Brodie will be 15 this year and she has been looked after really well with regular visits to the vets for dental care and arthritis becoming a little stiff. She takes metacam for arthritis and synulox anti biotic for bad breath with youmove added in supplements. On the whole she is fit and well will still be happy to go for walks and eat and drink normally. But she has started with a fur ball cough especially in the mornings. She has also recently become a little more wobbly and will hold her back leg really high as if she has cramp. The vets attitude is 'well it's to be expected at her age' fair comment but is there anything else I should be considering. The cough I believe maybe related to her heart and the wobble with the legs old age arthritus and loss in muscle mass. She's y baby and I want to take real good care of her in her old age, am I doing the right things I don't want her to be taking lots of medication but hope I'm not ignoring anything either ? Any thoughts will be appreciated
Hello Alison and a warm welcome from me and my dogs What a grand old age Brodie has achieved , she must have had wonderful care My first thought when you mentioned a cough, was heart , its often the first indication of failure or disease . She is bound to be unsteady on her legs, bless her, at her great age, I can understand your reluctance to keep increasing medications , as some can have unpleasant side effects , as she is happy and willing for walks , I wouldn't worry too much about her medication , just let her do whatever she wants to do and enjoy each day x
Hello there, I think if you find your vet is a bit dismissive, and you'd like to talk to another vet you should go ahead and do that. She sounds to be doing very well for 15, still enjoying life, but I think you are right not to just think 'it's old age' and to check she is getting appropriate treatment to keep her comfy. Well done you.
Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm afraid I don't have personal experience of an older dog (other than family dogs when I was a kid, but my parents obviously dealt with the majority of the care). I just wanted to wish you hello. There's certainly no harm in asking for a second opinion if you feel that there is something more the vet could or should be doing.
I wouldn't hesitate to give an old dog medication if it was going to help them. My husband takes loads of medication and without it he would be dead!!
Thank you so much for the support Brodie is a very happy dog and I love her to pieces as we do. I suppose as she is getting older I'm becoming more anxious about her well being. I am considering a second opinion if she gets any worse. She has 2 pals Cassie boxer 11 and Pip the patterdale 9 they keep her informed of what's going on as she's a little deaf to Team work if you study the basket they are all in the same one. Thank you so much for your warm welcome.
My old lab had a fur ball cough like you describe which I'm afraid was caused by his heart. He was just put on a water tablet at first and then eventually he was on meds for his heart. Has you vet examined Brodie for the cough ? If yes then maybe your vet doesn't think meds are necessary yet. These things obviously are aged related and I'm not sure if you can do anything for the back legs but you can do something for the cough. The main thing of course is to let her do what makes her happy. She's obviously made you happy all these years now it's her turn.
@Alison Just wanted to add , if its any comfort , one of my old terriers was diagnosed with heart failure , leaking valves , the works . He went on to live, happily until just before his 20th birthday , modern meds can be wonderful
Welcome to the forum! It sounds as if Brodie is doing well if she eats and drinks normally and is still happy to go for walks. I can understand that you're considering a second opinion. Our old collie-cross was thirteen when she died nearly three years ago. She had recovered well from a cruciate ligament op three years earlier and was on Seraquin to help with possible arthritis, so when she occasionally seemed a bit stiff we (and the vet) thought it was probably arthritis. It turned out to be worse than that when she collapsed coming home from a walk and had to be taken to the vet, where she was x-rayed. I think it all depends on what interventions are appropriate for an elderly dog. Did I wish her condition hadn't just been dismissed as arthritis? I don't know. Had she been x-rayed earlier we would have been very worried and might not have had the last enjoyable few months with her. She seemed comfortable and happy until her final collapse, even enjoying long journeys to Scotland and playing on the beach there with our other dogs and grandchildren. Seeking a second opinion might put your mind at rest, but enjoy the time you have with her too.
Have you considered any physiotherapy or maybe hydrotherapy? I dont know if hydro would be good for her if she has heart problems,but I think consultations with the vet might come in handy.
Hi Alison and welcome to the forum Just in relation to the cough - I'm not sure if it's been confirmed as being due to her heart, but if not then it could be something else. As dogs get old they lose muscle tone and get saggy, and one area that gets saggy is the soft palate at the very back of the mouth. This can make the dog feel like there's something in their throat, resulting in them trying to clear their throat periodically, with a gagging, coughing or retching kind of noise. So, it may be that... Worth asking your current or future vet about. If you have any doubts about the care your dog is getting then seeing another vet is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. I agree that taking a hands off approach just because it's 'old age' isn't ideal.... I'm all for making an old doggie as comfortable as possible and for making full use of what modern medicine has to offer.
Hi there, no experience of elderly dogs, just wanted to say hello and welcome to the forum. I am a great believer that quality of life is more important than quantity, so any meds that improve the quality of Brodie's life I wouldn't hesitate to back jac
WElcome to the board. I'd like to echo those who mention medication and other aids to make your old girl comfortable. Aging cannot be stopped but it can be made bearable and sometimes completely pain free, or at least pain reduced. 15 is such a good age for a Lab, you are obviously a wonderful Lab parent.
You have all been really helpful and i thank you so much for your kind support. I agree maybe as they get older there are all sorts of problems that come to light and i will continue to manage her with care and love. I wish everyone long and happy life's with their much loved pet's. I will check out the hydrotherapy too ! The vet is happy to leave the cough for a while so we will continue to monitor her for a while longer.
