Tips For Looking After Senior Dogs' Joint Health and Mobility

Ensure your beloved senior dog has the best joint health and mobility possible with this guide to looking after older dogs!
In this episode, we'll be discussing why an exercise program is vital for the joint and muscle health of senior dogs, and dogs with arthritis.

Guest:  Kylie Marks - Strong and Steady Canines

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Transcript

Exercise in Senior Dogs with Kylie Marks (Strong and Steady Canines) Transcript*

Suellen: If you have a dog getting on in years and you'd love to keep them happy and mobile, this episode is for you. In this episode, we'll discuss why an exercise program is vital for your senior dog's ongoing joint and muscle health. Stay tuned.

And today, I'd like to welcome today's guest Kylie Marks. Kylie's the founder of Strong and Steady canines. It's a business dedicated to improving the mobility of pain and senior dogs. Is that how you'd describe it, Kylie?

Kylie: Yes, absolutely. Thank you for having me.

Suellen: So welcome, Kylie. So how about we start with your dogs? Tell me about the dogs in your life. Who are they, and how did they come into your life?

Kylie: So, I've got two Huskies. I've got my baby boy, Cuba, who is six. We got him as a puppy. So that was our first introduction to Huskies. And then we got Freya. So, after six months of having Cuba, we wanted to get him a friend, and Freya was a re-home, and we got her at four and a half.

She's now 10 and a half. So, we've had her for about six years as well. And yeah, so Freya is my senior girl. And Cuba was why I started doing exercise therapy for dogs: not because he was a senior dog, but because he had an injury. I recognized the difference that exercise has made and the gap that exercise therapy is not being used in dogs. The benefits are there to be used.

Suellen: Okay. So, let's talk a little bit about the special needs of senior dogs. So obviously, I have a special interest in Spaniels, but we can speak generally about senior dogs and their special needs, as well. And, as you mentioned, some of the gaps [in treatment options] aren't being met for senior dogs.

So do talk a little about the onset of any particular age-related conditions that dogs might have. When would you start looking for signs in your dog that maybe they're just a bit arthritic or in pain?

Kylie: The definition of a senior dog differs depending on the size of the dog. Senior dogs are defined based on size and age, so it varies. For a Husky, because it's a medium to large dog, they are seniors from about age eight. A smaller dog, like a Spaniel or a Chihuahua or Maltese are looking at maybe about 10 years old to be classified as a senior.

And the important thing to notice as dogs get older is we often think that it's just their fur on the outside that changes. You'll notice that they might get a little bit greyer, but aging in humans and dogs is quite similar. And one of the things to happen is that there are lots of changes to nerves.

So, their eyes will change. Their heart will change, bladder and bowels too. If they become incontinent, that will, you know, that happens as well as age, they could get doggy dementia. But the thing that I'm focused on for exercise therapy is that as dogs get older, there is a natural decline in muscle mass.

And that happens in humans as well. As we get older, we don't notice it, but there's a decrease in muscle mass and there's a decrease in strength. So for humans, that results in falls, and that's how you notice [that decline in strength]. It displays a little bit differently [in dogs].

They don't fall. When one leg fails, they've still got three others to support them, but then you'll notice a decrease in strength by their decreasing activity.

And that's when it's important to say, okay, as their muscles are getting weaker, we can help them maintain their strength and function by doing exercise therapy.

Suellen: It's like strength training is still important as a human being well into your older years. As my trainer says [simple activities that are vital] like getting on and off the toilet and being able to get off the floor. All those things become really important for us as humans.

So for dogs, it's just maintaining their activity and quality of life. So what sort of signs do you look for in a dog that may be, you know, a little arthritic. Or in some other kind of pain.

Kylie: So similar to humans, like getting off from a low seat, toilets or low couches or floors, it requires a lot of muscle strength to get up. Getting out of cars because cars can be hard to get out of. And, so, dogs are similar. You'll notice that they'll struggle with getting up from the floor, and they might not be able to get up and go out potty in time. So, they may become incontinent, not because of the bladder changes but also because their muscles can't help them get outside fast enough. They might no longer greet you at the door because they're in pain.

