a-holistic-approach-to-senior-dog-care

As many of you know who regularly read my family life blog, I have become a dog magnet!We now have four dogs!Two we bought from a breeder and are full pedigree Spanish Water Dogs and two we have rescued one is a mix match and the other is a Podenco Maneto (a type of Spanish hunting dogs), one was from the local dogs home and the other one we found wandering in our street.We did have 5 for a couple of weeks, but unfortunately we could not find Madison a new home and have had to take her to the dogs home, as I just did not have the room to keep her.

Four dogs I hear you utter in disbelief!I know if you had told me three years ago I would have one dog let alone four, I would have thought you were off your rocker, but how times change!Of course we are responsible owners, I have all the dogs chipped, passports done, jabs up to date etc.We have also taken out pet insurance, as it would be very expensive if they were to get ill!It amazes me how much care and attention you have to give to the doggies to keep them in good condition and how much it costs.My friend had no insurance for her dog and recently had to pay out nearly a thousand pound when it needed an operation and all that entailed.

My kids and hubby get slightly jealous of the attention the dogs get at times.But the dogs are so easy to love, they never answer me back, they give you unconditional love, all they want is food, water, a dry warm bed, exercise and lots of love.Whereas the rest of the family are argumentative to say the least!

Our friend Chrissie, who is a dog trainer comes once a week to give them obedience lessons as they have been spoilt and the older two (Spanish Water Dogs) need to learn to obey commands.The kids are really enjoying the lessons and the lessons are helping to strengthen their bond with the dogs.

Growing up I had a dog called Dusty, who was a Keeshond and I loved him, he was the best dog ever and when he died I was devastated, it was my first experience of somebody close to me dying.But I think it is important for children to keep animals as I think it helps bring out their caring nature, it makes them think not just of themselves but of another living thing which will show them unconditional love.

Having had no luck finding my latest rescue Madison a home has kind of inspired me to create a vision board for my future.I now have a vision that I want to be so successful with my new venture Gibraltar Connected, which is a social media resource site that I can in ten years buy a little finca and set up a small rescue centre for all the local dogs in the area that are either being thrown out or abandoned for whatever reason!

But first I need to go check out my own dogs and renew their pet insurance which is up for renewal next month and book them into the vets so that they can be groomed.

As many of you know we talk a lot about dog diapers as an important way to help senior dogs and one of the themes that comes up over and over again is the problem some breeds have with keeping a diaper on. We recently showed you a washable diaper that does a great job of staying on your dog, however up until now we didn’t have a solution for those senior dog owners who prefer the disposable dog diapers, but have breeds with trouble keeping these diapers in place.

For some people the traditional disposable dog diapers work great. They are affordable, comfortable and do the job, but for others these simply do not stay on their dogs long enough to be an effective solution to unwanted accidents. I personally have experienced this issue with my French Bulldogs so I have been on the hunt for a solution to this challenging issue and I am excited to announce that we have found a very cool disposable dog diaperthat actually stays on your dog even if they are running around your house. They are called Do-rite diapers and I am proud to be adding this high quality product to our selection and I am extra excited because this is the first time these disposable dog diapers are available in Canada.

Here is a closer look at this amazing new product:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqKu-2wqsrE

I describe these as premium disposable dog diapers

Written by: Dr. Jeannie Thomason

Did you know that the maximum life span of our dogs should be 25 - 30 years?

Our precious dogs! They love us unconditionally through out our lives together. There are the new family members, strange hair-dos in different styles, our weight gains, they are there for us in the celebrations and devastating losses in our lives. They move with us from one state to the next never asking where we are going or why. We, in turn, just expect them to adjust without any questions. God bless them, for they always buffer our bad moods with sloppy kisses and warm soft coats to bury our faces in and drench with tears. They anxiously await our arrival home at the end of a long day.

Life flies by and eventually, one day, the time in their lives that we never are prepared to face comes into being. The first signs can be anything from less of an appetite to not coming immediately when we call them. The signs are usually very subtle at first, maybe they just don’t run up the stairs anymore, we tell ourselves it is nothing too serious, maybe we are slower these days too. Then we may notice that singular bad day is stretching into a string of bad days or even weeks. We come to face the fact that what we thought was disobedience is in fact hearing loss and the extra naps, not a sign of laziness, but just plain weariness.

Written By: Amna Plummer, DVM, Critter Care Animal Hospital

While aging is both natural and inevitable, it is important to realize that pets age much faster than people.

Aging is a natural and inevitable process that we all face. Pets, however, age much faster than people. Size and breed are significant factors - with some large dog breeds aging more rapidly than smaller breeds. On average, by age two most dogs and cats have already reached adulthood, and by age seven, many pets are entering their senior years.

Because dogs age more rapidly than people, significant health changes can occur in a short amount of time. The risks of cancer, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, heart disease and other serious conditions all increase with age. And, because today’s pets are living longer, chances are many will experience a potentially serious illness during their lifetime.

Since pets age, on average, up to seven times faster than people, it is recommended that they get a check up twice a year. Routine check ups should include blood chemistry tests to evaluate the functionality of a dog’s organs. These tests can detect conditions or diseases before symptoms emerge.