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  1. #1
    Best Friend Retriever LucyTudeOn4Feet's Avatar
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    Senior check in.

    Let's start to rebuild the senior section with info about how our seniors are doing and what we give them to help alleviate their issues.

    Lucy & I are back. She's 12. She gets kidney & liver support supplements, glucosamine/MSM, multi-vitamin, immune system support, Traumeel & Heel. She's also on Coriolus Versicolor for osteosarcoma.
    She now has difficulty getting on the bed by herself, so she uses a step. We help her into the vehicle and lift her out. She no longer runs or fetches, her interest in that gradually disappeared after age 10.
    She eagerly goes for walks, she still loves to swim and fetch in the water, but those sessions are much shorter than they used to be. She sleeps ALOT.

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  3. #2
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    OMG, laughing so hard. Thought you wanted folks of my age to check back in - just kidding.

    Mardi, age 10, is actually doing very well. She has a bad hip and a bad knee on the opposite side. She lays down a lot but loves her mini walks. Little stinker even dug a hole in the yard yesterday. (Sorry Archie, thought at first it was you until I found the incriminating paws.) She has been on Fromm whitefish and potato this winter and has actually lost weight, yeah. She gets Cosaquin DS, vitamin C, Grizzly salmon oil, green beans and fruit. She occasionally gets Tramadol if she appears a little stiff. She's still has the Mardi Gras party girl personality. She's such a blessing. She tolerates Archie's antics and will give him what for if he gets out of line.

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    bearbuddymarie (05-25-2014), LucyTudeOn4Feet (05-25-2014), MikeLynn (05-31-2014), Ruger's Mom (05-28-2014), tennysonlab (06-22-2014), ZRabbits (05-25-2014)

  5. #3
    Puppy HunterBoozer's Avatar
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    Hunter was 12 in March, Yogi will be 10 in August and Chance will be 10 in December (where did the time fly?). All 3 boys get Cosequin DS with MSM daily. Hunter also gets a thyroid pill (he's been on them for years).

    Chance and Yogi haven't changed much (except for a few more white hairs on Chance and grey's on Yogi). Chance will always be my perpetual puppy. Yogi will patrol for squirrels, rabbits, birds, probably till they day he can't run. Hunter has changed the most. Grey eyebrows, paws, face/neck etc.... Every now and then will chase a ball, but much prefers you to sit on the floor across from him, and roll a tennis ball towards him. He will lick it back to you (he has done this since he was a pup). I guess that's his way of playing catch now. He likes to meander around the yard. Sleeps WAY more than he did as a pup. He'll still hop on the couch and snuggle with me (body curled up next to my hip/leg, with his head down towards me feet - its a recliner sofa) like he's done since he was a pup. His hearing isn't what it used to be (although sometimes I wonder if its just selective). This past year, we've had some kidney issues and now he's starting to leak a bit when he wakes up from a deep sleep. His eyes still have "life" in them with a nice twinkle.
    All in all, the old men in my life are doing pretty good!

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  7. #4
    Senior Dog
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    Though just starting my journey with a Lab pup, know one day I'll find I'm looking at a Senior. Thanks for sharing yours as I'd like to be prepared for what issues Lilly will experience.

    KAZ

  8. #5
    House Broken Lainie's Avatar
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    Jessie is starting to show some joint stiffness now. She had a bad time with her bath at the groomers recently & was in a lot of pain for about a day. Being the weekend, I had no chance of asking the vet for help. We have some leftover Tramadol so I gave it to her but it didn't seem to help. About 6 hours later I resorted to aspirin, it helped, she got more the next morning but she is fine now.
    I think its time to incorporate something into her food to keep her aches & pains from worsening.
    Do any of you have any advice on things like glucosamine with or without condroiton, or anything else that can be recommended. If it needs prescription, let me know what it is & I can ask the vet.
    Herbal supplements are certainly a consideration if anyone knows of a tried & true one. I have to be careful as Jessie is really sensitive to drugs.
    If you recommend a product that can be found over the counter, please let me know the brand name, dosage, etc., especially if its a product for humans.
    Thanks, our old friends need all the help we can give them to keep them happy ever after!

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  10. #6
    . . . keep 'em moderated Calley's Family's Avatar
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    Calley and Midnight are now 11 and 10 respectively. When we joined the board in February of 2003, Calley was 12 weeks old and Midnight didn't exist yet. Time flies.

    At any rate, we have been pretty lucky overall. Midnight had TPLO done on both back knees and although his flexibility is not what it was prior and it took a year to fully recover, he is strong on both legs. They are both nowhere near as active as they once were and we file their nails on a regular basis. Frequent naps? Check.

