Health and Well-being

The age your dog becomes a “senior” depends on how big your four-legged friend is. Smaller dogs are considered seniors when they’re about 11, while larger-sized pups reach senior status by the time they’re 8.

As we roll into autumn, many humans experience some sort of mood shift due to plunging temperatures and pushing back the clocks. It’s the time of year with shorter days, colder temperatures and sometimes bouts of the winter blues. Sluggishness, or just a desire to do nothing and hunker down indoors, is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). No one knows for sure, but the same moodiness may affect your pet since we share much of the same chemistry in our brains.

If you’re a smoker, you’ve probably considered the effect that your habit has on your family and loved ones. However, you may never have thought about the effect that second-hand smoke may have on your pets. Yet, if you live with cats, dogs or other animals inside your home, you could find that the smoke that your furry friends are breathing in could be causing them problems.

One of the best decisions you can make in life is owning a senior pet. They have so many wonderful attributes: They're loyal, they're calm, and they're notoriously happy. They also love a good afternoon nap on the couch just as much as you do. Plus, deep down, most senior dogs still have that captivating puppy heart.

If you’ve ever been lucky enough to share your life with a dog, then you know the ways they can lift your spirits, offer companionship, and even keep you active. Senior citizens can benefit many ways when dogs are present in their lives. And, when senior citizens are paired with senior dogs? Both humans and dogs can benefit and support each other.

Dogs, like humans, can suffer from degenerative brain conditions in their senior years. These conditions are called canine dementia or Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD).

There are many symptoms of canine dementia. The warning signs can be slow to develop, which is why dementia is often undiagnosed.

Your dog is a part of the family. Unfortunately, dogs don’t live as long as humans, so we’re forced to watch them age, and eventually make some very difficult decisions about the end of their lives. It’s not easy to make the decision to euthanize an older pet, and you can go through feelings of extreme grief and guilt after doing so.

The holidays are for spending time with family and relaxing in your warm and cozy house. Whether you’ve rescued a senior dog or have had your senior dog all of his life, creating a special holiday space for your dog can make for the perfect gift. As your dog ages, his needs can change, too.

As much as we’d like, we can’t turn back the paws of time, so there are some things we just can’t change about our senior dogs:

It is the height of summer travel season, and pets are part of the family, so many may be hitting the road, but thousands of animals are injured or die each in car accidents. The cost of a properly fitting seat belt or harness is nothing compared to the cost of your pet not wearing one. A 50-lbs. dog, traveling 30 mph, will feel like nine 170-lbs. men pushed him against a brick wall if he is thrown during a motor vehicle accident (that’s “ruff”ly 1,500 lbs. of force)! Thinking back on our high school physics class -- a body in motion stays in motion until acted upon by an outside force.