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FionaMom · 02-13-2013, 01:30 PM

I have an almost 17-year-old yorkie that has a lot of issues because of her age, so I thought I'd share some tips of things we've found that seem to help her.

1) Neutricks seems to really work for her - it's s supplement that our vet suggested that is supposed to help elderly dogs. You can order it from amazon.com for $34 for 60 chewable tablets. The dosage is 1/2 for dogs under 40 pounds, but since Fiona is just over 5 pounds, I figure 1/4 tablet is good. Here's what they say about it: Neutricks is backed by research that shows it helps keep brain cells alive longer. Just like people, dogs can experience serious age-related cognitive disorders similar to Alzheimer's disease or dementia. A dog that seems strangely distant, confused, or disoriented, may be suffering from Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS).

2) Common sense, but I feel her feet and if they are cold, I make sure she has her sweater on (which means she wears a sweater a lot).

3) Also common sense, but I monitor anything that I think might be causing her pain (I have eye drops for her if her eyes are bloodshot - she has cataracts) and we have Tramadol on hand if I think something else is causing pain. If she's in pain at all, her cognitive abilities go down.

4) I also give her Yucca extract for her arthritis. I can't say for sure it's helping but I plan to keep giving it to her since she seems to be in better spirits in general lately.

She's very verbal since she's gotten older and I have to figure out what she wants or she'll continue to cry. It's not always pain, sometimes she's cold, or hot, or confused or even just wants attention. We're usually able to figure it out. I gave up a long time ago trying to figure out why she no longer thinks to go outside for her toilet activities. We just clean up after her. Decided not to go the diaper route because then, I might be having to give her a bath at 3am, I would rather just clean the floor.

Hope this might help others who are facing the golden years with their yorkies. Fiona is still so precious and I'm so glad we've had this much time with her.

02-13-2013, 01:30 PM	#1
FionaMom Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: California Posts: 21	Tips for elderly yorkies I have an almost 17-year-old yorkie that has a lot of issues because of her age, so I thought I'd share some tips of things we've found that seem to help her. 1) Neutricks seems to really work for her - it's s supplement that our vet suggested that is supposed to help elderly dogs. You can order it from amazon.com for $34 for 60 chewable tablets. The dosage is 1/2 for dogs under 40 pounds, but since Fiona is just over 5 pounds, I figure 1/4 tablet is good. Here's what they say about it: Neutricks is backed by research that shows it helps keep brain cells alive longer. Just like people, dogs can experience serious age-related cognitive disorders similar to Alzheimer's disease or dementia. A dog that seems strangely distant, confused, or disoriented, may be suffering from Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS). 2) Common sense, but I feel her feet and if they are cold, I make sure she has her sweater on (which means she wears a sweater a lot). 3) Also common sense, but I monitor anything that I think might be causing her pain (I have eye drops for her if her eyes are bloodshot - she has cataracts) and we have Tramadol on hand if I think something else is causing pain. If she's in pain at all, her cognitive abilities go down. 4) I also give her Yucca extract for her arthritis. I can't say for sure it's helping but I plan to keep giving it to her since she seems to be in better spirits in general lately. She's very verbal since she's gotten older and I have to figure out what she wants or she'll continue to cry. It's not always pain, sometimes she's cold, or hot, or confused or even just wants attention. We're usually able to figure it out. I gave up a long time ago trying to figure out why she no longer thinks to go outside for her toilet activities. We just clean up after her. Decided not to go the diaper route because then, I might be having to give her a bath at 3am, I would rather just clean the floor. Hope this might help others who are facing the golden years with their yorkies. Fiona is still so precious and I'm so glad we've had this much time with her.