Category: Issues and Treatments

Do you believe in alternative therapy? There are concrete health benefits in its methods that many people can attest to; some even go as far as to claim that alternative therapy has worked wonders for them. If you’re a fan of it yourself, and would love your senior dog to try it as well, you’d be thrilled to know that alternative care for dogs using the same methods as for humans exist.

One is acupuncture, where fine needles are inserted to improve the blood flow and the balance of the body. It’s based on an ancient Chinese tradition—and it is known to relieve pain, even in senior dogs.

Another method is chiropractic care which serves the purpose of relieving pain by spinal adjustments. A dog massage, on the other hand, will relax the anxiety levels of your stressed out buddy and even give their immunity the boost that it needs.

Nutritional supplements are also important to supply what’s missing in their body, while homeopathy is a therapy where the dog’s body is assisted in creating a natural healing response to their illness. Lastly, herbal treatments are administered for a variety of dog illnesses—like alfalfa for allergies.

If you’re not entirely 100% comfortable about putting your fur friend through alternative therapies, you might want to get the opinions of veterinarians on the subject. Some don’t recognize its benefits, while others are all for it.

Essence of Alternative Care For Older Dogs

Some veterinarians don’t care for alternative therapies since, unlike conventional veterinary medicine, most of them haven’t been scientifically proven to work.

However, that doesn’t mean they’re ineffective; it just means they haven’t been put to the test in well-conducted studies. And there are plenty of vets who are open to the alternative approach. Some veterinary schools now provide tracks in holistic medicine, and some vets offer alternative therapies alongside conventional treatments. (Read More Here)

If you’re sure about alternative therapy for your senior buddy, there are qualified and licensed organizations that can refer you to professionals. Some of them are the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy, American Veterinary Chiropractic Associations, American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture, International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, and Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association.

As always, before having your beloved pet undergo alternative care, you should research about it extensively. Talk to other people whose dogs have tried it out. In the end, we’re all in this for the care of our older dogs.

Believe it or not, we humans can learn a lot from our senior dogs when it comes to medicine, particular the use of plants and essential oils.

Herbs have been used for medication since time immemorial—from the Sumerians who used laurel and thyme 5,000 years ago to Ancient Egyptians who used garlic, mint, opium for its medicinal value.

Most people don’t realize it, but we owe much of what we know about medicinal herbs and plants from our furry canine friends. There’s even a medical term for animal self-medication: zoopharmacognosy.

Zoopharmacognosy is based on the process by which animals self-medicate, and choose herbs, plants, and other natural remedies that are best suited for them. It is essentially rooted in animal instinct.

Amazing Alternative Medications For Your Senior Dog

One example of this is osha root (Ligusticum porteri), also called bear medicine, a plant native to the western United States and Mexico. The story goes that Native Americans noticed bears rolling around in this plant, eating the roots and applying a root mash to injuries. They also observed bears seeking out this plant upon awakening from hibernation. The plant’s respiratory and digestive cleansing properties may explain this; osharoot is known for its powerful antiviral and antibacterial agents, used for bronchial infections and sore throats. (Because of osha root’s popularity, it is now at risk of disappearing.) They have been attempting to do this… has not been very successful as some plants need their natural environment to produce properly.More.

One example of self-medication is when you catch your senior dog chewing on grass. This can induce diarrhea, which in turn expels worms that may be in your dog’s body. Don’t you just love your dog’s initiative?

As dogs advance in age, most of them become less playful and active. While most dog owners easily attribute this change to their dogs’ personality changes as they grow old, these symptoms may in fact be a sign of arthritis or degenerative joint disease. One of the most common dog ailments, arthritis is found in one in five dogs.   As arthritis is most prevalent among older dogs, you might not realize that your dog is already suffering from this chronic pain condition. It is caused by a variety of reasons—from genetics to the lack of physical activity during your dog’s earlier years. Just like humans, arthritis is also caused by the wear and tear of the joints over time.

The signs of arthritis don’t come all at once. These changes take place over time, and most pet parents don’t realize the symptoms until later on. This is why you should pay careful attention to your dog’s disposition.  When your dog doesn’t move around and play as much as used to, you should already be put on guard. You might also notice that they don’t want to go up and down the stairs, and would limp at times.

