I passed a man walking his dogs the other day one was a fit dog the other an oldie had a real bad limp he was crossing the road to the country park and I wondered wether he knew the dog was limping so I stopped and mentioned it," Oh he is just old " he said,I asked him How far he was walking him and he said up to the woods ! now the woods from that point were about three quarters of a mile then another mile or so round the woods then back home.I was amazed that this man thought his aged limping dog could walk the same distance as his young one,I was mentioning it to my friend and she said a man near her had to GSDs one fine one obviously hippy and he walks them the same distance and by the time he comes back the hippy one is on his knees :( :(
Is it me or do people get blind spots where their dogs are concerned.
Also asked wether some dogs are on medication for their arthritis I many a time get told oh he is just old !!
Think Im going to stop being a busy body :( :( its too worrying.

Hi Mattie.
You know we see so much of this at the kennels. I see dogs with chronic problems who receive no treatment "because they are old" or because its not worth it at his age etc.. The thing that annoys me is when I say they should consider alternative arrangements for boarding, as in my opinion, the dog needs a fireside not a kennel, they go nuts !!! We had a lady come to us the other day saying she wanted to board her Yorkie, the dog was 14yrs old, I said no, the last thing he needs is the atmosphere of a busy boarding kennels at his age, her reply was "I have waited 10 yrs for a holiday!!" waiting a little longer wouldn't hurt her would it ??!!
Dawn.

This isn't always as easy as it may sound. We have 3 large guarding breed dogs - the oldest 13.5. They are kennelled on occasion (have always been) more often than not because our jobs require us to attend conferences, project meetings etc. If only one of us is away then it is fine - but sometimes it doesn't work that way. Finding an alternative to a kennel for 3 large dogs is not easy - they would not allow a stranger into the home so unless a dog sitter was prepared to spend a good few weeks getting to know them first that is a none starter. And we don't have any relatives or friends nearby to leave them with and our old lad can only cope with a few miles by car these days. So they go to a local kennel that knows them, is used to large dogs and can care for them. He is with his companions and in a familiar place. His vet is a mile or so up the road if needed. I am sure that given the choice they would all prefer to stay at home (so would I most of the time!) - but when that is not possible I don't see that a good kennel is so bad even for elderly dogs - as long as it is part of their regular experience.

On walking - I have to physically make our lad (who is quite wobbly on his legs at times) cut back on distance - he doesn't seem to realise he can't make it as far as the younger ones and he always hates turning back - even though he is always shattered by the time he gets home!

Hi Selladore.
If you read the post I said the owner waited 10yrs for a holiday, have you left a 10yr gap between boarding your dogs ? I don't care what anyone says, I do not like boarding old dogs or cats that are not used to that atmosphere. I look at it this way, my dogs mean the world to me, I would not want to leave an important decision to someone other than myself regarding my dogs, boarding a very old dog significantly increases this possibility. I do board old animals, but they are regular clients who are more than comfortable in their surroundings. I would not board an old animal of mine if it were not used to kennels, but other people do, thats their choice.
Dawn.

I did read your post - and personally I would not choose to board any dog for the first time when it is elderly. As I said in my post, my dogs are used to being kennelled from youngsters. I was not commenting on the particular case you mentioned, simply presenting an alternative perspective - i.e. that it is not always possible to avoid kennelling and that in some circumstances that is the best (or only) option.

But are you suggesting in this post that I am putting my dog in danger by boarding him?? What important decisions do you think I am leaving to someone else? My kennel has my mobile number at all times and will contact me should he have any problems at all. I find the implication that because I have to occasionally board him I somehow cannot care for him as much as you care for yours rather offensive. Maybe I am misreading you?

You are misreading me Selladore !!
I did say I board elderly pets that are used to it, but my personal preference would be not to (my own dogs).
In the 10yrs at my kennels, I see thousands of dogs, they all deal with things in different ways, in my experience older animals do not take as kindly to boarding as others, I never said anything about you or your dogs and the decsions I speak of could be anything, but if you have an old animal, then surely the likelihood of them being ill or stressed etc.. is greater.
Do not take the post the wrong way, I can think of at least 7 dogs in my kennels at the moment over 10yrs of age, all fine, no problems, happy content boarders who are comfortable with their environment.
Dawn.

My apologies for misreading you.

No problem.
Dawn.

I was lucky with Mars as she was quite agile until she went. I did however slow down her walks to just totters out for a sniff and a trot around for the last six months. It was always when she asked us to go out, not when I thought she needed to go. She used to amaze me sometimes as she would break into a run going after the other girls chasing the ball! Still had the idea what to do but the body couldn't quite keep up with it ! :D

People must be aware of the dogs capabilities by carefully watching them closely and not what they think they are capable of as often, we can get it so wrong.

As for kennels I have over the last couple of years had dog sitters when we have been away as Mars even though she had been in kennels before, I felt needed all her home comforts with people I knew would look after them and give them important TLC.

Owning an old dog and the care you need to give them is as much so, even more so important than when they are pups or adults.They deserve it !

Lucy

We are lucky in that we are able to walk our dogs daily off the lead (obviously off road). When Purdey (our 12-yr old lab) doesn't feel like doing the whole walk, she just gives a couple of "wuffs" to let us know, then peels off down one lane, moseys through the woods, and potters around at the bottom waiting for everyone else (I know - I've followed her & left the other half pounding after the other 3) - she knows her limitations at times!!!

When I had my old collie he used to decide whether he wanted to come for a walk or not, when he did he was like a 2yo, but it got rarer towards the end, he died age 16. The elderly GSD only used to come with us in the morning, that route meant there was a long version and a short cut across the top, the other dogs go the long route and the GSD used to walk slowly along the short cut and meet up with us. Ingrid

When our dogs get older and cannot manage the whole walk, we put them in the car and drive to the park or woods so they still get to go to their favorite place without the strain of walking there.

Sam

The people who own my oldest elkhounds Mum, who must be 14 now, have the same thing happen, she poddles about near the start of their walk, and then walks home with them again. :D

I have the opposite problem! People asking me where my oldie is. she has artritis and a neorological disorder and although happy to potter around the house would never make a long walk with the youngsters. I take her out for 10 mins on her own just for a change of scene, but I'm sure the nieghbours would rather see her on her knees with bleeding paws (neorological disorder means she knuckles) instead of being left when the others went out!

It used to make me so sad to leave William while I took mattie and Minnie out but his mind said he could walk and his body said NO!! so i just used to take him a little walk around the garden or accross the road and he was happy then. We need to say/decide what is right for the dogs and over excersising an arthritic dog is cruel although they do need to walk about but not too much

arthritic dogs should still get exercise - they just need a bit less and a bit more frequent. I cant believe the poor dog over the road that goes for marathon walks with his owner and then comes back completely crawling.

I got a great Metacam booklet from my vet, It told me to do shorter but more frequent walks
It certainly helped me to watch for the signs of pain in Rusty. I've cut his diet too so he's not so heavy as he was a teeny bit overweight.