Old Age is not a Disease
“He’s just getting old”
“She’s slowing down a bit with old age”
“They just can’t do things anymore they used to do all the time”
These are statements I often hear from dog owners about their dogs when they get on in years. But let me tell you: old age is not a disease and here’s a bit of a wake-up call for you:
In the wild, dogs need to “function” until they pass away. That “wild” instinct still remains in our pets so they would never just slow down with old age or “just get old”. A dog that slowed down would simply be easy target to predators or not be as valued in their own pack. Therefore, they wouldn’t provide “that old dog” with food anymore. The pack needs to sort out who’s not worth the highly priced meals and they’d rather feed young strong pack members.
So, think about it: if you have noticed something not being as it used to be as your dog ages, it is very likely that there are bodily impairments, pain
or an injury about to happen. These are mainly issues in the muscles e.g. tightness, spasms etc. that can easily be treated with myofunctional therapy. Keeping your dog on a monthly maintenance massage program can have an enormous outcome on their health and longevity. I see it all the time!
Arthritis is a relatively new disease that we unfortunately have to deal with due to species – incorrect feeding, over or under exercising, wrong training methods, hurtful walking gear, chemical toxins from environment, food, vaccines, worming and previous injury. If we haven’t been able to avoid arthritis in our dogs, it is even more important to not say: “it’s just a bit of arthritis.”
It's not your dog just getting old, it’s you not having noticed and dealt with the physical impairment they’re suffering from. We do want our dogs to live longer but most importantly also live happier and pain-free so the next time you hear someone say: “my dog’s just getting old” please tell them that old age is not a disease but their dog is actually suffering. We can’t rest our conscience on this statement thinking that there’s nothing we can do but need to react and do something about it for our dog’s sake.
In this Blogs’ video you see a 12.5-year-old dog that has enjoyed a fairly natural lifestyle with minimal vaccines, targeted worming, 100% raw food diet and of course ongoing myofunctional treatment. He demonstrates that even as he ages, his body functions quite well and that’s how it should be.