Older dog offdays?
 

My boy is nine years old and exams and tests show he is fine. He loves his food and behaves normally. But recently he seems quieter and sleeps more. First thing in the morning he is more reluctant to eat his food, but does so after a bit. I wonder if he is like humans and just slowing down with age. He still enjoys walks and seems to brighten up more as the day goes on. Is this behavior seen in your older, apparently healthy dog? He certainly does not seem to be in pain.
Thank you

My now passed girls slowed down when they reached 10 years old.

Thank you. Hope that is all it is for my boy.

Hi dottiesyrky,

Katy got some chill when she hit about 9 yrs of age; even more when she hit 12. I thought it was "maturing." She had on and off ear infections and was treated for allergies. So, she had regular vet visits that didn't raise any red flags. (Even her teeth were close to perfect.)

Quite later, though, ER diagnosed her heart problems. I fret that she may have been in some pain for a time before the diagnosis. (These little ones are so tough; able to put on such a strong front.) I'll never know if a more thorough earlier exam, with x-rays, would have uncovered Katy's health issues sooner.

She never lost her sass, and she never stopped gobbling her food. She was a wonder, now I'm left to wonder.

Bless you for lovin' your little one.

Thank you Katy’smom. Looks like at that age our babies start to feel their age. I know I am not what I was as I age! His heart and all organs are ok according to the vet, but who knows what is to come? He loves his food and his walks are faster than I can keep up with.
Had to go easy with the morning walk as we go to see a friend with three Yorkies this afternoon for a pack walk. Hope I can keep up!!!! I lost my last dog to kidney disease and that was a terrible affliction, so heart is probably one of the easier aging illnesses. However, he is a joy now and I pray he is healthy for many more years.

:love:

Ditto that!

Callie has slowed down she just turned 11.

Thank you Taylor. Perhaps my boy is slowing down a bit earlier. He just seems quieter when he wakes up, but then brightens up soon after.

Jackson is 9.5. I wouldn't say he's slowed down per say. He still needs a *ton* of attention and exercise, moreso than my 3.5 year old cockapoo, Lola, haha! Lola has a very good off switch where she can hike and run and play and swim when I want her to but if I need a few days of doing nothing, she's fine with it.

Jackson, on the other hand? No, he gets bored easily, and he still will go find stuff to get into to get my attention if he's under -exercised (physically or mentally). Even a 10 min round of training with him will at least settle him more than doing *nothing*, if that makes sense.

However, if we do a lot one day (say a hike or swimming or a park or vacation or something) then usually we will take the next day "off" and have a chill day and he seems perfectly content with it. Whereas when he was younger, he wanted to go go go every day if given the opportunity.

but I guess in little ways, he has slowed down compared to like when he was under 3 of course. Appetite is still strong- he is still just as food obsessed as ever.

Thank you Brit. I appreciate your comments and experiences. I find my nine plus year old is very willing to walk and come alive when there is something worthwhile! He also eats etc as usual. He has never been a toy player, except on his terms. I think he is bored and when there is nothing of note happening he just sleeps. But if I move he is following me. When he has had a very active day, he too takes it easy the next day. I must say I feel the same! So I will just keep an eye on his behavior and vet tests and visits and pray he doesn’t develop any of the sometimes horrible afflictions that can appear as dogs age. My last girl died at 11.5 years suddenly of kidney failure, so that is why I am spooked by any small difference in behavior. My last baby seemed fine except a few days before she suddenly got very sick. Long may your furbabes live happy lives.

Tibbe is now 10 and often doesn't eat at all mornings but late afternoon, evening, he chows down.

Hi Jeannie.
Funny thing is my boy used to be really hungry in the mornings but now takes his time to go to his bowl and eat it all up. Seems still half asleep! But all other meals he vacuums up!
Good to hear of another dog who isn’t so hungry in the mornings. Thank you. I really wondered if the morning food thing was bad news until I heard from you. Again, YT comes to the rescue to ease our concerns!

Jackson went the opposite way - when he was younger, I never got him to eat breakfast. After about 2 years old, he started eating better. I don't know why. I think I did free feed for a while or tried to and once I got him on a 2x a day type feeding, he started wanting breakfast. I don't know why but I feel better getting a little something in his tummy before I leave for the day. I'm just glad he so willingly eats (he's always been obsessed with food though lol). Lola, my cockapoo, is often less willing to eat breakfast and has to be encouraged. They're all different, I guess! I personally am not a big breakfast eater myself.

