Challenges In Senior Dogs

It is not uncommon to find senior dogs less adaptable to changes in diet, routine, or environment.

For example, my dog always loved riding in the car, bouncing about with a sense of excitement. He never missed a thing that passed by; now that he is older he prefers to lie quietly on the seat snuggled up against me or else on the floor. He may even get an occasional upset stomach and throw up while riding. And he steps in and out of the car with considerably greater care!

In the past it never seemed to bother him if I occasionally got home late for his supper. He’d jovially greet me at the door with little more than a “Hey, what’s up?” and race you for the food dish. Now I find that he has thrown up small amounts of yellowish-green stomach fluid due to the increased acidity of a stomach which contains no food.

I have found that leaving a small amount of dry food for senior dogs when I go out may solve this upset.

Speaking of stomach upset, whenever I had parties, he always joined in the fun and most of the time survived the party foods given him by my well-meaning guests.

Now he shows less interest in the goings-on, preferring to be by himself in a quieter part of the house. If senior dogs indulge in any party food, they almost always has some digestive disturbance.