked out and be sure you know exactly what you are dealing with.
About.com has an article that deals with different behaviors that might indicate dementia. For example: getting lost in corners or confused by doors. They may also seem anxious and pace or they might forget their house-training and simply go in the house the way a puppy might. Senior dogs may also not greet family members in the same way or can bark for no apparent reason. Sleep patterns and eating can also be affected, so be sure you keep an eye on new patterns or issues.
Dementia In Senior Dogs
8. Doesn’t respond to voice commands as before
The first thing to rule out here is hearing loss, which is quite common in senior dogs. In the case of cognitive dysfunction, the dog cannot process the command and act on it as before. The dog may even be confused about his or her name when called.
9. If you notice some of these signs with your pet
Keep a log of what behaviors you have noticed, the timeframe or how often you notice these behaviors, and make an appointment with your veterinarian to discuss. As noted above, the first step for any behavior problem is to rule out any medical causes first. (Full article here)
Arrive at your vet’s office with clear examples of how your dog used to behave and what is happening now. They will want you to be as specific as possible so that they can properly asses what is happening and determine if something else could be going on or if your dog has dementia.
There are things that can be done to help and knowing exactly what you are dealing with is always best. It can be frustrating to see your pooch display confusion or forget his/her obedience training. Take a breath. Be patient…and see the vet as soon as possible.
A dog is so often more than just a pet. They are there for us when we are sad, when we feel alone, when we don’t know what we are doing, when we are feeling mean and when we are going through the hardest times in our lives. They are there for us the same at these times as when we are on top of the world, when we are happy and secure and enjoying life. A dog knows what love is…they understand unconditional love and have so much to teach us, if only we are paying attention.
As they age and get older, we begin to really reflect on all that we have been through together. Every happy jump, every unexpected lick, every howl, every stretch and yawn, every time they laid on your foot or lap or chest, every fetch, every stolen bite of food off your plate, the guilty eyes and the big lolling tongue hanging out their mouths; all these take on a new and more profound meaning.
There is just not enough words to say all that they meant to us. This poem and this music barely covers it. But it’s a start. We love you! We are so happy to have had you in our lives and as our best friend!
Pets? I don’t think so. My dog is my family. I’m sure you feel the same.
As your dog ages, there will certainly be some differences in their behavior. Some things will be perfectly normal and to be expected and some are not normal but can certainly come up. It is highly likely that you will need to take your canine family member to the vet to be sure what you are dealing with and to take care of it as soon as possible. With aging dogs, it is better to take them to the vet and have it turn out to be nothing, than to wait and allow the problem to become worse.
Regular checkups and preventative visits are always recommended, anyway, but if you notice some of these things, you really should get your dog into the vet right away: hair loss, itchy skin, changes in their urinating and/or drinking habits, changes in weight and/or eating habits, bleeding gums, excessive bad breath and of course any changes in their ability to hear or see or walk etc.
In general, though, you may just be concerned about helping to keep your pet as comfortable and happy as possible. Here are some suggestions from About.com that will help you get a jump on keeping your friend happy and healthy.
Keeping Your Senior Dog Comfortable
Provide a comfortable clean bed – there are many “orthopedic” beds (….) available now at pet supply stores to ensure comfortable rest.
Provide fresh water daily (note changes in water consumption) and a healthy, age-appropriate diet.
Don’t expect too much from your senior dog – s/he may want to run and play Frisbee like the good ‘ol times, but go slow — heat, arthritis, age-related muscle atrophy, and other age-related effects can take their toll.
Ease distractions – senior pets can be easily startled by or become fearful of: kids, loud noises, and general commotion as they age. Conditions such as arthritis can make the dog fearful of getting hurt (or the potential to get hurt) with sudden movements of kids or being stepped on. (Full article here)
Your senior dog may sleep a little more and require a little more TLC, but that is okay. Just take it easy and be patient with your pooch and yourself! Keep your eyes and ears open and you will be ready to react just in case anything might come up. There is a good chance nothing bad will happen and your dog will simply get a little slower and have a bit less pep than they used to, but know that your love will help carry them through, no matter what.
