Living with senior huskies can be its own challenge. Siberian huskies have an endless amount of energy to keep you on the move. This holds true for senior huskies, however instead of being able to run for miles and miles, my huskies can maybe run about a half mile now before running out of steam. There are a few things you should remember when caring for aging huskies to keep them healthy and in the best physical shape possible.
Tips to keep your senior husky healthy:
- Schedule regular veterinarian checkups to evaulate your dog's health
- Feed your older dog proper dog food, such as senior formula dog food or other high quality dog foods
- Care for your dog's arthritis and help them to alleviate hip and joint pain
- Take care of your dogs teeth and gums to prevent dental diseases
- Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! Keeps your dog in tip top shape
My huskies are definitely seniors, it's 2018 and Smokey is 9 and Spaz is 10 this year. Snoopy is our oldest and is 11 years old! Recently, while the dogs were out stretching their paws and taking a run around the pond, I noticed Spaz came back limping on one paw. At his age, my initial thought is that it must be arthritis, however I wanted to get him checked out at the veterinarian just in case. Spaz is never happy about going to the vet as you can see in the picture of him waiting at the vet's office.
Arthritis and Spaz
The veterinarian checked out Spaz and confirmed he did not find anything wrong. It is probably arthritis with the age of the dog. One of the best treatments for arthritis in both humans and pets is Glucosamine. I purchased the PetNC Natural Care Hip & Joint Mega Soft Chews for Spaz and within a week of use, I saw noticable improvement. Within two weeks, there was no more limp. It's amazing what glucosamine can do to ease hip and joint pain of your little furballs.
There are many ways to give your dog glucosamine. It can be administered to your husky through soft chews, liquid, or included in a multivitamin. For the PetNC soft mega chews that I give to Spaz, it is recommended to give 1 soft chew per 40lb daily. Some of the other glucosamine chews that I reviewed, recommended an intitial period of 2-4 chews (depending on weight) per day for 4 to 6 weeks and then it can be reduced to 1-2 chews per day for maintenance. Always check with your veterinarian and read the directions before starting your dog on any new medication.
Orthopedic Dog Bed
Another way to alleviate some of that doggy arthritis is with an orthopedic dog bed. Snoopy, in his old doggy age, has also started jumping and sleeping on the couch. Unlike other dog parents, we do not let the dogs on our couch as we have two young children. I prefer to keep the dog hair at a minimum on the couch. I realized that the old dog beds were just not cutting it anymore. An orthopedic bed will help to soothe the muscle, hip, and joint pain they may be having as senior dogs. Once we switched out the dog beds to an orthopedic dog bed, Snoopy was back to sleeping on the dog bed and as happy as can be!
Dental Care
It's very important to keep your dogs teeth and gums healthy, especially senior huskies. Dogs, just like humans, can get dental diseases, such as gingivitis. Smokey actually has a lot of plaque buildup and gum issues from his last vet visit. The veterinarian recommended a thorough teeth cleaning for Smokey because of his gingivitis and that would require putting him under anesthesia to treat.
For maintenance, I typically will try to brush Smokey's teeth, however with two young children keeping me busy, I don't always find the time. I have found that adding a liquid tartar remover to the dog water and also giving them Greenies (which they love!) will help to keep the tartar to a minimum.
From time to time, Smokey's teeth will build up a lot of plaque. Over the years and with some training, I will actually perform dental scaling myself. Please be aware that this is NOT a replacement for a professional dental cleaning, as it will not address any dental problems under the gum line. Anesthesia is the most common way to perform a thorough dental examination and cleaning. I scale Smokey's teeth to cut down on the plaque buildup in between veterinarian dental cleanings.
Diet and Exercise
Senior huskies are less active and generally require lower calorie dog food to prevent obesity which is very common in older dogs. We feed our huskies a high quality dog food, Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Natural Senior Dry Dog Food which has greatly improved their coats and health since we switched from the less expensive Kibbles and Bits. You can also try dog food that is formulated for seniors, such as Blue Buffalo - BLUE Life Protection Formula Senior Chicken and Brown Rice Dry Dog Food. Senior formulated dog foods are typically lower in calories and also higher in fiber to help with constipation which some senior dogs may experience from time to time.
Regular exercise for senior dogs, especially those huskies, will help to keep an older dog's joints, ligaments, and muscles flexible and strong. Daily walks can be beneficial in keeping your husky in shape and reduce obesity which is common in older dogs. Without regular exercise, you put your dog at risk for heart disease, arthritis, obesity and other health problems.
Check out our article on 5 Exercises Your Dog Will Love for some fun ways to keep your dog active!