5 Ways to Help Your Senior Giant Breed Dog
As our furbabies grow older, their needs grow as well. Unfortuntately, we don’t always notice their changing needs right away. The following 5 things can really help your senior giant breed dog live a long, pain-free life.
Invest in a Ramp
If your dog is losing interest in coming upstairs to snuggle with you at night or lacking excitement for car rides, there’s a good chance your dog is in pain. Investing in a ramp can allow your senior dog to enjoy his favorite things once again.
When purchasing a ramp, ensure you measure your car or other area that you plan to use it. You don’t want to have to send it back! It’s also important to take it slow with the new ramp. Most likely, your dog will be wary of the ramp and need some coaxing to learn to use it. Time and treats will help you and your dog achieve success!
Add Joint Supplements
I always recommend starting giant breeds on joint supplements as soon as you bring them home, but it’s never too late to start. Depending on the severity of your dog’s pain, there are several levels of joint supplements available.
We are currently using GlycoFlex from VetriScience and the Pure Salmon Oil from Only Natural Pet to keep Mauja and Atka’s joints healthy and pain-free. A good joint supplement can help to avoid or reduce medication for your senior dog.
Upgrade Your Dog’s Bed
Many dogs, especially the fluffy ones, enjoy relaxing on the cool tile or other hard floor. However, as your dog ages, the hard floor can be particularly detrimental to his health. The hard floor can lead to stiff joints and an aching body. An orthopedic bed can really help to soothe the joints.
It can be extremely difficult to get a high-quality orthopedic bed that doesn’t flatten under the weight of your gentle giant, but Big Barker beds are specifically designed with giant breeds in mind. While I do not have any personal experience with the Big Barker beds, I have heard wonderful things about them.
Get Regular Exercise
While your senior giant breed may have slowed down a bit, it’s important to continue with daily exercise. Be sure not to over-exercise your senior dog, but moderate amounts of exercise will help keep his muscles strong and supple.
In addition to muscle strength, regular exercise will also help to prevent obesity, which puts unnecessary strain on your dog’s joints. Maintaining an active lifestyle is a great way to improve your dog’s mood and prevent anxiety and boredom.
Try ToeGrips
It’s not uncommon for senior giant breed dogs to have issues with slick floors. Their mobility becomes limited and they run the risk of further injuries from slipping and falling. Rather than cover your house with mats that probably slip under your dog’s feet, try giving your dog the gift of ToeGrips.
ToeGrips work with your dog’s natural bio-mechanics by enabling instant traction through their toenails. The ToeGrips create a “Grip Zone” to provide traction where the toenail meets the floor.
Helping to move a senior giant breed dog around the house can be quite the difficult task. Not only do they weigh more than most of us are capable of lifting, but you also want to try to avoid hurting any aching muscles your dog has. If your dog is struggling, I highly recommend giving Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips a try.
Do you have any advice for making senior giant breed dogs more comfortable?
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The toe grips are a really neat idea!
My dog is having a much harder time getting around now that he’s a senior. He’s not a giant breed. He’s a 70-pound Lab mix. He takes pain medication for his stiff joints, so that is one thing I would add to the list if it’s needed. I think most of us like to avoid pain medications for our dogs as long as possible and go the natural route when we can but sometimes you have to weigh the pros and the cons of medications.
Also, massage!
Such a helpful post!! Emmett isn’t a giant, but at 65 pounds he’s too big for me to lift every day! I got a ramp for the car and steps for the furniture… But I sure wish I had trained him before he needed them. He’s struggling to learn them both, and we have to have such short sessions because he exhausts himself! Oh, and we just ordered ToeGrips. He’s on day 2, and so far so good!
Bought a Big Barker bed for my 10 year old 115 pound Great Pyr a little over a year ago – looked everywhere for a bed that could provide both the support and the size that we needed and Big Barker was it. Only challenges – my pyr seeks the coolness of the tile so has to be coaxed on to his bed …. and keeping the other dogs off of it!
Great ideas, and useful for dogs that aren’t a giant breed as well. My Husky is 6 and I’d like to start adding some natural things to her diet for joint support. I’m very interested in adding salmon oil to her diet.
Love & biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
I especially appreciate your advice to not knock kitty off the counter anymore. My dog and I lived in a camper (like you put in the back of a pickup) for a year and a half. We broke all the rules, and now in the house, we just made new ones. Ok, SHE made new ones. At 14 she is still the boss, and the other three dogs here have to give her space or I will put them out. For awhile. She appreciates it. I appreciate her!
I like the idea of getting ramps for your dog. Our Bosley isn’t quite there yet but we are giving him joint supplements and taking him to the park for exercise. I’ll be sure to look into getting ramps soon for our stairs. Thanks for the info.