Senior Care

Keep your swissys moving, active and fit.  Obesity is one of the worst problems a senior swissy can have.   These seniors need to have several short low impact exercise times per day to keep them going.  Walking, hiking and pulling low weights on a harness are great low impact exercises. 


Any elective cosmetic type surgeries (ie dentistrys, cyst removals, etc) should be completed by the time your swissy is seven years old. SHOULD NOT DO ELECTIVE SURGERIES AFTER SEVEN YEARS OLD.

After seven years old,  do NOT put under anaesthesia or do any kind of surgery unless it is to correct a life threatening problem.   If you have to do surgery please use a quick metabolizing or a reversible type anaesthesia.    Many times the kidneys in older Swissys are compromised because of age and they  can be further damaged by doing surgeries. Your dog may die as a secondary effect of doing surgery during their senior years. 

After Seven Years Old,  I put my dogs on Equinyl Plus Horse supplement that has Ester C, MSM, Glucosamine, Chondroitin and other joint supplements.    As dogs get older and start showing signs of arthritis it has helped my dogs to get monthly chiropractic spinal adjustments.  Many older dogs will get spondolsis or spinal cord arthritis associated with advanced age and this keeps them moving and pain free.  I have also found that on bad days when dogs are showing signs of pain you can use Ginger caplets in lieu of Asperin products to alleviate pain with out ulcer side effects that asperin can cause.   When this stops being effective, you need to get professional help from your Vet to get heavy duty pain meds to keep your Senior as pain free as possible while maintaining their quality of life.

Diet-  Do not feed special senior diets as most are high in salt and sugars.   Best to feed them a grain free regular diet at a lower amount mixed in with mixed green slightly cooked veggies.  That way if seniors need to loose a little weight this is a good way to do it as your swissy will feel full.  If your swissy needs to gain a little weight then add extra wetted down grain free kibble to their daily intake.   The extra cooked veggies, raw bones and meat will add much needed fiber to their diet. The raw bones will contain cartilage which has been proven to help alleviate pain associated with Arthritis. 

Good luck with your Senior Swissy.