    They both are on Glycoflex 3 and the occasional Carpofen when they overdo it. Midnight is on L-Thyroxine which is keeping his thyroid levels good and Calley is on low-level DES twice a week to keep her 'leaking' in check.

    They are fed twice a day and each of their meals consists of a little canned (usually a Merrick product) mixed with 1 cup Hills Ideal Balance for Mature Adult. Their weight is stable and our vet (who is just great) is happy with their overall condition.

    Walks are shorter with no more 2.2 mile trips around the neighborhood, but we take frequent walks around the 2.5 acre front of our property. They still run and play and bark at the bicyclists and walkers going by our place.
    WE ... ARE ... CALLEY'S FAMILY!
    John & Jeannie, humans to:
    Hidden Content
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    Haleigh - b 3/2/2015 gotcha 2/4/2017

    Forever in our hearts:
    Michaela Calley Eileen, CGC - b 12/14/2002 d 1/28/2018
    Midnight Valentino, VGB - b 8/18/2003 d 5/4/2015

    No Bad Days * Positive is How We Live * Practice Aloha

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  12. #7
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lainie View Post
    Jessie is starting to show some joint stiffness now. She had a bad time with her bath at the groomers recently & was in a lot of pain for about a day. Being the weekend, I had no chance of asking the vet for help. We have some leftover Tramadol so I gave it to her but it didn't seem to help. About 6 hours later I resorted to aspirin, it helped, she got more the next morning but she is fine now.
    I think its time to incorporate something into her food to keep her aches & pains from worsening.
    Do any of you have any advice on things like glucosamine with or without condroiton, or anything else that can be recommended. If it needs prescription, let me know what it is & I can ask the vet.
    Herbal supplements are certainly a consideration if anyone knows of a tried & true one. I have to be careful as Jessie is really sensitive to drugs.
    If you recommend a product that can be found over the counter, please let me know the brand name, dosage, etc., especially if its a product for humans.
    Thanks, our old friends need all the help we can give them to keep them happy ever after!
    I give Cosaquin DS, one chewable a day, 1000 mg vitamin C a day, two human grade chewables one in the morning and one in the evening, Grizzly salmon oil, a squirt in the morning and evening. All of those are nonprescription. I do have Tramadol (prescription) on hand for the bad days.

    I also so daily range of motion exercises. When her laying down, I place my hand on her shoulder or hip and move the leg forward and back, very gently and slowly, stopping if there is any resistance. I work each joint down each leg. It's a nice quiet time for us. It takes time to get a routine going and your pup comfortable with it. Just take your time. Have done this with several seniors and it does help keep them a little more limber.

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  14. #8
    Real Retriever blacklabs's Avatar
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    With my seniors, they were on:


    • 6 monthly arthritis injections (Cartrophen, not sure what the US equivalent is)
    • Jointguard Powder sprinkled on their food daily (contains Glucosamine hydrochloride and Chondroitin sulfate along withMethyl Sulfonyl Methane (MSM), Manganese)
    • Fish Oil Capsules daily with their food


    They were fed two times a day and I alternated between raw meaty bones (RMB) and kibble with supplements like Sardines, yoghurt, raw eggs etc. Gave them treats of raw carrots, fruit, dried kangaroo, dried fish, chicken meat and beef jerky, all sourced in Australia.

    Walked daily and frequent trips to the river, mainly in the warmer months. With car outings, I wouldn't let them just jump out of the car, I would always help them out to ensure they didn't put extra pressure on their aging joints.

    Hugs to all the gorgeous seniors , I miss mine dearly.

    edited to fix spelling of Cartrophen
    Last edited by blacklabs; 05-25-2014 at 09:56 PM.

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  16. #9
    . . . keep 'em moderated Calley's Family's Avatar
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    Did you mean Cartrophen? If so, it is this. Sounds like it is good stuff.
    WE ... ARE ... CALLEY'S FAMILY!
    John & Jeannie, humans to:
    Hidden Content
    Tava - b 4/12/2015 gotcha 7/11/2015
    Haleigh - b 3/2/2015 gotcha 2/4/2017

    Forever in our hearts:
    Michaela Calley Eileen, CGC - b 12/14/2002 d 1/28/2018
    Midnight Valentino, VGB - b 8/18/2003 d 5/4/2015

    No Bad Days * Positive is How We Live * Practice Aloha

  17. #10
    Real Retriever blacklabs's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Calley's Family View Post
    Did you mean Cartrophen? If so, it is this. Sounds like it is good stuff.
    Yes I did, tks for picking that up, I have edited my post. Yes it is great stuff, our Vet calls it the "miracle drug" and I believed it definitely helped keep my seniors mobile, my two that reached 15 years of age were still pretty mobile at 15 with daily walks and swimming

 



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