CARING FOR THE OLD DOG

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PET HEALTH

By Andrea Looney, D.V.M.

You might not be very successful at teaching him new tricks,
but you can do a great deal to keep your older dog healthy.

Dear Andrea:

My Labrador retriever turned 11 years old in July. She's a little hesitant to jump around after balls and a little slower getting around in the morning, but overall, she's great. What is the best way to care for her as she gets older? Are there special diets that can help?

—Benjamin Monroe
Fairbanks, AK

Dear Benjamin:

The average life span of the domesticated dog or cat is about 12 to 15 years. And while older pets shouldn't become a health obsession for you, they do have a few different health care needs.

Vaccinations should be kept up to date. Rabies boosters should be given every one to three years depending on the type of vaccine and local health department laws. The annual vaccines for the dog and cat are combinations of vaccines for distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus, and respiratory infections. Regular heartworm checks (usually via blood testing) should be performed and heartworm preventive medication should be prescribed annually for all dogs. Flea and tick control is also important. Beware of the heavy duty dips and sprays though, as many older animals cannot tolerate the toxicity associated with such products. It is safer by far and much more effective to treat the environment instead of the pet, but the environment, for these pests. This means vacuuming regularly (with a few moth balls or a flea collar always present in the vacuum bag) and hot-washing the animal's bedding.

Proper nutrition is extremely important as older animals are more sensitive to nutrient imbalances and higher levels of phosphorus, protein, sodium, and energy. Lower energy, high-fiber diets are appealing, but remember that our domesticated animals are descendants of carnivores: there must be a limit to the fiber! Any home-cooked meals must be supplemented with the correct vitamins too. Exercise is needed to maintain muscle tone, enhance circulation, and help prevent obesity, but you need to adjust the amount and type to fit your retriever. Try to reduce climbing stairs, jumping fences, and overexertion in extreme weather conditions.

THINK YOU'RE RID OF 'EM?

Vacuuming carpets free of ticks is great,
but without a flea collar in the bag ... watch out!

As in people, regular dental care throughout a pet's life greatly assists in preventing tooth loss, tartar accumulation, and periodontal disease. Regular chewing of hard diets, knuckle bones, or teethcleaning biscuits may reduce tartar accumulation significantly. Dental disease is more of a problem than it appears. It not only results in substantial oral pain and weight loss, but the bacteria that accumulate on the diseased teeth and gums are easily swallowed and spread to organs (heart valves, kidney tubules, sections of the liver) that are not functioning as well as they were earlier in the animal's life.

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