# My Old Guy



## lylol (Feb 18, 2009)

Just wanting to sigh with folks who would understand... my 12 year old is really struggling with stairs now... I can tell it is painful for him to come down on his front shoulders and at the end of the flight of stairs yesterday he sat down and couldnt get his back end under him. I guess its time to make him sleep downstairs now but then how do I hear him when he needs to go out (which he does more)... and it will stress him so NOT to be with us. Thinking about trying some of the Springtime supplements. He is also having more trouble controlling when he poops. He is a very proud and loyal old "man" and it brings a little tear. Thanks for listening to me vent.


----------



## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

It is so sad when they do age, isn't it. No advice but be sure that we sympathize!


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

A pic of Magnus would be great! We love to gush over the seniors. I would definately check out the springtime supplements, you may be astounded in the difference it could make.
A higher protein diet helps seniors as well, not sure what you are feeding him, but check out his nutrition, too...Hugs to you and Magnus!


----------



## boeselager (Feb 26, 2008)

Please try some sea mussel from www.vitacost.com it is for humane use, but I give it to my 12 yr old girl Cierra, and it has done her wonders!!!! She is no longer whining in pain when she lays down or gets up. I get the sea mussel plus for her. If you go on their site, just go to their search box and type in sea mussel. It is awesome!!!!! Nothing else worked for her, until I tried this.


----------



## Bridget (Apr 5, 2004)

I give Heidi Glycoflex supplement, which I believe has glucosamine and sea mussel and so far it has worked wonder for her. Also, an aspirin if she is having trouble now and then. Good luck. It is very sad.


----------



## GSD10 (May 20, 2007)

Yup we get it. It is really hard to see them physically deteriorate, just plain heart breaking at times. In addition to the supplements people have suggested try gentle massage and a maybe a harness to help him up and down the stairs.


----------



## Trina (Sep 11, 2009)

Totally understand.

Our dogs were a big reason why we decided on a single level home. And same thing for us. My husband and I didn't want to be dealing with stairs as we age either.

I know that doesn't help you or your guy much right now. Like others here, I advise checking out some supplements, especially glucosamine. I know it made a world of difference for our Akita, who was already 8 or 9 when we started him on it.


----------



## abby (Mar 13, 2010)

I sympathize my old boy has DM and its hard to watch him and remember how active he was. He gets very frustrated with the two young hooligans but still manages to play at times. sounds awful but i carry his back end up the stairs like a wheelbarrow!! please dont judge me! I have my boy on cosequin ds and previcoxx from the vets which helps a bit.


----------



## Sigurd's Mom (May 12, 2009)

boeselager said:


> Please try some sea mussel from www.vitacost.com it is for humane use, but I give it to my 12 yr old girl Cierra, and it has done her wonders!!!! She is no longer whining in pain when she lays down or gets up. I get the sea mussel plus for her. If you go on their site, just go to their search box and type in sea mussel. It is awesome!!!!! Nothing else worked for her, until I tried this.



How many MGs do you usually give? My parents have an old Rhodesian ridge-back who is a bit over weight (she must be close to 100 lbs) and has pretty bad HD, and I was thinking this might help her, I just have no clue how much to give. She's on Rimadyl, but it's not helping and is really expensive (about $40 a week).


----------



## Gib Laut (Feb 21, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> A higher protein diet helps seniors as well, not sure what you are feeding him, but check out his nutrition, too..


I also urge you to consider diet.....my previous boy was diagnosed with cancer at 12 (this was my reason for diving into canine nutrition)....he was placed on a high protein, low carb home-made diet with lots of supplements of fish oil (and others)....prior to his diagnosis he had a lot of difficulty with stairs and he was very cold sensitive....after the diet change, he had energy like I had never seen and his arthritis practically went away.....I wished I had the sense to do it much earlier in his life!....just wanted to throw it out there.....


----------



## lylol (Feb 18, 2009)

Thanks for the ideas and support. I did get some supplements from Springtime.. both the joint and the longevity... prob too soon to really know but he seems to be doing better. Magnus eats Evo poultry and has for several years... it did wonders for his hot spots... not one since. He had a tumorous spleen removed at age 10 so we are thankful for all the time we have had with him. Here is a picture from last week. I also posted some pics of my youngster Rune on the photos page.


----------



## Woodreb (Oct 27, 2008)

He's a very handsome boy.

I had Rica on the Springtime joint supplement and the Factor Four. This combination is very similar to the Longevity. It has a few less ingredients than the Longevity.

If he's having trouble knowing that he needs to poop - when this happened to Rica I started keeping some pee pads and would have her lay on them when she was laying in the bedroom at night or in the family room. If she had a accident, it was an easy cleanup afterwards.


----------



## Basil2010 (Mar 17, 2010)

Just love them....and help him....best you can...


----------



## lcht2 (Jan 8, 2008)

i with everyone else and try to find him a joint supplement.


----------



## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

I went through this with the Barker Sisters in the last few years of their lives and earlier with surgery. I have a walk out basement and a deck with stairs. To get to the back yard we ended up going out the front of the house & around through the gate. Nearer the end, we often just went out to the front yard.
To manage the mobility, I used accupuncture and chiropractic which helped a lot.


----------



## Ocean (May 3, 2004)

lylol, this may not be an option depending on the layout of your house, but for my old girl, I even moved my bed downstairs.


----------



## mysablegsd (Aug 7, 2009)

What a handsome old fellow.


----------



## Trina (Sep 11, 2009)

Very nice picture...something about the way his eyes look half closed...he looks content.


----------



## DrDoom (Nov 7, 2007)

I have had GREAT success with Springtime's supplements! Bear is fed RAW, and he gets liberal doses of Bug Off Garlic, Longevity, and Omega 3-6-9. It has TRULY made a difference. He still struggles, but he's also out hunting up boar with us again, and he plays a lot more often. We don't know exactly how old he is, we don't think he's as old as your boy, but he's had hip issues since he came to us. They bother him a LOT less. Our vet was impressed enough he had me bring the empty containers in so he could look them over.


----------



## gsdmi (Apr 4, 2009)

We also use and like the Springtime Longevity. BUT -- my dogs are not good a licking their bowls clean, so felt that too much was getting wasted.

I switched them to the tablets -- which consist of the Joint complex, the Fresh Factors AND the Spirulina tablets -- those are under the horse supplement section. The combination of those three chewables makes up the Longevity formula. 

This way I am sure my senior boy is getting all the nutrients, they chomp those down like treats. He is doing very well -- bright eyes and face, good energy and doesn't seem as creeky in his joints as he did a few months ago.


----------