Thanks Brit. These dogs sure do have their ways! They must have circadian rhythms that change with time as we humans sometimes do. I have always hated eating breakfast, but it has not changed with age. I also feel that dogs have more psych reasons for if and when they eat.
I had a dog who would not eat unless a man was in the room, even the painter did the trick!

Yeah, Tibbe usually sleeps through the morning and into the afternoon unless I'm up and about busy. I noticed when I could walk him daily this spring, his appetite was better and he'd eat some breakfast. But I know he munches through the night as food left out is gone mornings usually.

I've started some elder enrichment exercise for Tibbe. Training him in different rooms of the house with his kibble as treats. He loves it, makes me more interesting to him and has perked up his morning appetite if I train him early. Now he's not sure how his mornings will go every single day so it's roused him into being more active. Danny wrote an excellent Blog on how to enrich your dog's life to help stimulate them. It's called "Smell Sniffing". His dog, Tex, is also 10 years old and will be 11 on 8-9-18.

I'll see if I can link to it:

https://dailydogspot.com/smell-sniffing/

Bored dog?
 

Thank you for your post and link. I agree with all he says. When we go up a hill to the local park first thing in the morning, he runs up to see a guy up there who loves him. However he plods back home as if he is sooooo tired. We take him every day to a park by the ocean in the afternoons where lots of dogs come and leave smells. He enjoys that but can’t put up with too much sun and finds the shady route. He is walked again before bed, but he goes in whatever direction he chooses. He refuses to walk up the hill direction after his morning walk that way. I have known him not get out of the car if I try and take him to a park he finds boring. Life is pretty routine for us here and I can understand why he chooses to sleep whe nothing is happening....just like me!!!
However in the mornings he would wake me starving, but now he only wakes when I move around. But this could be as he knows it will be the same old routine!! They are so smart. Soon after breakfast however he becomes normal again. I do do his trick routine often, but he only works for treats! As I try to keep his weight under control, I do not do that every day.
But in spite of all this I do feel he is slowing down and only enjoys interesting walks. I hope he is not getting health or heart issues, but the vet says no.
I know he is a lot less tolerant of sun and heat and always seeks out shade when we walk on warmer days.
He does still love food though and I know if he eats, pees and poops normally, he is usually well. Any change in any of these and off to the vet we go.
So glad Tibbe is doing well and that you are able to keep his life so interesting.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and the helpful link. Take care both of you.

I really think the best thing for all dogs is to keep exercising them as they grow older. They may not need the exercise so much to calm them down but it keeps the weight off that can lead to heart disease and other disorders. Our Gracie still loves her exercise mainly because she is so interested in smelling every scent that is out there. Our rescue dog is less active and has a heart defect so I am reluctant to exercise that one as much but I do watch the diet closely to keep the weight off. They probably all enjoy sleeping more as they get older but at the age of 8 they should still have a lot of spunk left in them. An overweight dog is going to find it more difficult to move around and will prefer sleeping to moving. Carrying that extra weight is very hard on their bones, joints, and muscles. Keeping the weight off is a kindness we should all do for our pets.

Older dogs
 

Thank you for your comments and experiences. Yes I agree that exercise is important for dogs as well as humans! For that reason we do keep up the activity. My boy is in good health according to the vet exam and tests and he is not overweight. Because of his past bout of Pancreatitis I feed him only prescription low fat kibble with no people food and that together with the exercise keeps him trim.
My original concern was just his quieter behavior in the mornings and his lower appetite as he wakes up. When he gets going he behaves normally. As my last beloved Yorkie died of sudden kidney failure at 11.5 years old, I worry as my current boy ages. I must say that perhaps he is echoing me as I have tended to be slower in the mornings as I age!?? We both enjoy the early morning wake up walk.

I am aging, too. I have to admit that I do not enjoy getting moving for the morning walk as much as I used to. It does wonders for the dogs though so I make myself do it. They get their bowls and bladders moving and they enjoy the explore. We live outside of town so they have a lot of wild animal scents to check out. I don't feed them until they return from the walk. Gracie could still do three walks a day but unless someone else adds a walk she usually gets two. Our newest four legged family member just goes for one long walk and gets a few yard walks a day in addition.