There was a time when stairs used to be so easy for our old dogs podcast.
It is always so surprising the first time we see our old dogs miss a jump or struggle with stairs! One day they are running up them no problem and the next you are noticing your old dog slip! There are a lot of different reasons an old dog can slip or fall on the stairs. Some common reasons include an injury, arthritis, decreased muscle mass, and more. Here are a few things that can help.
1) Are they at their ideal weight? Make sure your dog is at its ideal weight. Not a few lbs above it. And make sure your pet is getting consistent exercise DAILY (so walking/running in the backyard does NOT count). Even an extra few pounds can impact our senior's ability to navigate stairs and jumps.
2) How is their muscling? As our dogs get older, they often start losing muscle mass. What are you doing to counter that process? One of the main ways we can help them is by having them on a consistent exercise regime. So, are you getting your senior dog out daily for walks? If they can tolerate it, try incorporating hills to build muscle! So do you have your dog getting consistent exercise daily?
3) Have you senior-proofed your home? Start senior proofing your stairs and your home now. Check out a previous post on exactly how to do that here.
4) Get them to the vet. Lastly, get them to the vet and find out if any medications to help keep them comfortable!
Hope that helps!
- Dr. Tarantino
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Want to learn more ways to help your senior dog?
Senior dogs have UNIQUE needs relative to their younger counterparts. Yet we don't talk about it enough!
Learn different ways you can help your older dog with our latest courses, products and free resources- all geared towards pets in their golden years.