Like Peter, I don't consider mine as seniors at 7...I start to think of them that way at about 9, and then only if they are ACTING like seniors. Sometimes I am totally surprised when I stop and think...wow...can this dog really be that old? I don't make any real changes UNLESS they need changes made, and then I do my best to accomodate them...ie...the one that is 13.5 years old has non slip mats around to help her get up if she is struggling at all, but did not really need them much until the last year or so, and even now, she doesn't need them much in the summer. Ice is the enemy around here! We also know now that we have to make a sharp noise to get her attention if we want her to move, because her hearing is not great. I also find that she can be a bit forgetful, so make SURE that she has done her nightly potty routine or she may not make it through the night. The only alteration I have made to her diet (raw fed her whole life) is to reduce the amount because she is less active. She also now sleeps on a folded featherbed instead of a heavy folded blanket...thanks to her Aunty giving it to her. That seems to make her a bit perkier in the morning, as she doesn't have any "numb" spots. She seemed to have trouble staying on her foam mattress, and would roll off it when she fell asleep. The featherbed hugs her and she stays in the middle. Like a senior human can be...she is "quirky", but she is happy and in no apparent pain, and as long as she stays that way, we are happy too. She is currently on no medications at all, not even for arthritis, although she does have spondylosis and is somewhat neurological in her movement I've also clipped her coat down to about 1 inch long ...as she detests grooming now as her skin seems thinner, and she doesn't need to deal with that. Her coat is very dense and wooly as she turns gray. There is a certain type of beauty in watching her age..and knowing that even though she is limited in her abilities...she is still loving life.
