I feel like my dog is getting old.
She's 7 years old. And I've been noticing it. She's been laying down on her bed and around the house a lot more than she used to and today when I tried to take her for a walk around my whole neighborhood loop she had to lay down to rest in a drive way for a couple of minutes.
Sometimes she refuses to walk at all. Is she just getting old?
Depends. Some breeds 7 is about all they last. Others last to 15.
It all depends.
>dog is 13/14
>cat is 15 and feLV+
I am not prepared despite they act like they have always had.
>>2124504
Take her to the vet, get her a good full scope checkup, then you'll know for sure. If somethings up with her heart though, you'll be able to catch it.
>>2124509
She's a German shepherd lab mix
>>2124519
both those breeds usually go 10-13 years. However, she might be developing some problems around this time. It could just be that her energy level is starting to decrease, or that she's getting arthritis or something. Keep an eye on her appetite. If she isn't eating a lot, it may be something more serious.
>>2124564
She eats a 2 cups full of food every day. One in the morning and one in the evening. She used to be able to eat it all up pretty quick but now she eats a little slower. She still eats all of it though.
Red flags all over this, op. She needs full blood workup done. Get doc to check for heart murmur. If she's lethargic at her age could be heart trouble, breathing issues, cancer...anything.
Soon as I hear "my dog isn't eating like they used to" that's the biggest warning sign. Dogs love to eat.
She could also just be bored out of her fucking mind and perhaps needs more socialization. Anyway, best let the vet figure it out. Good luck - hope everything turns out ok.
>>2124504
As others have said, any drastic and rather sudden changes in behavior warrant a vet visit.
>>2124582
Yeah, go to the vet OP. 7 is pretty young for a lab/GSD to noticeably slow down. Its better to be safe than sorry. I recently lost my dog at only 5. I wish we would have paid attention to the signs sooner.
>>2124504
poor dogo
but look at the bright side, time for new dog :)
>>2124504
My german shepherd lab mix lasted till she was about 12 until she wasn't able to do much. I'm not sure how long it took until she got tired easily but it wasn't at 7.
>>2124504
Yes
Took my dog to jog with me yesterday to lose some weight, she is a lab mix and hell she is still kicking even at the age of 9. I'm trying to get her to run with me the most i can since I know at this point onward she has a few years left and it saddens me so I want to make her live the most as she can.
>>2124789
>love my dog
>exert it
>make it hot and unable to cool down on runs
>love it
Pick none.
My dog was hit by a car and killed yesterday. I had her since she was a puppy and she was my little girl. She was only 3. I'm devastated. I know this might be the place for it but does anyone have any advice? I just want help. My roommates had to put me on painkillers because i can't stop crying and lashing out. I put a hole in my wall.
>>2124799
Alcohol
>>2124792
So is it bad to take dogs for a jog then? I mean I'm not dragging her to the point she can't walk no more. Hell labs are dogs with high energy.
>>2124831
Depends on the temperature outside/her age/her fitness, the main issue is dogs can't sweat and unlike you which can choose to wear less clothes whilst running she can't regulate her temperature as well.
Another issue is still fitness: you'd need to start her from a really basic point. Any problem in her joints will be exasperated by jogging too.
Honestly, if you live anywhere hot I wouldn't bother, I'd just get her to run about after balls etc where it isn't so much structured exercise more she'll tell you when she's ready to stop.
>>2124838
Well I see your point, it is pretty hot here but I feel bad since she really wants to go with me.
>>2124799
Become a Buddhist.
>>2124847
It's a recipe for her to overheat I'm afraid, unless you go out when it's cooler.
To put it in perspective though, she just wants to be with you, she doesn't think like a human and "wants" to go for a 10k jog in the middle of the blazing heat.
>>2124799
Punch a nigga in the face
>>2124854
Alright I give in, I wanted to jog with her to help her excise and be healthy but if it's going to harm her more in the long run I rather stop. She's a inside/outside dog so she gets to be with us alot and outside for some rays. Given her age and how she is I give her about 3-4 Years I hope since dogs tend to live 14-15 years.
>>2124861
If she's overweight your best bet to get her waistline down is to reduce her treats and make sure you're feeding her the correct amount.
There's no reason why you still can't get her to exercise: throw a ball/frisbee in the park, take her swimming if she enjoys it- it's just there's absolutely no need to do a structured run with her esp somewhere warm.
Note that she's a lab, whilst smaller dogs may make 14-15, larger dogs tend to be on the 10-15 scale. This is just generalisation of course, she might live far longer/shorter - but your average lab will live between 10-13.
>>2124867
Alright anon thanks for the info.
