Is your senior dog ready for hunting season?
Thursday August 11, 2011 05:51am
So, my boyfriend Max was sitting on the couch with Gussi (my eight year old dog) feeding her potato chips and going through the Cabela's catalog. He then looked up at me to tell me how many days there were until the 2011 hunting season started. Max continued to talk about the new gear he was going to buy and getting his gun ready. I told him that he was forgetting one very important hunting "tool" that he needed to get ready...Gussi.
Gussi, like the rest of your dogs LOVES to go out hunting and pretty much do anything for that matter. She still runs just as hard as she did when she was two, but she definitely feels it later. I am sure a lot of you have GREAT hunting dogs that are getting older and you want to hunt with them as many years as possible! So these are my suggestions for getting your older dog ready for this years hunting season and many more.
1) Make sure your older dog is getting EXERCISE! If your dog is not getting regular exercise you need to start an exercise routine with them NOW! When I say exercise I am not talking about playing ball in your small back yard! Take your dog for a long walk at least 3 times a week. Get them swimming. Swimming is GREAT low impact exercise for older dogs. For Gussi's exercise she either trains with me, goes for walks/runs or I have her swim "laps".
2) Keep track of your dog's weight. If your dog is overweight make sure to cut back their food and/or switch them to a senior diet. A senior diet will have the calories and nutrients needed for an older dog. Gussi is at a fine weight, I feed her 1 1/2 cups Eukanuba Senior twice a day. When hunting season starts and Gussi is working harder to retrieve birds and keep herself warm I will increase her food and/or give her a higher calorie food such as Purina Pro Plan Performance.
3) Take your dog to the Veterinarian for a check up. Your vet can recommend a supplement that can help with joint stiffness and pain. They can also prescribe pain medication. I took Gussi to the vet just the other day for her yearly exam. Gussi had routine blood work done (which came back great), was recommended a supplement and prescribed a pain killer to use as needed (Rimadyl). In the past I have given Gussi supplements. I have given Gussi PhyCox with success but as Gussi gets older she occasionally needs some pain medicine with her supplement and you can not give Rimadyl when a dog is taking Phycox. So I have recently switched her to Synovie G3. Rimadyl, PhyCox, and Synovi G3 can be found for a reasonable price at 1-800-Pet-Meds.
Remember our hunting dogs give us their ALL on every retrieve while we sit in the blind and watch. The least we can do is exercise them in the off season, buy them quality dog food and occasionally take them to the vet for a check up as they age.
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