Does anyone know when a golden retriever would expect to start looking old?
we used to see one in the park over the years but i hadnt seen him for about a year. suddenly he reapeared, looking really old and limping along. i managed to ask the owner what was wrong with his legs and he said 'its arthritis, poor old boy'  so of course i asked how old  he was and he said 8!
i looked down at my 8 year old schnauzer who still runs around like a puppy and just felt so lucky.
i didnt have the nerve to ask if he was on medication. surely meds would stop the pain of arthritis and stop the limping?

Yes, would make him more comfortable. I give mine Glucosamine and Chondroitin when they start walking stiffly. I have one now that is 9 1/2 and broke her leg as a pup and it has always been shorter due to the break, but she is still running after a ball for an hour each day. I keep her on Glucosamine and she remains comfortable and still enjoys life to the full.

When a dog starts to look old is very much individual rather than a breed thing. I have an almost 11 year old Malinois who looks years younger, when others the same age or even younger than her, same breed, even similar lines, really look their age. My last old Golden didn't really look old until he was about 11. He had severe HD but after being put onto Glucosamine & Chondroitin it took until he was 12 before his legs started to get stiff.

When a dog starts to look old is very much individual rather than a breed thing.

Agreed the 3 RR in our family all aged very differently and they were all from same litter, my moms looked old around 8, the next one started aging badly around 10 and my aunts was still going strong untill he turned 12 and still lived another year,.

i might have to ask if his got the dog on meds then, i cant bear the thought of it being in pain if its preventable. could the RSPCA do something if he wont give it medication?

I have a 13 year old golden :) who was diagnosed with HD when he was 18mths old.  He is a bit wobbly on his back legs but otherwise in very good health.

My 14 year old Golden is now showing her age since she did something to her leg in the first winter snow but the 13.5 year old still does an hour a day. I, too, meet ancient looking (usually FAT) Goldens who are only 8ish but I don't consider my almost 8 year old to be even middle-aged and she had elbow dysplacia operated on at under 6 months. The darker ones, of course, look older younger than the pale ones as they begin to go grey at the edges but they should still be active & not stiff unless over-weight or they have a joint problem. I have had 8 Goldens, aside from the current 4,  and apart from the poor epileptic boy who was pts at 4 years, the others have all made 14 and been good until they had a stroke at the end. Better that than all the young Bernese I have lost to cancer. Only one of my 7 BMD made it to 10. Others went at 5 or 6. 7 was considered good.

goodness, you lost 6 bernese to cancer age 5 or 6? thats terrible, how could you break your own heart that many times? i think once would put me off that breed

I had 3 bernese die under 6 and this was the reason that I do not have the breed anymore. Sad as they are a lovely breed.

My first flatcoat still looked and acted like a young dog up until he died aged 10 and a half, however, the 2nd one has acted old since he was about 4.

Can I tag a question on here about moving to a Senior food, and what age people do that?

Some foods specify an age (ie Pro Plan says at 7 yrs for large breeds) whilst others just say that it should be when you notice your dog starting to age etc.

What age do people consider their dogs "Senior" if they are large breeds, and when do they move to a Senior diet?

cant comment on that sorry, mine have had senior/light for years because they are too fat!!

I'd agree with others it's not necessarily a breed thing. My current Golden oldie, Hamish, is just over 11 and has aged much quicker than my previous one, Charlie, who still looked good when he was pts at 17+. Hamish is much bigger than Charlie was, at the top end of the breed standard, and has problems with HD, sponsylosis and arthritis in general. Having said that he is trim and competed in agility until he was over 9 and still acts like a puppy at times. I've seen plenty of dogs of various similar sized breeds, that look old at 8 or younger and a lot of that has to do with weight - far too many are grossly overweight. Charlie was always kept lean and regularly walked until 16ish. Many people couldn't believe he was the age he was.

> Can I tag a question on here about moving to a Senior food, and what age people do that?

I don't bother with senior foods at all, but as I mostly feed raw there is no need. Towards the end of his life Charlie used to eat the less boney lamb ribs (the bit on the end which is more cartilage than bone, if that makes sense) when the others were eating the bonier bits, but other than that he just had the same as them, only smaller quantities.

To be honest I think a lot of this senior/puppy/adult etc is a marketing ploy and as long as they are on a good variety of food don't need treating any differently to their younger cousins.

