Pets are like children to most of us, they hold a very special place in our family and in our lives. Dogs especially grab our hearts in a special way, if you have had your dog since it was a puppy; there is a bond there that you won’t ever have with another pet.
Unfortunately dogs get older much faster than us and we have to deal with their ageing and death. I personally have a Border collie who is 14. We were told she would only make it to 12, so she is really holding on. She has lost her hearing and a lot of her sight as well as a good amount of weight.
From this experience I have learned a lot of how to make sure she is still happy while she is alive. As they say, quality of life is much more important than quantity.
Special Care
If you have an old dog, be prepared to take some extra special care for them. Doing the every day activities is not easy anymore and they may need help with more than you think. For instance, Allie, our 14-year-old Border collie can’t make it down the stairs anymore. She can walk upstairs pretty well, but we now have to carry her downstairs. We also had to get a special bed to keep on the floor for her since she cannot get up on the couches anymore.
Grooming
If you have a dog, then you know that they can get quite dirty. You may be use to giving them baths quite often, but I found with Allie that it was best to bring her to a groomer. The groomers are wonderful with Allie and treat her with special care because of her age. They wash her, shave down her fur, cut her nails and wash her teeth. They do it a lot better and gentler than I could and its worth the money to invest in this, and Allie always feels wonderful.
Food
As your dog ages, eating hard food becomes more difficult. Not only are their teeth not quite as strong, but their digestive systems don’t quite work as well as it did when they were younger. We keep regular dog food out for our other dogs and for Allie to nibble on throughout the day, but every night we give Allie a can of wet dog food. Since we started doing this we noticed a tremendous change in her energy and strength; it really helps!
Safety
Your dogs’ safety is everything. If you have a pool be extra careful with that. Believe it or not, elderly dogs often will have strokes and find themselves stuck in the pool; it’s an awful situation. I strongly recommend a good home security system. Smith Home Security is perfect for caring pet owners. They offer for home security cameras to be installed and you can view them right from your smart phone. This is perfect so you can keep and eye on your dog while you are not home and know that they are safe.
Katelyn Loy Sampels is a dedicated writer for Smith Monitoring Systems, cellist, guitarist, singer and songwriter. Up and coming musician.
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