What Do You Do To Prolong Your Dog's Life?

[Blackdogs]

What do you do to prolong your dog's life?

I have a Kelpie and he's always been incredibly active, so I worry about joints. Prior to him I only had small dogs with a greater life expectancy, so I'm a bit paranoid. His ancestors have only made it to between 12 and 13. He's 6.5 years old and I have him on Synflex and/or PAW Osteocrare Supplements, he has a premium diet with dental diet thrown in, he swims a lot, sleeps on a soft surface and gets plenty of mental stimulation. I've kept him fairly lean. I've even given him a course of cartrophen as a preventative. I'm not sure what else I can do.

What do you do to prolong your dog's life?

Which breed/s do you have and at what age do you start taking measures?

What would you consider to be essential for a dog to live a long and happy life? Are there some areas that are breed specific that require more attention?

[trifecta]

I don't believe in starting supplements until the dog needs them. I feed raw & have done for 25 years. My dogs have been BSDs, GSDs, & Kelpies & their derivatives over this time. I practise a minimum vaccination protocol. All have attained good ages except for our GSDx who succumbed to mandibular osteosarcoma at around 10 years of age. They get heaps of exercise, are kept fit & some have trialled in obedience.

To my mind longevity comes down to good genes & destiny, just like us humans :)

I think cancer & snake bite are the two biggest concerns for me, but I do not believe in going through life worrying about what may happen. Live life to the full & make the most of each day :D

[OSoSwift]

Hmmm many things that can affect longevity are determined before we get them.

Give them a good diet, keep them lean and fit, I also do three yearly vaccinations not yearly.

If you do all of those sorts if things then the rest is up to days and their genes

[Jumabaar]

My 8yr old Kelpie is on an oral joint supplement- she has done dog sports so I know has done damage and wont limp on a torn ligament let alone a little arthritis so I have started it protectively. As is her daughter who is 5 because she has had some injuries to her paws. I would do this with any dog that has had an active or accident prone life (as my silly Kelpies have).

I keep my dogs as light as possible weight wise- nothing worse than an old arthritic dog with 8kg of extra baggage to lug around. It does creep up as their body composition changes and they are less active but it is possible to keep them mobile.

I do yearly blood tests from 7yrs of age- its much easier to catch diseases as they start and treat then them compared to treating them once there are clinical signs. This is just starting to be recommended by veterinarians so we can treat older animals proactively rather than reactively and can make a huge difference to life span and cost of treatment.

A balanced diet

and after all that time and effort- what will be will be.

[Guest Clover]

You can do all you want, ad everything under the sun to their diets and still get ripped off. My 9 year old "old boy" has been on cartrophen for about 18 months now, fish oil most his life, been kept lean etc but still has issues with his joints. I retired him from flyball what I thought was early enough but apparently wasn't.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Clover

[GeckoTree]

Prolong natural life, just normal things like heart worm meds etc, I try to give a natural life as possible without being neglectful, she's 11-12 now? I cant be sure, Breed is no breed and many breeds dingo prevails. But going great guns. Keeping fit and active, good food etc.

Cant be sure about the long, but happy for us is doing things together keeping fit and active both in the body and mind, can't say on breed specific issues, non experienced with breeds.

J.

edit because the questions you wrote stuffed up when I tried to quote them went all crazy formatting on me. ....Again happens a lot. .

Edited January 23, 2013 by GeckoTree

[Guest donatella]

I am a believer that nothing works and some dogs are pre-dispositioned to disease, getting ill and dying earlier no matter what fancy diets or products you start them on.

Don't get me wrong, my girls are on raw diet, they are wormed, heart wormed, desexed and wrapped in cotton candy but I won't be supplementing them with anything extra in the hope to buy them a few extra years while they are young (of course I would put them on meds as they age for illness and disease if that bought them time/quality of life).

