Hi Tom, that’s really interesting, I have been thinking along the same lines. I have an arthritic labradoodle called Frump who has been slowing down – I just thought she was getting old and being lazy but my vet pointed out that actually, she was in pain. I was really missing the long hikes we used to do. My vet put her on metacam pain killer syrup and she has improved so much but I still hadn’t been brave enough to take her for a long walk as the vet said she has a lot of muscle wasting. I’ve put her on a better diet – changed to a good quality wet food and she has started to lose some of the chub she had put on which seems to have given her more energy. So we are gradually building up her exercise – still on the lead at the moment (under vets instructions we started on just 10mins 3 times per day). It is a bit tricky working out circular routes that are only 10-20 mins and don’t just involve pavements. I tend to take the car out somewhere and do a short circuit. I am looking forward to those long hikes we used to do though I wonder if I might have to find a buggy like the one used in the big walk.

Pen

Hi, that is a quick response – obviously we are all on the web talking about our dogs instead of working ;-p Yes I have seen the website but I have to confess not having a proper look through yet. I’ll get to it as you suggest.

Tom

Hi guys,

As a physiotherapist I often get asked about how to keep an older dog motivated. As well as all that has been discussed another consideration is some low activity level puzzles in the house such as snuffle mats, kong toys, which will improve their mental wellbeing and also allow them to stretch and use muscles at their own pace. You can use their own food out of their daily allowance if weight is a concern. The CAM website is particularly useful for tips on keeping dogs mentally stimulated.

V

There are so many activities for older dogs it’s just about finding something that suits.I do lot of nosework activities with my dogs which is particularly good for my older girl who can’t do the hours of walking we used to do.

I am lucky in that I have access to land so we can do lots of tracking some days, we live quite near Thetford Forest so have been doing some woodland tracking that she really enjoys but you could do this anywhere, just have to be a bit more inventive.

Even hiding tiny pieces of food around the house can get them motivated & moving, surprising how hard they will work to find the next piece.

Natasha