Senior Dog & Cat Tips

Many pet owners have a tough time deciding whether to add a new puppy to the household when the resident senior dog is in decline. If you have the time and energy to manage encounters and meet the needs of each, it can be rewarding not only to you but to your old dog too.

“The majority of time the addition of a new puppy can rejuvenate an old dog, giving him or her a new lease on life and improving their quality of life. But it requires some time and management to work well,” said Dr. Laurie Brush, founder of Heaven at Home Pet Hospice.

For example, it often takes a month for a new and old dog to acclimatize to one another. If your senior pup is in rapid decline and might pass in a month, it might be best to wait. However, a pet’s sunset era can cover many months, if not years, in which case, the sooner the better.

“Having a pup around can be a form of enrichment for your senior,” Dr. Brush said.

The temperament of your senior dog should be evaluated when choosing a new puppy, with consideration given to size and breed characteristics of each. Senior dogs are also creatures of habit who crave routine. Disruption may cause anxiety or envy if not mediated. For this reason, it’s important to give each pet time and space, and to honor the pack order.

• Focus your attention on your older dog before greeting your younger dog
• Feed your older dog first
• Put the leash on your older dog first
• Ensure your senior dog feels like their belongings – toys, chews, etc. – still belong to them and not the new puppy.

What’s the best way to get senior and junior off to a good start?

Remember the importance of territory to your resident senior during the introduction phase, and:

• Introduce on neutral ground off leash, through a fence OR
• Walk the dogs parallel before introduction
• Offer brief sniffing opportunities
• And/Or Let the resident elder find the new dog already in the house.

With a bit of patience, a new pup can bring new life and new love to you and your old dog.

The Heaven at Home Pet Hospice team sees aging pets in pain every day. With the right combination of care, they can often help those pets enjoy many more months – or years – with their families. Multimodal treatment may include medication, environmental modifications, nutritional supplements, and a variety of therapies from electro-magnetic loops to cold laser. Now Heaven at Home can offer an even wider range of pain-management options by tag-teaming with Dr. Molly Doyle of Resilience Integrative Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Doyle opened her mobile service in 2020.

“We’re so excited to be able to partner with Dr. Doyle to offer our clients at-home chiropractic and acupuncture therapy as part of our hospice and palliative care planning. This will be a game-changer for many of our senior companion animals,” said Dr. Laurie Brush, founder of Heaven at Home Pet Hospice.

Continuing research has shown that animal acupuncture and chiropractic improves pain management and mobility in senior pets. Helping animals feel better through the release of endorphins, helping their medication work better, and in some cases, even reversing the ravages of age or injury are all things that inspired Dr. Doyle’s integrative practice.

“With these modalities, research shows you’re triggering the release of endorphins, improving lymphatic flow, increasing circulation, even building new stem cells,” she said.

The science behind both acupuncture and chiropractic involves increasing the circulation of neurotransmitters, which then increase the interaction between the nervous system and the endocrine system. In the case of chiropractic treatment, abnormal joint mobility interferes with blood flow and proper nerve signals. Adjustments restore muscle function and neurological reflexes to mitigate pain, reduce inflammation and help restore proper mechanics.

Dr. Doyle saw first-hand the powerful impact of chiropractic adjustments combined with acupuncture while working at a gold-standard equine surgical hospital near Kansas City. Next, she witnessed a profound recovery in a paralyzed dog. The results inspired her to specialize in integrative pain management and rehabilitation for animals at either end of the health spectrum – high-performing animal athletes and pets suffering from chronic illness or old age.

It was a perfect trifecta for the animal-loving equestrian, dog trainer, and handler who’s spent time in the competitive ring.

“Being with animals is my happy place,” she said.

For coordinated geriatric care, contact us today. To connect with Dr. Doyle directly regarding younger animals or athletes, visit ResilienceVetMed.com.