Beat Common Dog Ailments Like Arthritis

The very first thing to do is take a trip to your vet. Let him examine your pooch to rule out any underlying medical problem such as broken bone, torn ligament, or cancer that could be causing Fido pain. By conducting several diagnostic procedures, your vet will find out the real cause and decide on the most effective management strategy. If your dog suffers from arthritis or a similar form of chronic joint pain, your vet will likely recommend pain medication. Try consulting your vet for any recommendation on specific foods that are especially made for both joint care as well as pain management.

In addition, although your dog is already slowing down, remember that he still needs exercise to keep him fit. A nice walk in the park or swimming can be both therapeutic. (Read more here.)

You are in the best position to observe the changes in your dog. Once the vet has recommended the appropriate foods and exercises for your dog, you can also help ease your dog’s pain by rubbing their muscles gently or taking them to a dog massage specialist.

Does your dog seem to be in pain lately? Perhaps a visit to the vet will finally settle once and for all if your dog has arthritis. Whatever the diagnosis may be, the most important thing is for your canine friend to get help and be comfortable, no matter what.

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This video from About.com has some great tips for several items that will help you to keep that old pooch in tip-top shape!  The nutritional needs of a senior dog increase and can mean that a change in diet is necessary.  The expert here has some great advice about options that you will want to consider.  If your dog is getting to be a finicky eater, changing up what you feed them can make a real difference.  Getting human grade food may seem a bit much, but it can go a long way toward keeping your dog healthy and happy.

Nutritional supplements are also a great idea, as are toys to keep your dog active and interested as well.  There are fine pet supply stores popping up everywhere, and when you can get into one, there is always shopping online – so there are no excuses for not trying out some things that will make your fur baby happy.

You worked so hard to house train your dog only to find that as they get past a certain age, they seem to be having accidents in the house again.  This may present itself as a few drips here and there, to full out messes with a huge wet spot on the rug or on the dog’s bed.  While this certainly isn’t pleasant, it is fairly common and there could be lots of things causing the issue.  In fact, the laundry list of items that could be the culprit for your pooch is rather long and so this is one item that you should not deal with on your own.  A trip to the vet really is the wise choice here, and will help with diagnosing exactly what the issue is.  Whatever that core issue is, it is leading to a hormone deficiency.

How To Deal With Senior Dog Incontinence

Hormone deficiencies are essentially the cause of senior dog incontinence.  As the amount of testosterone and estrogen in their bodies decreases, they lose their ability to control the urethral sphincter, a band of muscle located near the base of the bladder.  Spayed or neutered dog are more likely to develop the condition because their reproductive organs have been removed, therefore they have smaller amounts of hormones.  Older female dogs are also more likely to be affected by incontinence because they have shorter, wider urethras.  (Read more)

No matter the root cause, you will want to help your furry child clean and comfortable.  If they are a longer hair breed, you should keep them groomed shorter and be sure to provide them enough water so that they do not get dehydrated.  Arrange to have them let outside often so that you can try to get in front of any indoor accidents and be sure to clean the urine spots as soon as you can with an enzyme cleaner.

The vet may prescribe medication or advise you as to options for you and your dog.  Follow the advice and be sure to report back to the vet if it does not seem to be working.  With a little effort and help from the vet, you should be able to get the issue under control and your life back online with a clean home.

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It is highly likely that as your dog ages it will end up with some degree of arthritis.  Glucosamine is one supplement that has shown to help in treating osteoarthritis in lots of dogs.  It is a safe supplement with very little side effects and can help with the pain associated with joint disease.  This pet owner recommends Glucosamine in liquid form that you can just pour on your dogs food.  They will eat it easily enough and it, in turn, lubricates the dog’s joints and can help with stiffness and pain.

What is Glucosamin, you ask?

 Glucosamine is an all natural substance that is used to treat arthritis and other joint diseases found in both humans and pets.  It can be taken in both liquid and tablet forms and is much safer with virtually no side effects compared to its prescription counterparts.  Not only is it safer, it is much less expensive than any of the doctor prescribed medications. (Read more)

 

 

Some dogs are sensitive to being touched.  This shows in either a general or very specific way, depending on whether or not your dog is in some pain.  If you are not familiar with how dogs can show their state through reaction to your touch, you can learn.  Volunteering at a shelter or veterinarian’s office can help. A good handler can teach you a lot by simply doing what they do while you watch closely.  There is a way that dogs respond to someone who knows what they are doing that can go a long way to their well being.

If you feel like something is wrong or has changed for your furry child in terms of a sudden sensitivity to being touched, then go with your gut.  Be sure to document the change in touch toleration and bring those notes to your vet appointment.  Describe it for your vet in as much detail as you can, as that will help them to get a good idea of what you are seeing at home.

