Our 14 year old Labrador was always keen to go for a walk when she was younger. Now, she's more inclined to lie on her couch unless she feels like going for a walk. When she does, I generally take her out for a long slow ramble around the neighbourhood. Our daughter was home recently from abroad and suggested this maybe we were walking her too much, as she is limping quite a lot and her back legs frequently give out under her. She and her partner have a much younger dog that was carrying an injury a while back but was always "hot to trot" when given the opportunity. I'm not sure what's the right thing to do here. I think there's a big difference between a young dog carrying an injury and an old dog suffering from arthritis. Should I walk her less than I currently do? I should mention that if I say the w word and she doesn't feel like going out, she will clamber back up onto her couch. I'd welcome any thoughts on this. Should I talk to her vet about it and see what he thinks?
I think this is really tricky - and so difficult to get right. I think a chat with your vet could only help to guide you. For what it's worth, I think breaking walks up into smaller walks, rather than having all exercise in one big lump, is easier on dogs with arthritis. You do well to try to keep her moving up to what she is happy to do of course but if easing back means she doesn't limp so much that would be a good thing - perhaps try reducing and see if that helps?
Maybe some joint supplements or meds would help her. ONe thing that won't help is inconsistent walks. Long walks one day and mostly short the rest of the week, or none, is bad for arthritis. At her age most likely shorter and easier would be good. Do, ask your Vet.
My boy was quite slow in his last two years and this question was always on my mind. He thankfully did not have arthritis, but he did have two TPLOs (torn cruciate repairs), elbow dysplasia and spondylosis. My feeling on the matter (and his vet's as well) was that our long walks are what kept him going as long as he did. We certainly changed out rhythm (very slow) and the duration as he aged, but we kept on going. I got him a harness so I could help when his back legs got weak and put a shoe on his back foot that dragged when he got tired to protect his pads. While we used to easily spend 10 hours a day out sightseeing, the new rhythm became: walk 45 minutes, rest one hour, walk 30 minutes, rest 30 minutes, walk 30 minutes, then done. You know the look in your dog's eyes when she is tired, in pain or simply had enough. That's why you let her clamber back on the couch when you know she really doesn't feel like going out. My vote is to keep moving, just pace the movement for her as you've already been doing. Old dogs are the best, by the way - sending a big butt scratch to your girl!
Ive shortened my old girls walks and used supplements and meticam. The problem I've found is replacing the stimulation provided by walking. They can become depressed if they don't feel engaged and involved.
Thanks for the replies folks. When I say long walks, I'm talking duration rather than distance. A typical walk would be around 3 quarters of a mile, with lots of stopping and sniffing. Occasionally we would cover a mile or slightly more, but that would be pretty rare. And I'd often just do a short block (around a third of a mile) if she's already had a couple of walks that day - although sometimes this would involve dragging her (not literally) towards home when she wants to go further afield. We're giving her Meloxidil and vegetable oil with her food (the vegetable oil was recommended by another dog owner as an alternative to cod liver oil we had been giving her). I've always taken the line that if she's keen to go out, then it's probably good for her. But my daughter's recent observations have caused me to re-examine this approach. Hence my post here. I think I'll call the vet tomorrow and see what he recommends.
