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Over 30 Essentials to Support Senior Dog Health
31
items I have quite a bit of experience in supporting senior dogs. Caring for a 10-year-old Saint Bernard with multiple health complications means finding the best ways to keep her comfortable, mobile, and happy in her golden years. From joint supplements a...
Sections
4
Supplements & Joint Support
Nutrition & Hygiene
Exercise & Enrichment
Dog Safety & Health
Supplements & Joint Support
At 10 years old, Ginger has faced her share of mobility challenges, including hip dysplasia, two torn CCLs, and end-stage liver disease—but the right joint support and supplements have helped her stay strong, active, and comfortable. From vet-recomme...
As our senior pup has faced joint issues and mobility challenges, we’ve had to adjust her exercise routine to keep her active without overexertion. These gentle, low-impact exercises have been a game-changer, helping her stay strong, engaged, and hap...
Low-Impact Exercises That Keep Our Senior Dog Moving
Arthritis is something we’ve had to navigate firsthand with our senior pup, and finding the right ways to manage pain and mobility has been essential. This guide breaks down what to look for, how to support aging joints, and what’s actually helped us...
All About Arthritis in Senior Dogs
Long before our senior pup’s CCL tear, these Dasuquin soft chews helped reduce inflammation with MSM, resolving an old limp and keeping her comfortable. Now, they continue to support her CCL tear recovery, keep her joints healthy, and help her stay a...
Supporting Our Senior Dog’s CCL Recovery
When our senior pup was diagnosed with liver disease, our vet recommended Denamarin to help support her liver function. This supplement has been a key part of her care routine, giving her the extra support she needs to stay happy, active, and thrivin...
Vet-Recommended Liver Support for Our Senior Dog
Our senior dog is a picky eater on a good day, and sometimes she just isn’t in the mood for her regular food. This high-calorie gel has been a lifesaver on those days, giving her the nutrients she needs in an easy, tasty formula that she’ll actually ...
Easy Nutrition for Picky Senior Appetites
Our senior pup can be picky about her food, but she still needs the right nutrients to stay strong. These soft, high-calorie chews make it easy to give her an extra boost on days when she’s not interested in eating, and she actually enjoys them like ...
A Tasty Boost for Picky Senior Appetites
During Ginger’s CCL recovery, there were times she needed a little extra help standing up and keeping her balance—and this lift sling made all the difference. It gave us a safe, comfortable way to support her hind legs, helping her move around with m...
Dog Lift Sling for CCL Recovery & Mobility
Keeping Ginger moving comfortably has been a top priority, and this joint supplement has been a great addition to her routine. With ingredients that support joint health and ease stiffness, it helps her stay active and strong, even with her CCL injur...
Joint & Hip Supplement for Mobility Support
Nutrition & Hygiene
With liver disease and a picky appetite, Ginger’s nutrition needs have changed over the years, and we’ve had to adjust her diet to support her health. These carefully chosen foods, high-calorie supplements, and treats help ensure she gets the nutrien...
Caring for a senior dog comes with new challenges, but with the right care, routine adjustments, and enrichment, they can continue to live a happy, fulfilling life. This guide shares helpful tips on nutrition, mobility, and overall well-being, making...
Senior Dog Care Tips: Helping Your Pup Thrive in Their Golden Years
When Ginger was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease, our veterinarians recommended Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach to help manage her copper intake and keep her strong. This food has been a key part of her care plan, supporting her di...
Purina Pro Plan Lamb and Oatmeal: Vet-Recommended for Managing Copper Intake
Keeping our dogs’ ears clean and healthy is an important part of their care routine, and EpiKlean has been a trusted staple for us. It’s gentle yet effective, helping to prevent irritation and buildup, so our pups stay comfortable and happy.
EpiKlean Ear Cleanser: Gentle & Effective Ear Care
As our dogs age, simple changes—like raising their food and water bowls—can make a huge difference in their comfort and mobility. This elevated feeder helps reduce strain on senior joints and necks, making mealtime easier and more enjoyable for older...
Elevated Double Diner: Easy Mealtime for Senior Joints
After 7 years of daily use, this Big Barker orthopedic bed has proven to be one of the best investments we’ve made for our dogs. Designed to support up to 300 lbs, it provides unmatched joint support for senior dogs, and the washable cover makes clea...
Big Barker Orthopedic Dog Bed: Long-Lasting Support for Senior Joints
Our groomer recommended this undercoat rake to help manage shedding at home, especially since our senior dog can’t tolerate long grooming sessions anymore. It gently removes loose fur, keeps her coat healthy, and helps us control shedding without dam...
Undercoat Rake: Groomer-Recommended for Shedding Control
Since we now bathe our senior pup at home as needed, having a high-velocity dryer has been a total game-changer. This dryer blows out loose fur and dries her coat in minutes instead of hours, making bath time faster, easier, and way less stressful fo...