The Telling Touch

Pain can be hard to pin down in dogs. The more you can observe before the veterinary appointment, the more likely the veterinarian will be able to diagnose the problem. But be careful not to injure the dog in the process or get bitten. A “knowing touch” gathers information and communicates safety. It’s not rough and doesn’t make a dog fearful. This touch is part of what people describe as having “dog sense,” or “a way with dogs.” People probably inherit the potential to learn good dog handling, but they don’t become good handlers unless they also learn the skills.  (Read more)

You do want to be careful since a dog will protect themselves with both humans and other dogs if they are in pain.  If you know that your dog is in pain, then keeping other dogs away will help with any jostling or bumping into the painful region that might be happening.  This will help with fights among the dogs or the ‘accident’ that might occur when your dog is afraid of getting hurt while going outside with other dogs. If need be, escort your dog outside or keep him back while the others go out first, then let him know it is safe by guiding him out, etc.  When you provide protection for your dog, they will really love you and appreciate your care.

If your dog suddenly doesn’t want to take an action that was fine for him before, don’t assume they are just being stubborn.  Consider a physical reason first and pay attention to his ‘tells’.  More often than not, some simple observation will let you know what is going on.

 

 

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Changes in behavior could be an indication that your dog is experiencing senility or cognitive dysfunction, especially if your dog is over 6-7 years of age.  When you notice theses things, like accidents in the house, wandering aimlessly and changes in their eating or drinking habits, it may be time for a trip to the vet.  Together, you can assess the situation and see about coming up with a plan for dealing with the issues.

It can be so hard to see your sweet baby dog age and not be the same dog that they once were.  Much of the same changes that we see older humans go through, dogs go through as well. Patience and a little extra love can go a long way in helping your dog continue to feel safe and secure in your home.

 

When your lovely fur pet is in pain it can be hard to know what to do or where to turn.  Expensive medications are not always the answer – especially when you know that many times they hurt just as much as they are supposed to help.  More and more pet parents are turning to non-invasive and natural therapies to help ease their pet’s pain and discomfort.

A method that might be worth looking into is the TTouch (pronounced ‘tee-touch’) method.  This is a form of systematic and therapeutic touch that helps to stimulate healing and communication with the dog.  Let’s hear more from Whole-Dog-Journal.com about this awesome option.

Helping Your Older Dog With Touch That Heals

The TTouch method was developed by Linda Tellington-Jones. The Canadian horsewoman had a long background in horse training and massage, but in 1970s, she began studying with Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, an Israeli physicist. Feldenkrais had developed a method of gentle manipulation of the human body, designed to improve pain and movement. He believed that by engaging non-habitual movement, you might be able to activate unused neural pathways to the brain and expand the potential to learn. Tellington-Jones’ study of the Feldenkrais method of “Awareness Through Movement” sparked a shift in her thinking about touch and movement in animals.  (Read more)

This is not just petting!  The TTouch looks to engage the parasympathetic nervous system.  This engagement helps by relaxing the muscles and lowering the heart rate, blood pressure and getting those stress levels way down.  When that stress is removed, often, that memory associated with the stress can be removed from the cells as well with a little encouragement.

TTouch has been studied to find out how it does what it does.  At the Biofeedback Institute in Boulder, Colorado the method was shown to create altered brain waves.  It could be seen that the specific touches were able to not only relax the animal’s body and brain, it also served to stimulate a more alert and cognitive state.  This helped to switch out the previous pattern of behavior and replace it with a different perspective that was more focused on the ‘now’ and letting the dog move from a place of pain, to a place of comfort and healing.  And the best part?  No drugs or anything harmful for your beloved dog!

 

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This video shows how wraps for your dog can help them in a number of ways.  If the dog is feeling stiff or achy, the wraps can add support to the joints that make it more comfortable to move about and walk.  If they are nervous or feeling quite tense, then the wraps can help them to feel secure and confident.  It all depends on you testing out how to wrap your dog in a way that aids overall well being.  When you find a pattern that works, you can stick with it!

Touch is so important too.  I’ll address touch in a separate post so that you can learn more about using it help heal your wonderful dog.  Sometimes, the issue might be an injury or illness, or it may just be a kind of emotional or nervous condition that is ailing your fur baby.  No matter what, touch can really ease their discomfort, which in turn, eases yours.

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.