I have a thirteen-year-old Berner whose only known health issue is osteoarthritis (OA), especially in her (long-ago) surgically-repaired knees. This is unusual — to be a Berner at age 13+ dealing only with old dog issues is not a gift most of our dogs receive.
Harper B!
While older age is not a disease, there are things we can do to make a super senior more comfortable.
Keep them skinny. Harper B for Body Condition Score was described by her new veterinarian as, “on the thin side with slightly visible ribs and obvious waist and abdominal tuck. Body Condition Score of 4 on a scale of 1 to 9.”
Discomfort management. Harper is on Rimadyl (name brand only!) twice a day and receives a Librela injection once a month.
Keep Moving. I walk Harper at her pace a few times each week. Last night, for example, we did 3/4 of a mile in 20 minutes. She loves her walks.
Excess weight in dogs — as with humans — is clearly linked to various bad outcomes, and so it is something we should all be paying attention to in our dogs. We should not let our dogs get fat — or stay fat if the extra weight snuck up on us. Love sometimes means saying no.
Even the weight of younger dogs need to be managed. Capella’s recent Body Score Condition was described as, “…5 on a scale of 1 to 9. Capella is ideal with palpable ribs without excessive fat. Waist is visible from above and abdominal tuck is present when viewed from the side.” 🎉
Capella trying to trash her “ideal” Body Condition Score 😂
Harper does not receive glucosamine, acupuncture, cold laser or any other “treatments” for her arthritis — this is intentional. There is not good evidence that those things actually work for what ails her, and I am not going to burden Harper with something that does not have evidence-based benefits. [Check out the section on Glucosamine for Osteoarthritis (OA) in THIS SkepVet post.] Things without established benefits can be burdensome to the dog or even harmful. I am sticking with what is known to work for my Super Senior.
I cannot stress enough the importance of exercise for dogs — and humans. Bodies were made to move.
I attribute’s Harper B for Been Here a LONG Time’s longevity mostly to good luck. But that doesn’t mean I won’t continue to try and stack the deck to maximize long lives in my dogs — both the ones at my house now and the ones who started life because of me and my decisions.
More on this in future posts but here is an easy one to get you thinking: Do you know your dog’s Body Condition Score?
Happy Sunday, Friend ❤️