High-Velocity Dog Dryer: Faster, Easier Bath Time at Home
As our senior dog ages, keeping her back end and paw pads trimmed has become essential for proper hygiene and traction. This quiet, easy-to-use trimmer helps prevent slips on hard floors and keeps her cleaner and more comfortable, making a big differ...
Keeping Our Senior Pup Clean & Steady
Some days, our senior pup needs a little extra encouragement to eat her food, and this Bone Broth has been a game-changer. Just a splash over her kibble adds flavor, hydration, and nutrients, making mealtime more appealing and helping her get the nut...
Bone Broth: A Tasty Boost for Picky Appetites
Regular baths aren’t always an option, so we love using this waterless shampoo to freshen up our senior pup between washes. It’s easy to apply, smells great, and helps keep her coat clean, making it a stress-free way to manage hygiene without the has...
Waterless Dog Shampoo: Easy Cleanups Between Baths
Exercise & Enrichment
Even with her joint issues, Ginger still walks 1-3 miles per day, but we’ve had to be more intentional about how we keep her active. These mobility aids, mental stimulation toys, and gentle exercise tools have helped her stay engaged and moving, whet...
As dogs age, mental stimulation becomes just as important as physical exercise to keep them happy, engaged, and thriving. This guide offers simple, effective enrichment ideas that provide a fun and gentle way to support a senior pup’s well-being, eve...
Enhance Your Pup's Life: Senior Dog Enrichment Ideas
On days when Ginger is too sore to walk far, we focus on letting her sniff and explore at her own pace instead of pushing for distance. Sniffing is like a dog’s version of social media, giving her mental stimulation and enrichment without the strain ...
Dog Sniffing on Walks: The Importance of Letting Your Dog Sniff
As my dogs have gotten older, I’ve loved finding ways to make our walks more enjoyable and stress-free for both of us. This hands-free leash lets me keep them close while still having my hands free to snap cute photos, carry a coffee, or just enjoy t...
Sunny Tails Hands-Free Leash: Walks Made Easier for You & Your Senior Pup
As my senior dogs slow down, I’ve learned that mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise, and this snuffle mat has been a fantastic way to keep their minds active. Hiding treats in the soft, easy-to-clean silicone folds turns mealt...
Silicone Snuffle Mat: Engaging Exercise for Senior Dogs
As my senior dogs slow down, I’ve found that keeping their minds engaged is just as important as physical exercise. The West Paw Toppl is one of our favorite enrichment toys—it's easy to fill with soft treats, keeps them happily working for their foo...
West Paw Toppl: A Fun, Low-Impact Challenge for Senior Dogs
This JW Hol-ee Roller has become a staple in our home because it’s so much more than just a ball! Our younger dog loves chasing and tugging it, but when they’re done, we repurpose it into an enrichment toy for our senior pup by stuffing it with fleec...
JW Hol-ee Roller: A Multi-Use Enrichment Favorite
We are lucky that Ginger is not a 200lbs Jumbo Saint Bernard. This collapsable dog wagon allows us to still bring her to the farmers market on weekends where she is a little too sore to make the walk down herself. We can even put some of the produce ...
Using a Wagon For Extra Sore Days
Dog Safety & Health
With an aging dog comes some adjustments in how we run our home, and schedule our vet visits. These are our recommendations to keep the house running, and your dog safe.
No one can afford to visit the vet daily, nor does our vet want to see us every day. As Ginger ages we do regular at home check-ups to detect changes in her various conditions, and schedule a vet visit when we detect a change. This guide is how we do...
At Home Check-Ups to Keep Track of Changes
If you have a heavy dog like we do, lifting them into the car may not be a viable option. Lucky for us there are foldable ramps that help our girl get into the SUV for mini adventures and vet appointments.
A Foldable Car Ramp to Save Your Back!
As Ginger ages she is not quite as steady on stairs as she used to be. We are lucky to live in a ranch style home, but sometimes she really wants to go on the downstairs couch. We use this retractable gate to ensure that she is not going down the sta...
Stair Safety Always Comes First In Our Home
We love having a gate that can go whever we need it to. We take it when we visit my parents, we also use it to separate our other dogs from Ginger when she eats. She has been known to let them eat her food for her.
A Flexible Gate Anywhere We Go
Our house is 90% hardwood and linoleum flooring which is both a blessing and a curse. Great for keeping clean, not so great for keeping Ginger on her feet. We like these toe grips that help her stay steady on our wood floors.
Toe Grips to Stay Steady On Smooth Floors
Our dogs tend to roam around at night since our room gets pretty warm with 3 dogs and 2 humans. We make sure that they have just enough ambient light to see obstacles throughout the main floor of our house.
Night Safety is Often Overlooked, but so Important