My mum has 3 mutts, all eat crap food, sugar, fat, ALL table scraps it makes me but they have been sick maybe twice between them. One is 16 and my 2 have racked up vet bills 10 times bigger in their 2 short years of life combined then these 3 in their 5, 13 and 16 together. Whoever thought Pedigree and Goodo's could keep a dog alive for 16 years

[espinay2]

Promoting longevity starts way before they are born as a lot can be inherited. And then begins from day one you have them. For me it is natural diet, minimal chemicals, keeping them fit, keeping them lean, ensuring teeth and mouth are healthy (as periodontal disease can be the cause of many internal problems), keeping them mentally happy and free of stress, keeping them well maintained/groomed and ensuring their environment is a healthy one. I too only give supplements when needed. Sometimes even then it comes down to the luck of the draw but at least you then know you have given them the best life possible. The important thing too is that you don't stress so much about losing them that you forget to enjoy the now. Dogs live in the now and sometimes we need to take that lesson from them.

[Kavik]

What do you do to prolong your dog's life?

I have a Kelpie and he's always been incredibly active, so I worry about joints. Prior to him I only had small dogs with a greater life expectancy, so I'm a bit paranoid. His ancestors have only made it to between 12 and 13. He's 6.5 years old and I have him on Synflex and/or PAW Osteocrare Supplements, he has a premium diet with dental diet thrown in, he swims a lot, sleeps on a soft surface and gets plenty of mental stimulation. I've kept him fairly lean. I've even given him a course of cartrophen as a preventative. I'm not sure what else I can do.

What do you do to prolong your dog's life?

Which breed/s do you have and at what age do you start taking measures?

What would you consider to be essential for a dog to live a long and happy life? Are there some areas that are breed specific that require more attention?

Kelpies generally have a long life expectancy - into their teens is not uncommon. My current oldie is a Kelpie X who is 13 years old, my current 'youngster' lol is nearly 7. Good diet, exercise, fitness both physically and mentally, and trying to avoid the nasties such as ticks and snakes - most other things are down to luck and genetics. My 9 year old GSD is not in as good a way as my 13 year old, he has a lot more health problems, that have nothing to do with anything I have done.

[Sheridan]

I didn't start any supplements with Grumpy until he started slowing down which is when he was 14 or so. He didn't slow down completely until Cushings set in at 16. Unless the dog is injury prone or has obvious signs of arthritis or similar, it seems odd to give supplements.

[Rebanne]

I'm 53 and take supplements, I share them with my dog who is 6 1/2. :D We both have aches and pains We take superflex tablets and magnesium.

[littlesev]

This is an interesting thread. I'm wondering the same thing because I'm raising my first dog in years and want to do my best to keep him healthy. Like Donatella, I have an my uncle who has a chihuahua who eats KFC, all cooked bones and all sort of table scraps. He's never been on lead, never get walked / vaccinated / crated / trained etc (they live in a different country). I keep telling them that food isn't good for him but he hasn't been sick ever :laugh: Meanwhile, mine has been to the vet back and forth in the few months I have him. Not saying we should feed them junk but perhaps not treating them with kiddie gloves make some dogs stronger?

Also, does anyone do any regular test to monitor their health and see what needs to be added to the diet?

[tlc]

I defiantly don't wrap mine in cotton wool otherwise they would never lead the great life they lead out and about having fun, but I do do as much as I can to keep them healthy.

Annual vacs which I don't believe are as necessary as they are but I do it as we socialise at a lot of off leash dog parks so if it stops them getting one disease its worth it.

Good food, keeping their weight down.

Regular coat care, regular brushing, baths fortnight and clipping bi monthly, this allows me close inspection of coats, feet, ears, skin teeth regularly if anything needs addressing it gets addressed.

Never letting them sleep on concrete or any cold hard surface for any length of time.

Regular worming.

Regular excessive.

Vigilance with excessive jumping.

No chemical flea treatments unless I actually see a flea which is usually only after we have been away, I hate this stuff with a passion! (Maybe I'm just paranoid)

I'm a believer in if its going to happen its going to happen but if I can prevent some stuff by good common sense then I'm happy.

I never want to say to myself "oh if only I had of done it this way" which I do on occasion and kick myself over.

