over doing it with my older BC

[MikeF]

over doing it with my older BC

how do you tell when you are over doing it with a BC ??

my story starts with a very active 10 yr old BC. I have never seen him have problem before this Hike. Yes it may have been to much to ask a 10 yr old BC to do. Before this challenge he did every hike with no problem including the hike that caused him to be lame for two days . The Lameness showed up after the Hike it was his back legs. The Hike took place on a Friday and it took me two day to get home. By the time I got home I was seeing lots of improvement with just giving him baby aspirin. by Monday night he was putting weight on his back legs and was getting around with no problem that included going up and down stairs .

After that Hike I have taken him on more hikes, not as extreme but still good long hikes. My question out there is how do you tell when you are over doing it with a dog that just does not stop. I really do not want to take him for a long hike and only get half way through the hike and end up in trouble getting him back to the car.

[Donald McCaig]

Dear Doggers,

 

I retire my trial dogs at 10. Yes, some might trial for another year but others can't and I've seen more dogs retired too late than too early.

 

It seems like yesterday they were pure promise. . .

 

Ten year old Fly is slowing down on her morning/evening walks and sometimes when the ground's very rough she rides home on the ATV.

 

Donald McCaig

[mum24dog]

Age creeps up on us all so sneakily it's quite a shock when it can no longer be denied.

 

Our "new" dog is suddenly nearly 11. Still fit and active but not the same dog he was 5 years ago.

 

Exercise is monitored and he is stopped before he looks like he has had enough. He still competes in Agility but he isn't as fast or as fluid as he used to be. If he starts getting stiff afterwards he will retire and do something else to keep him mobile.

[LauraV]

Is he on anything for his joints? If not, you should look into it. I consider 10 still young for a bc. Also, take him to the vet and have his joints looked at to see if he needs something stronger to make him more comfortable. Invest in an orthopedic dog bed to put less stress on the joints.

[D'Elle]

At ten it is a good idea to slow things just a bit. Not stop, and not slow right down, but make the hikes shorter and keep a very close eye on things. My Jester and Kit used to hike all day with me....four hours out and four back, over rocky and steep terrain. I noticed more panting by the time they were around ten, and started making the hikes a bit shorter, taking the easier trail up rather than the advanced and steepest trail, things like that. At one point it was clear that the hiking days were over, although I cannot tell you when exactly that was.....there was not one hike that I realized was the last.

 

I did not go hiking much in the last year or two for various reasons. Now I am wanting to go back into it and I don't have a border collie to hike with. I am sad, because the weather here is finally cool enough to go hiking and I took my little terrier, and it was just too much for him. A beginning-of-the-season easy hike for me was too much for Digs and his little legs. I don't want to hike without a dog. It just isn't the same. But I don't have a dog I can hike with. :-(

[Gloria Atwater]

I agree that at age 10 it might be time to shorten up his hikes. How many miles do you average per day? I presume these are overnight hikes?

I also second the idea of starting him on joint supplements, if you haven't already. Some say the science doesn't back up that they work, but there's a fair bit of anecdotal evidence that says they do. At any rate, it sure can't hurt. I've had my 8-1/2 year old on supplements since he hurt his back at age 4.

~ Gloria