CARING FOR A SENIOR DOG

My Husky Icy is nearly 15 years old, so at this point we've been dealing with caring for an old dog. I guess she's been considered a "senior dog" for the last few years, but until very recently it really hadn't been a concern at all to deal with caring for a senior dog.

Caring for an older dog

In the last year or so Icy has "aged" very noticeably. Her three biggest issues have been pretty advanced arthritis, dog dementia symptoms, and the fact that she's lost a considerable amount of weight in just a few months. 

Caring for My Senior Dog

During Icy's regular twice yearly wellness Vet visit, we wanted to discuss her advancing arthritis symptoms and some dog dementia symptoms she started experiencing. 

However, our Vet was most concerned that she had dropped several pounds in just a few months. So, in addition to Icy's scheduled bloodwork, the Vet wanted to take x-rays to see if anything was present that could account for Icy's rapid weight loss. Because of these three health problems, our Veterinarian sent us home with a few medications to help keep our senior dog more comfortable. 

The Vet gave us 4 medications for Icy:

> For her arthritis pain the Vet gave us two medications; Gabapertin for pain and Galiprant for inflammation. 

> Because Icy has been experiencing some dog dementia symptoms, which is a common older dog mental health problem, we were given Anipryl.

> The icing on the cake was that totally unbeknownst to us, my sweet dog apparently had an infection! It didn't show up in the bloodwork and she showed no symptoms of infection that we could see. 

Our wonderful, astute Vet noticed that as she was taking x-rays of Icy, some discharge was visible while she was being manipulated on the x-ray table. Because of this, our Vet also gave us an antibiotic to fight the infection. It worked like a charm! My poor dog's appetite had really diminished for no apparent reason. We though it was just an old dog thing, but 4 days after taking the antibiotic her appetite returned!

Now the infection is cleared up and we're left with three of the medications, which Icy will need to continue long term. She also gets monthly Flea/Tick/Heartworm medication. We regularly give her a number of supplements and a probiotic as well.

Whew! Old dog care can be a lot to manage! I'm not used to giving my dog many supplements and medications, but it's increased significantly since she's aged. In fact, the very first day I had to give her all 4 of the medications I really messed up!

The writing on those darn medication bottles is so small! Am I right about that?! I read them all and was sure I had it right - but nope! Each medication's instructions is a bit different and I'm embarrassed to say I messed it up. 

One of the pain medications is given once a day, but the pill needs to be broken in half! I sort of missed the breaking in half part and I gave Icy the whole pill. I quickly realized my mistake and called my Vet's office in a panic!  They said to just keep an eye on her and call them if she experienced any adverse effects. Not a great way to start off my dog's new medication regiment! Don't worry, she was fine.

After that I decided to write out all of the medications and their doses and instructions.  It didn't work out so well, small pieces of paper are easy to misplace. And once I put the instructions on the kitchen counter, which turned out to be wet - LOL!  I wanted a better way to track all the medications and supplements I need to give Icy so I created a tracker to help me keep it straight and keep everything in one place.

It worked out so well for me, I decided to expand upon it and create a Complete Pet Health Tracker and offer it for sale in my Etsy shop. I'm really proud of it and I hope it will help others stay on top of their pet's health. It's perfect for both dogs and cats.

My easy to use Pet Health Tracker helps pet owners keep track of their pet's healthcare including Vet visits, Pet medications and preventatives, Pet vaccinations, and Pet allergies. All the details can be organized and kept in one document.  

Both a Printable and Digital format are included in the low price $3.50. For a limited time, I'm also including a really useful Free Gift with Purchase! 

The tracker is an instant download product, so upon purchase you'll have access to the files. Visit my Etsy Shop and check it out!

Here's a preview of what you get in the Pet Health Tracker: 

Fortunately, Icy is doing well with her medications and supplements, and I haven't screwed up any more of her medications! 

We are so relieved that once her infection cleared up she started eating again. She's eating almost as much as she did before the infection was detected, so I hope she can gain back some of the weight she's lost. We'll be back at the Vet in a few more weeks for a re-check. I'm anxious to see if she puts some weight on. Stay tuned!

Icy splashing through the river on our hike!

We had been so worried that Icy wouldn't be able to make our trip up to the Blue Ridge Mountains in August, but she did great! We had a wonderful vacation. I'll be posting more about that trip very soon, but you can see my post about a few of the dog friendly coffee shops we visited there. I'm so happy she was well enough to go on this vacation, and thoroughly enjoy it! 

How do you keep track of your pet's health care? Leave us a comment and share!

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