Looking After an Older Dog

Jane is the marketing researcher for Animal Friends Insurance and has a fond love of all animals, most of all is her dog Bailey who she saved and cares for. This article is an introduction from Jane as she begins her time here with us, and a look at how she has taken Bailey into her home and let him become one of her family.

I am the proud owner of Bailey, an 11 year old Pyrenean Mountain Dog.  We rescued him when he was 3 from a house where he was left on his own, not let out at all, not walked, not groomed, just fed.  He also used the lounge as his toilet.  I will never forget the first time we saw him through the frosted glass of the door.  My first reaction was one of shock - I had no idea he was going to be quite so big - which quickly turned to joy, when this huge, smelly, smiling bundle came running towards us, weeing all over the place, but just so happy to have some attention.

We drove him home with all the windows open as the smell was unbelievable and the first thing he did when he came in was to cock his leg on our sofa!  We tried to give him a bath, but he was having none of that.  All he did was sit right up close to us and lift his paws to show us how long his nails were.  He was obviously in great pain and wanted to tell us all about it.  The next day, we took him over to his original breeder who groomed him (she took off nearly 7 huge bin bags of fluff), clipped his nails and removed the clumps of matted fur in between his pads.  She also did a few little checks on him to make sure that he wasn't showing any signs of aggression. 

A couple of days later, we took him along to the vets who gave him a thorough examination.  Luckily, there were no real problems, but he did have to have two operations on his feet where his nails had been so long and overgrown, he had suffered damage to the nail bed.  We had taken out pet insurance for him as soon as we got him and went for the highest level of cover because of his size and we were able to claim for the operations on his feet. 

Although it took me some time to really get to know and trust him, he is well and truly one of the family.  We would do anything for our dog and he is all the more special because he had such a dreadful start in life.  He loves us all so much and I know he would do anything to protect us and he has given us many years of happiness.

Now, at 11, the signs of aging are really obvious.  He has lost a lot of muscle mass on his hind legs and finds it very hard to get up.  He is on medication for this (and always will be) but some days he is particularly bad and needs a bit of help to be lifted. We used to walk for miles with him, but nowadays he can only manage a few yards.  We try to make it a bit more exciting for him by taking him out in the car so he's got lots of new smells to explore, but we had to invest in a very wide ramp to help him get into the car.

One of his favourite things is to be groomed and this is the perfect time to check for an lumps and bumps.  We also keep a close eye on the amount of water he drinks and how often he urinates, especially as the medication he is on can affect the kidneys.  We check his teeth and gums for any signs of swelling or bleeding once a week and keep his ears clean.  His vision and hearing all seem ok, but we do monitor this.  It is also important to us to continue with his vaccinations, worming and flea and tic treatments.   We haven't changed his diet much and his weight hasn't increased with the loss of exercise, but we do have to have his nails clipped more regularly as they aren't wearing down as quickly as they used to.

We know that 11 is a fantastic age for a large breed dog and every day with him is a bonus.  He came to us in such a dreadful state and we knew it wasn't going to be easy.  We've invested a lot of time and money to keep him healthy and happy, but we wouldn't have it any other way.  People may think a large breed like the Pyrenean would be difficult to look after, but they really aren't.  He gives us so much love and affection and has never ceased to be overjoyed when one of us comes home - even if we've only popped up the road for a newspaper!  He is a joy to us and everyone he meets.  Everyone loves Bailey.