They won't be able to run to you. You may notice that they slow down on walks, [or you'll see] not tolerating their walks. And the most obvious sign is limping. So, if you look at your dog, as they walk, if they're limping, then that's, that would be a sign of pain.

Suellen: I noticed a huge market for joint supplements these days. What role do you think joint supplements play in alleviating some of that pain or keeping the dog more comfortable?

Kylie: I love joint supplements. So, neither of my dogs has a diagnosis of arthritis, but I use it. I use joint supplements because they optimize joint health so that [the joint] is healthier for longer and less affected by arthritis when it comes.

So it's definitely good to decrease inflammation, which sometimes can help to decrease pain, but it's meant to be used in conjunction with other treatments. So, it can't really be used instead of pain relief. Pain relief is really important, particularly for a senior dog, a mobility-impaired dog or an arthritic dog.

You can't just give them natural remedies and hope that that heals them because managing pain is really important. And the most effective way is by pain relief. So, if you give them sufficient pain relief, it allows them to move and do the exercises to get stronger and keep moving for longer.

And it doesn't need to be a lifelong thing. It can just be when there are exacerbations along the way. So, going back to supplements, I think they're really helpful. I use supplements for [my dogs], but I use them in conjunction with other treatments to optimize their health and muscle strength.

Joint supplements don't increase strength. Many people will realize that their dog's legs might look thinner because they're wasting away because of arthritis or older age. If there's muscle wastage and they think supplements will help to increase strength, it doesn't.

Only strength training can increase strength, but it will still help improve joint health.

Suellen: How do you see most people addressing the needs of a senior dog? Do you think they go, oh, we'll just leave them to sleep, or we won't take them on a long walk? Or do you think they allow them to sort of get, I suppose, get slower and older?

Kylie: That's a really tricky question. A bit of both because when dogs are slowing down and resting a lot, this could be sign of pain. It's really important to get an assessment from your vet to see the reasons for [any possible] pain.

People [can think], "they're just getting old", so they leave them be and just let them get old. On the other hand, you've got some older dogs that, even with arthritis, act like a puppy. And this is really, really hard because it doesn't mean that there's nothing wrong with them. It means that they're just hiding it very well.

I often hear they act like a puppy; they're fine. But they're not because their joints, muscles and nerves are different; they're older. So they might be acting like a puppy. But why is it? They're [probably] acting like a puppy because they're just trying to please you and trying to be involved in whatever the family's doing because they don't want to be left out.

So yeah, it takes a little bit of critical thinking to understand your dog's behaviour and why it's happening and not just think, well it looks okay, so it must be okay because it may not be.

Suellen: What are other signs of pain, apart from the obvious slowing ones like a limp or slowing down? Do some dogs, wine or bark or are there other signs like that, that people should be looking for in their dog?

Kylie: Absolutely. Interestingly 53% of owners miss signs of pain in their dogs because they don't vocalize.

They may whine, but they may not either. The other thing to notice is, what is their behaviour. Are they eating less? Are they more aggressive?

So are their behaviours changing? So maybe they were really good with certain members of the family, but they're not anymore. Perhaps they're aggressive towards other dogs because they're [saying] "Hey, I'm barking at you to stay away from me because I'm sore, and I don't want you to hurt me."

So are there any changes in behaviour? They're the main ones you really wanna look out for. So, are they resting more? Does it take a long time to recover from activity? Are they just sleeping through the day? Are they stiff in the morning when they get up? Are they less hesitant to jump in the car, couch, or bed?

So those are, those are key things to look out for. Because, again, we don't want our dogs to silently suffer in pain; sadly, more than half of us missed signs of pain.

Suellen: I know when I was vet nursing, one of the things that vets did when they're getting the dogs to come into the consultation room, was watching the dog [as it walked into the room].

