# Taking care of older dogs



## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

My PWDs are about 50 lbs. So when they are puppies, I teach them to get onto the grooming table by first climbing onto a chair with a padded seat. This works for a long time, but when the dogs get around 12 or 13 years, they can no longer jump onto the chair. So I had to built a couple of graduated steps next to the grooming table so they could still get up on it.

A while ago I added foot stools by the bed and also by the couch for my dog that will be 13 next month. Recently she was having trouble with the height of the the footstools. So now I have added a lower step that is located next to the footstool. On good days she uses the higher footstool. On other days, she uses the lower step.

I also put these steps in the back of the car so that I can get her in and out of the car for vet visits.

I am glad that I taught her how to use steps when she was young. I did it initially for my benefit since I could not lift her when she was grown onto the grooming table, but now that she is losing strength in her hind quarters, she can still get up on the couch and bed with these steps.

I also have a dog cot on the floor next to the bed and I am encouraging her to use that, but she still likes to get up on the bed and can do that with the use of the steps.

I have a friend who had a basset hound that was 16 before she passed. Towards the end, the dog could no longer get onto the bed and basset hounds have long bodies and cannot use steps. So she took the box springs off her bed and slept that way for the last couple of years of her dog's life.

I wondered if others were like me and provided steps for their older dogs. It is sad when they age and can't get around very well, but I think she still feels like part of the family when she can get onto the furniture like she is used to.

I plan to teach my miniature poodle to use steps even if I can lift him when he is an adult. I think it helps prepare them for getting onto very high beds and it helps when they get older. It is like teaching them to use a piece of agility equipment. They don't have to use it all the time, but I want them to understand its use when needed. I just point to the step and they go up on the grooming table using that method. I also teach them to go down using the same step or footstool. When they are young, they go fast. When they are old, they go slow.

Just thought I would share my use of steps because I really don't know how I would be dealing with my older dogs without the steps.


----------



## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

What great ideas, MiniPoo! Sounds like your dogs are very cherished members of your family and I bet they feel that love!


----------



## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

My old lady can't use steps due to damage from being hit by a large pickup truck when younger. We have a crate with a bed in it that she can use to get away from the younger dogs. There are extra beds scattered on the floor and she can still manage to get up on the low futon if she wants. We make sure there are plenty of soft places she can lay on on every room. She gets her own walk so there are no bouncy poodles banging into her and her painful hips/pelvis. Sigh she is already showing signs that this winter will be very hard on her and we are now having that difficult talk about letting her go this year especially now that we have discovered lumps on her body... She has only been with us 13 years... far to short a time.


----------



## Bellesdad0417 (May 18, 2014)

My past old Spoo boy Noah couldn't walk up or down the stairs very well so to reduce the number of times he had to climb stairs I just scooped him in my arms and took him with me. Granted for a Spoo he was small only about 38 lbs


----------



## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

Futons are great for dogs having problems getting onto high furniture. I use dog cots and soft round dog beds in the living room and bedroom to give them an alternative if they can't manage to get on the furniture.

Took my older dog to vet today for wellness exam. We are going to increase her rimadyl a little and start giving her B complex, vit E, and some essential fatty acids and see if that helps her get around better. My vets are trying to use vitamins and herbs more, which I appreciate.


----------



## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

When my old girl was fourteen, I kept my bedroom very neat and orderly because she was mostly blind and had everything memorized. I couldn't stand the confused look on her face if she bumped into a chair that was out of place. I also push the ottoman next to the foot of my bed so the older dogs don't have to jump so high.


----------



## Feelingdoc (Feb 18, 2014)

My spoo Payton was just shy of 16 when he passed - we had a system with going upstairs where he'd put his front feet up and I'd lift his rear. It was slow but it seemed safer to have me help him. He needed less assistance with down but a little gentle encouragement helped. My Cody just turned 9 and he is starting to slow down, a little slower on long walks, and more hesitant on stairs. He will stand at the bottom of the stairs and circle a couple of times before he decides he will leap up. 

As others have said a warm bed to rest on and a little extra gentleness helps them be safe and feel comfortable. He is such a calm presence in my life...at this age they become almost "perfect." Sweet, loving, obedient (without having to be told) and very appreciative of everything you do for them.


----------