I'd never even thought about feeding Bramble senior food. He's 12+ and still eating exactly the same quantity of raw food (gulping it down just as quickly) that he has been for years. I had just assumed that at some stage when he isn't as active that I would just give him a bit less :) :) No 'senior' food for raw fed dogs :)

Daisy

To be honest I think a lot of this senior/puppy/adult etc is a marketing ploy and as long as they are on a good variety of food don't need treating any differently to their younger cousins.

i dont agree entirely with that. the puppy food has hight protein for growth and the senior/light has less protein. if you gave puppy to an older dog it would usually make it hyper not to mention fat

> the puppy food has hight protein for growth and the senior/light has less protein. if you gave puppy to an older dog it would usually make it hyper not to mention fat

I'd have to disagree. In using up some stock of mine that was nearing it's best before date, I have fed both a puppy food and a senior food to my own adult dogs with absolutely no effects whatsoever. Those 5 dogs range from 3 - 11+ years. Any dog, whatever age, needs good quality protein.

im going on a hyper schnauzer that was too long on puppy food that grew 2 inches too tall on it as well

I doubt the food was totally to blame, there's no real way of knowing, genetics probably had something to do with it. Had he been fed a senior food rather than puppy would he have been 2 inches too short?

The differences between ORIJEN (used as an example) Puppy, Adult and Senior are marginal:
ORIJEN PUPPY: Crude protein (min.) 40.0 %, Crude fat (min.) 20.0 %, Crude fiber (max) 3.0 %, Calcium (min./max.) 1.5 % / 1.7 %, Phosphorus (min./max.) 1.2 % / 1.4 %
ORIJEN ADULT: Crude protein (min.) 38.0 %, Crude fat (min.) 17.0 %, Crude fiber (max.) 3.0 %, Calcium (min./max.) 1.4 % / 1.6 %, Phosphorus (min./max.) 1.2 % / 1.4 %
ORIJEN SENIOR: Crude protein (min.) 38.0 %, Crude fat (min.) 15.0 %, Crude fiber (max.) 5.0 %, Calcium (min./max.) 1.4 % / 1.6 %, Phosphorus (min./max.) 1.2 % / 1.4 %

Here I am again, jumping on someone else's post, asking questions I should have raised myself.

The major differences I see in Orijen, or similar feedstuffs,  are that protein and fat reduce whilst carbs increase with age. 
Does this mean that younger, growing, active dogs need more protein and fat and older/less active dogs need more carbs? 
I asked my vet about this balance and the possibility of feeding more carbs to my young dog  [who tends to gain weight] as they are bulky and a tummy filler - the answer was a big NO as they give energy and weight gain if this energy is not used.  So I think a greater protein and fat ratio to carbs for her.
However, I can't feed my old dog more carbs - to gain weight - as she eats little at a time; yes I feed her 2 X day - any more and she wouldn't eat more than a scrap each meal. She is slim bordering on thin.  I've been doing  the opposite ratio for her.

the puppy food has hight protein for growth and the senior/light has less protein. if you gave puppy to an older dog it would usually make it hyper not to mention fat

> I'd have to disagree

I agree with Pedlee, used to have a Xbreed that we lost at nearly 16, he was a small eater and ate less as he got old. ended up with less than half 'suggested' amount per day.
we talked to feed reps at crufts - lots of them :-D - and vet. all agreed with our thoughts that especially for last few years he was better on puppy/junior food to make sure he got a reasonable quantity of quality protien etc per day, levels in senior were too low when viewed for the amount he was eating per day.
Chris

Certainly puppies do not need high protein food. It was discovered years ago that too much protein in a growing puppy could cause joint/growth problems. I feed my oldies the same as the youngster: fresh tripe with terrier meal and as I said before, the Bernese all died young and the Goldens all made 14ish so I don't believe longevity is food related. There is nothing we can do if the genetic makeup predisposes a dog to die young.

Chris -  re feeding older dog, you've clarified and/or agreed with my point about protein, fat, carb ratio for older dogs.  Your > levels in senior were too low when viewed for the amount he was eating per day." point sums up what I've been thinking] A dog needs a proportion of fat and protein relative to its age and dietary intake, an older dog with a low food intake will need more proteins and fats in order to maintain a sufficient amount of these, for its body weight.

I have fed both a puppy food and a senior food to my own adult dogs with absolutely no effects whatsoever.

(I feed 50/50 raw and complete). When I, now and then, run out of senior and have to feed the oldies (one 7, two of 9 and an 11) on adult temporarily, they ALWAYS gain weight quickly unless fed much smaller amounts than usual -and they don't get much to start with. Within a week they will have put too much weight on. I shudder to think what would happen if they went on puppy LOL.

> feed the oldies (one 7, two of 9 and an 11) on adult temporarily, they ALWAYS gain weight quickly unless fed much smaller amounts than usual -and they don't get much to start with.

which is why we fed Freckles on puppy, as he would have lost weight on senior due to the very small amounts he would eat.

It depends very much on the dog's metabolism doesn't it?  My 14 year old is eating less and less and has always been slim - bordering on thin.  > Within a week they will have put too much weight on. I shudder to think what would happen if they went on puppy LOL.
I wish this were true for Tinker - save a lot of worry.