Our old dog lived till 16 and my old kitty is 21 which I think is a pretty good longevity record. I can't bare to think about my animals or being here but as know its inevitable, but in the meantime I like to give them the best possible life I can.

Great idea for a thread by the way. It's something I think about all the time and hope I am giving them all they need.

[tlc]

Also, does anyone do any regular test to monitor their health and see what needs to be added to the diet?

I think this question needs to be looked on as how the dog looks and feels at any given time, if they have healthy teeth, coats, skin, energy etc etc then the diet they are on must be working. Well that's how I look at it anyway. If I took advice from the vets I'd be feeding the most expensive food ever that they sell. I like to be the judge of what they need as far as food requirements go. Don't get me wrong I have had to change diets with one of mine a few times before we finally got it right. Some dogs can have anything and still lead a long life some dogs diets need a bit of tweaking.

[Rosetta]

I am a believer that nothing works and some dogs are pre-dispositioned to disease, getting ill and dying earlier no matter what fancy diets or products you start them on.

Don't get me wrong, my girls are on raw diet, they are wormed, heart wormed, desexed and wrapped in cotton candy but I won't be supplementing them with anything extra in the hope to buy them a few extra years while they are young (of course I would put them on meds as they age for illness and disease if that bought them time/quality of life).

My mum has 3 mutts, all eat crap food, sugar, fat, ALL table scraps it makes me but they have been sick maybe twice between them. One is 16 and my 2 have racked up vet bills 10 times bigger in their 2 short years of life combined then these 3 in their 5, 13 and 16 together. Whoever thought Pedigree and Goodo's could keep a dog alive for 16 years

A bit like people really :laugh:

I think a sensible diet that suits the individual dog, moderate exercise and good veterinary care including vacs against preventable disease are the best anyone can do.

[Rebanne]

I'm happy with my dogs diet but since I had the 6 1/2 yo at the vets yesterday we did draw blood so we have a base line to compare to later on in life. Not sure if I would do it every year. And I don't vaccinate every year either, nor dose them up every month on a one dose does everything pill. Heartworm tab every 6 weeks, intestinal worming 2 or 3 times a year, flea treatment if I see a flea.

[Pollywaffle]

I guess I work with the same approach as I do to humans..I remember one of my nans ate incorrectly, never exercised, smoked, drank and lived to her late 80s...but she never had any real stress and was loved.. now I'm not advocating that a dog should drink or smoke (!)....but the loving and stress avoidance bits are something we give our dogs in droves..seems to be working so far!

[RiverStar-Aura]

For me, it'll be interesting to see how my current two dogs fair compared to my gorgeous Poochie. She got to over 16 being fed table scraps, left over roast lamb legs and never vaccinated or treated for heartworm.

On the other hand, Zeus and Kirah are flea and all-wormed on a regular basis, are fed premium kibble, RMBs, tuna and mackerel and are taken to the vet for annual check-ups. I'll be very interested to see if what I'm currently doing for them is overkill.

[Rosetta]

I'm happy with my dogs diet but since I had the 6 1/2 yo at the vets yesterday we did draw blood so we have a base line to compare to later on in life. Not sure if I would do it every year. And I don't vaccinate every year either, nor dose them up every month on a one dose does everything pill. Heartworm tab every 6 weeks, intestinal worming 2 or 3 times a year, flea treatment if I see a flea.

I hate vaccinating every year - I wouldn't do it but for the damn kennel requirements!

[Maddy]

Prior to switching to an entirely raw diet, my eldest greyhound was starting to look bad- he was skinny, scruffy and really looked like an old dog. Now, he keeps weight on well, his coat looks good and he can move a lot better. He's on a few supplements although I suspect he may suffering from lumbosacral stenosis so they won't make much difference once the back end really starts to go.

Besides diet, I don't really do much else. They get vacc'd every second year, wormed out every 6-8 weeks, flea treated monthly (or fortnightly if the flies are bad in summer) and I try to make sure their diet is interesting enough to keep living for :p