Why my 11.5 year old isn’t slowing down
A few weeks ago I caught up with a friend who has a dog roughly the same age as my baby girl Freja.
She commented that she is noticing her dog slowing down and asked if I noticed that in Freja too.
I hesitated, feeling awful that in fact she wasn’t but my friend’s dog was, and so I thought about my words carefully. I then replied – “Thankfully not yet, I keep her going with regular vet visits, exercises and good food”
And the fact is many people who see her energy are surprised when I tell them how old she is.
But I don’t deny her age and nor would I ever say she “acts like a puppy” because she isn’t a puppy and her age needs to be respected.
I do worry people don’t see the “act like puppies” to be simply that, an act! Sounds harsh but dogs hide pain really well when they play and we need to closely examine to see how much they are in deed “acting”!!
From here I want to share 3 things I feel are helping to keep Freja moving and why she hasn’t slowed down yet.
1. Regular vet visits
I take Freja to the vet roughly every 3-6 months for routine check ups. Of course earlier if there is an issue, but regular check ups ensure the vet can assess for pain or disease. This means that any issues are detected early and prevented from becoming bigger issues with bigger implications!
2. Exercises
Specifically I’m referring to the strengthening exercises we do – many you can find on the couch class program here
As dogs get older they suffer from sarcopenia, a natural decline in the muscle mass and strength, and this happens in both humans and dogs and is the main culprit causing difficulty performing tasks like standing from sitting or lying, walk speed and issues with stairs. So exercises help them perform these tasks well, for longer!
Further, strengthening exercises help build muscle around arthritic joints to help decrease pain and we know pain is one reason why dogs slow down.
3. Good food
This includes relatively unprocessed foods, mainly fresh, and also the addition of supplements and bone broth. These help dogs stay at a healthy weight and optimizes joint health to allow for better, pain free movement.
What has helped keep your dog from slowing down?
Or is your dog slowing down and needing help?
Feel free to email me at:
Kylie ❤️🐾
