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My one dog sandy is 8 yrs old and she is now starting to walk slower and seems to be more and more like an old little lady... I was wondering if 8 yrs old is considered old age for a german shepard or husky? I know smaller dogs live alot longer than bigger dogs but shepards are medium size dogs. Her teeth are starting to wear down also and i'm guessing thats due to her getting older also. I think 8 is considered older for a dog but I was wondering everyone else's opinions?
I've always heard that larger dogs are considered "Seniors" at 7 years old, which is ridiculous in my opinion, but I do think that around 8, sometimes we might see them slow down a bit.
I have an 8 year old Golden Retriever, Honey, and she definitely has NOT slowed down. She is playful and mischevious! :)
Logan
This year for Delilah's annual checkup(last month), they referred to her as a senior pet-seven and older by their guidelines. I was surprised they said it and I almost broke into tears thinking my baby is a senior. She doesn't act like a senior but she has some gray hair between her eyes now.
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Originally Posted by Daisy and Delilah
I read in a book that Chihuahuas are the longest living breed dog... I understand that doesnt go for every dog but in general and in studies they were suposed to be anyway.
8 is old for a big dog, I have an 8 year old (she'll be 9 in April) :( (she's a rottie/lab mix) but I don't consider 8 old for a small dog. :)
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Originally Posted by luvofallhorses
Yeah we have a small dog who is 10 if im correct and she acts like a 3 yr old dog would, she even had her liver and kidneys all checked at the vets and they came out really good, My guess she is going to be living another good 10 yrs atleast :) but sandy on the other hand is starting to wear down more and doesnt like to be bothered as much :( although she has her good days when she is up jumping and playing.
I also have a 10 year old black lab mix, he is waring down a little, too and already is getting cateracts in his one eye. :( but he will play like a puppy! :)
so will Jenny! :D
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Originally Posted by luvofallhorses
Yeah it makes me smile when they play and act young... It doesnt make me feel nearly as bad knowing she still has alittle bit of puppy in her.
I think it varies wildly by dog. I have an 11 year old who is still my main leader. She has probably run 500km this winter. She's not quite as fast as she used to be, but she's still amazing in harness. I have a five year old who acts older!
Franklin has had a grey muzzle since he was three. He looks ancient and acts like a puppy!
It all depends on the dog. yeah, Larger breeds tend not to have a long lifespan, but I have seen some ancient large dogs. A friend of ours has a 14yr old lab.
Huskies lifespan is usually quoted at about 12 yrs, but I've heard of many who have lived to 15 & 16. Sherman's breeder even had a 17-yr. old retired champ. I did notice Star slowed down a bit at 8, but she still acts like a pppy and races around & plays with all the other dogs & her toys. She just turned 10.
This is about the time that you want to start doing blood work and stuff to check on her vitals. Start talking to the vet about diabetes, thyroid, liver function, etc. About age 10 you want to start doing bi-annual check-ups on a dog. (Sooner if a problem has been found.)
My Shepherd lived to be 16. When he was 10 people were guessing his age to be between three to six years old. Someone only guessed six once!!!
Take good care of a shepherd and they'll long outlive the stereotypical nine - 11 years old.
People on this board will probably get sick of hearing me suggest it to people, but i strongly believe in elk velvet antler. I'd stake my life on it i believe in it so strongly. We almost had to put King down when he was 13 because he was getting so stiff. He'd scream just about every time he tried to get up. He could walk fine once he was up though. There was nothing else wrong with him. (Well, other that congestive heart failure, but oddly he still had a strong heart. One diuretic every four days did the trick.) MSM didn't do much, so our vet asked if we'd like to be part of a study group. Seeing as EVA is all natural we said sure. We were skeptical at first, but as promised with in 10 days King was practically back to being a pup again!!!
P.S. For a dog that size i recommend making sure you get the 300mg and not the 250mg EVA.
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Originally Posted by angelbow20
Gonzo is almost 6, and he's perfectly healthy & very active. He's still always ready to play and shows no signs of aging.
I think it would be a really good idea to take her into the vet and check for arthritis & other issues that she might have... also, teeth cleaning, if her teeth are looking bad.
my grey siberian is 11 yrs , shes really bad on her legs due to arthritis & a very bad right hip , only gets short walks now poor girl , but does try to play a bit with others but falls over occasionally :( had bloods checkede as old & they are fine. my collie is 12 yrs shes still running around with her ball & seems happy & fit still.
The general guide is 7 and older is a senor pet. If you look at rescue sites, the senior adoption rate applies, it is less than the rate for younger pets. If you are adopting a pet that age, you are closer to facing elder care vet bills. Which as we all know, adds up! Most of the senior pets foods apply for dogs that age, too.
Like us humans, each dog will be different, some will slow down, some will keep going and not slow down for another few years.
It is just the guide the vets use.
It varies a lot between dogs.
My BC is 13 now and only just started to slow down and show her age. Her mother started showing her age when she was younger...about 9.
People often say that little dogs live longer but when you check out the longest lived dogs that made the records, they always seem to be medium sized dogs like collies, cattle dogs etc...
I know two people with medium sized dogs who are 16 years old at the moment and seem to be doing fine.
I also met a bull mastiff who was 11 and she seemed to be doing fine as well. They usually only live to about 7 or 8.
I knew that from 7 onwards, medium and larger breeds are considered senior and many dog insurance companies will not take on dogs that are 8 or over...they'll only carry on insuring dogs that were with them already.
I'd start your dog on glucosamine sulphate and have some cod liver oil in her diet too. I'm sure doing this helped our Jess stay in such good shape for as long as it did.
It's not uncommon for dogs to start stiffening up a little at about 8 years old.
everyone else has pretty much explained everything. I think that for a giant breed like Great Danes or Irish Wolfhounds 8 is considered old. I have seen Danes live to be 12 or 13 yrs old. For a dog about the size of a Golden Retriever I think 8 is middle aged. Goldens can live for 12 to 14 yrs. Debending on the overall care of the dog throughout it's life has a great deal to do with how long it's life is. My pomeranian, Beanie is going on 8 or 9 yrs. We're not sure exactly how old he is since we adopted him when he was an adult. He's a smaller breed. Has shown no signs of slowing down. He plays more than Charlie does...and charlie is a puppy! :eek:
It realy does depend on the dog ;). I have just gotton home from a quick fast paced bike ride with Clover (8 year old Rottie x Aussie Cattle Dog) she loved it, and as soon as she was un clipped from the bike at the park she was hooning around flat out along side me :D. That dog does not act like an 8 year old.
Then on the other hand our 9 year old Penny (JRT x) act as though she is 19 years old :(. I also know a dog who will be 21 years old this year and still has her crazy puppy moments, she has had her fair share of problems the last 10 years or so but just keeps going.
I will be happy if the BCs live till their grandmothers age of 18 or 19 ;).