So they're watching for any signs you're talking about. It could be [watching] their gait or, depending on their condition, they might be hunched if they have a stomach upset or pancreatitis. Those signs are really subtle, but that's what the vets look for when they first see them.

So going back to Spaniels, my pet topic, talk a little bit about the sorts of things people could expect in older Spaniels.

Kylie: Arthritis is more likely to occur in dogs of larger breeds, like Labrador and retrievers, but there are certain breeds of dogs that are predisposed to hip dysplasia, which can also lead to hip arthritis.

So Spaniels are predisposed to that condition, even though they're not as big as those dogs that I mentioned. So it's really important to ensure that their hips are still functioning as they get older. So again, [look for] signs of loss of function, like limping, behavioural changes or appetite changes.

They would warrant an investigation by your vet, which may lead to a diagnosis of hip arthritis. In this case there are lots of therapies you can do for that.

So sometimes, the first thing they suggest may be a hip replacement for your dog, which is definitely needed in some cases, but exercise therapy can also help prolong that need for surgery.

Suellen: Okay. Let's talk about your exercise program and how it can help.

Kylie: So I have an online exercise class membership called Furbaby Fitness. I do weekly exercise classes there and also give out a weekly exercise program that helps to strengthen older dogs. And we've had some great changes. Many of them have had, you know, been able to decrease their medication or postpone surgery, which is really the ideal situation, and dogs as young as one have come.

So, it's not necessarily an older dog [program], even though it's aimed at seniors. I'm a senior physio, so I love my seniors, but arthritis can happen regardless of age. So that's also something to be mindful of.

And I also have an ebook. So if you want to self-progress through some exercises, there are some strengthening exercises and stretches because stretches are important. So it's not only about strength; it's also about stretching and other therapies like heat and ice.

Suellen: How much time does an owner need to dedicate to exercising to help their dog? Because they all sound like great resources, but how long would someone want to allow to see the best outcome for their dog?

Kylie: So muscles take time to get stronger. And so, you need to be consistent, and you need to be regular, and the exercises need to be progressive. Muscles also get very lazy. If you give them the same exercises, they will not grow and get stronger. Muscles will just say, "yeah, I've done this before".

It's like us lifting our arms up and doing bicep curls with no weight, we can do it all day, and it's not going to actually increase the strength of our biceps. So it's similar to dogs. If we get them to do the same exercises all the time without resistance, they're not going to grow.

So the exercises need to be done daily, and you need to dedicate about 10 minutes a day. I know we're all very time-poor. You don't have to add it to your walk; you could deduct it from your walk.

Say you take your dog out for an hour. You could do 50 minutes of walking instead. And then 10 minutes of strengthening exercises, because it's still exercise. It's still helpful. Then you would have to be consistent and do it for a good month or two because, as I said, muscles take time to grow.

When I was at uni for physio, what we learned was that what you lose in a week takes you one month to gain. It takes a lot of hard work to get back up there, and it's no different to dogs, so it will take time to build up. You need to be consistent.

You'll probably start seeing changes within a month or two, but even after then, you still need to keep challenging your dog's muscles in, a safe way so that it doesn't cause some pain, but it can keep improving the dog's muscle mass.

Our muscles need to be exercised until we die, essentially because the muscles always need to be growing, and you want to constantly be counteracting that muscle loss that will happen as time goes on. I see many of my elderly patients, and they're like, "I walk around the block. That's my exercise".

But walking is not strength training. Unless you incorporate hills, stairs and curbs, there's no actual strengthening in a daily walk. A walk is great, but it doesn't strengthen. Our muscles are always changing and we always need to be challenging them.

Suellen: That's really good advice. Thank you, Kylie.

Kylie: Thank you for having me. I enjoyed sharing the message about the importance of exercise in dogs with and without arthritis.

Suellen: Thank you for your time. Thank you for your insights and for looking after senior dogs. And we'll be talking to you again, I'm sure. Thanks, Kylie. For more about Kylie and her exercise program, check out the show notes for all the details.

*edited for reading clarity