Watching our furry best friends slow down with age, cease to enjoy favorite activities, and struggle with illness and pain can leave us feeling paralyzed and distressed. Luckily, these days there is a lot we can do to make aging easier for our dogs. An elderly dog can be kept quite comfortable and happy – which makes for a happy dog guardian, too.
At The Rex Center, I see dogs at every stage of life, but working with senior dogs and their owners brings perhaps the most satisfaction. There’s nothing better than giving people hope and relief by showing them all the ways they can improve their dogs’ mobility, pain management, activity level, and general enjoyment of life.
In addition to working with your trusted veterinarian to manage pain, disease, and injury, holistic approaches provide ways to take active – and proactive – control of your dog’s senior years. Annabelle, a recent canine client at The Rex Center, is a perfect case in point.
Annabelle came to us at 13 years of age, grey muzzled and struggling with arthritis. She had become thin, had trouble bending her legs, and couldn’t stand when she wasn’t walking. She was limping, stiff, and had stopped taking pleasure walks with her owner, Jan. She seemed to be in pain, so much so that Jan had begun to consider euthanasia. She came to me desperate for an alternative.
The first thing I noticed about Annabelle was her clear, alert eyes. Her wagging tail was hard to miss, too. She was clearly still interested in the world around her – it was just getting harder to explore. After talking with Jan about her goals and concerns, and getting to know her and Annabelle a bit, we decided on a plan.
We first tried Reiki, a healing energy process. Jan said that Annabelle had become more and more nervous at new locations away from home, so we did a short session that seemed to calm her down.
For exercise, we decided, Annabelle would partake of assisted warm-water swimming and massage. The water would take the weight off her tired joints, the warm temperature and the massage would loosen everything up, and the movement would allow her to rebuild muscle mass. After each session, Jan reported that Annabelle was happy and slept well. Week-by-week, Annabelle’s activity level in the water improved until she was swimming smoothly and for longer periods of time.
The mental stimulation part of our plan would include puzzle toys and chews at home, as well as trips to the beach – a favorite shared pastime that Jan felt was now out of reach. I suggested that Jan might want to take a body harness or sling along so that if Annabelle had trouble walking, Jan could help. If Annabelle was not strong enough to take long walks down the shoreline, she could still enjoy relaxing in the sand and taking in the ocean smells while mom caught up on her reading.
Diet and nutrition are critical components in any care regime. In Annabelle’s case, the food she had been eating for some time was primarily made of grains, including corn. I explained to Jan that corn is non-digestible for dogs and pointed her to some wonderful resources, including The Whole Dog Journal, so that she could make more informed dietary choices for Annabelle. We also discussed some natural supplements to support Annabelle’s joints and help battle the inflammation and arthritis diagnosed by her veterinarian.
Annabelle is doing quite well these days. Jan is still taking it one day at a time, thankful to have her old gal around for some more quality time together. She has been delighted to see Annabelle’s mobility and energy improve, her muscles strengthen, and her pain appear to ease. Jan knows that Annabelle will continue to age, but is happy to be enhancing her grace and dignity during the process.
Cathy Chen-Rennie opened The Rex Center, a comprehensive holistic behavioral and physical wellness facility in Pacifica, to provide canine warm-water swimming, dog training, and holistic therapies such as reiki and massage to Bay Area pets. Long-time dog lover Britany Lueras has a degree in journalism from San Francisco State University and contributes her writing talents to The Rex Center. Learn more at www.therexcenter.com.
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