Dog Forum Message Board

OK...We just took in a 10 year old female blue tick coonhound. Besides maintaning her weight, glucosamine/condrotin etc. for joints what other natural supplements or remedies do you give your senior dogs.
I ask this because all of my dogs are 6 years old and under, this is my first senior dog! She has been in a kennel with 80 other dogs and hunted all her life.
We took her out hunting a few times, only for one hour at a time, and she was a bit slow the next day. But she moves pretty good for a senior dog.
She has a vet appointment on monday...she is not spayed and she has what appear to be a few mammory tumors that I def. want to get checked out.
Another question...do you spay a dog at this age? Is it safe to put a dog under for this? Obviously I have no intentions of breeding her, I just want her last few years to be well loved and spoiled.
Just some other info...her teeth are beautiful, eyes look clear, no ear issues....any info on senior care would be very helpful! Thanks

Having her spayed now is a GOOD idea.. it will prevent furture probelems of Pyometra.. yes she is a bit old.. but it can be done.. and should be done.. because of long term health benifits.. additional pre surgical bloodwork would be indicated, full vet exam.. and additional steps and care with the anethectic would be all a very good idea..

It is not the spay that worries me.. unfortunalt YES get thoes mamory masses checked out.. there is a type of benign mixed mamory tumor that older dogs can get.. treatment is removal, and spay..

Unfortunalt there is also a aggressive type of malignant tumor.. removal and spay is also used for treatment.. but the tumor removal has to be more extensive.. IE complete mastectomy.. and can be a lot of surgery for a older dog.. Also there is a good possiblity that this type of cancer may have spread... already.. not a good thing..

you may want to talk with your vet about this.. get her exam bloodwork done.. and discuss the possible concerns with the mamory tumors..your vet may want to try to dianose the masses first before more extensive surgery..or want to do some additional testing because of the masses, and her senior status.. in addition to the spay and mass removal surgery..


Good luck..
Amanda

Hey! Thanks for the reply...The vet said the one lump was fine (common in old dogs-fat) but the other lump is an inguinal hernia. He said he has seen this before in other coonhounds, but I've done some research online and I have yet to find that this condition runs in coonhounds. But I've emailed some breeders who said this is true.

My vet didn't make it sound like it needed to be repaired asap, and did not make a big deal about it. But online says they should be taken care of as soon as they are diagnosed. (like a ticking time bomb, the intestines cane become cut off or wrapped, sort of like bloat)

At first we were not going to do the surgery just because I didn't want to "mess up a good thing" because she is not in pain or anything. I know so many senior dogs who go down hill after such surgery. Do any of you have experience with this type of hernia?

She was also diagnosed with a heart murmur that also makes me nervous about putting her under for surgery.

I don't know what to do!? I trust my vet 100% he does not rip customers off and we have a very good relationship...maybe I will call him and ask what he would do if it was HIS own dog!