Canine companion
The right dog can be a senior’s best friend
Felix tugs on his leash, eager to explore at Rathje Park in Wheaton where dog owner Nancy Gier has taken him for one of his three daily walks. Gier, 74, says Felix has brought joy to her and her husband, Richard, since coming into their home as a 5-pound puppy. The 3-year-old Bichon Frise-Shih Tzu mix now weighs 20 pounds.
“We’re really glad to have him,” Gier says. “He really makes our lives better. He’s someone to love and care for. He’s funny.”
Gier, who moved from a house into an apartment in Wheaton after getting Felix, credits him with getting her and her husband out to exercise and helping them meet their neighbors.
“When you walk your dog in certain communities, you meet other people who have dogs,” she says. “There are 12 dogs in our immediate vicinity.”
Sometimes Gier takes Felix to one of the dog parks operated by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, where Felix can run off-leash. The forest district gives seniors 65 and older a free permit annually for one dog.
“He really likes it,” Gier says. “He gets really excited.”
Companionship
Ninety-four–year-old Geri Nelson does not get out to parks these days, but she tries to take Lolabelle, her 1-year-old dachshund, out three times a day on the grounds of Brookdale Lisle retirement community where she lives.
When the weather is nice, they may spend as much as an hour and a half at a time enjoying the outdoors. During the winter on days when it was too cold to go out, Nelson would walk Lola in the halls of her building, where the pup is often greeted by staff and other residents.
“She’s so friendly,” Nelson says. “A lot of times I get to meet people I don’t know because she’ll go to anybody.”
A longtime dog owner, Nelson says she felt lost when her two older dachshunds died because of health problems during the COVID shutdown. At the time, residents of the retirement community were allowed outdoors only if they had a dog to walk or if they smoked.
Nelson says for the month or two she was without a dog, she didn’t go for walks at all. “It was terrible. It was so lonely,” she says.
Seeing how depressed her mother was, her daughter found Lola for her. Nelson says Lola is playful and sometimes naughty, but she willingly devotes much of her time caring for her. “What else is there for me to do? Watch TV?” she says.
Get the right dog
Dr. Mondrian Contreras, a veterinarian at Carol Stream Animal Hospital, says he whole-heartedly supports seniors having dogs because of the physical, mental and emotional benefits they provide. “It adds so much to their lives,” he says.
But it is important to get the right dog. People looking for a certain breed of dog should find out about the breed first and even talk to a vet about health problems that may be common to that breed, says Dr. Tyson Grover, a veterinarian at Friendly Vet Animal Hospital in Lisle.
Grover says seniors tend to get smaller dogs that are easier to pick up and that often live longer than larger canines. Seniors with limited mobility would not want to get an energetic dog like a Labrador or golden retriever that needs a romp off-leash at a dog park or a lively game of ball.
Contreras encourages owners to take their dogs out for a walk at least three times a day, but says they should not keep them out too long in hot weather. In choosing a dog, they need to consider what they want to do with the dog — whether go on long walks or primarily to cuddle on the couch. “Be sure to get a dog you can handle,” he says.
Medical care
Along with getting their required vaccines, dogs need regular medical checkups. Veterinarians generally recommend that a dog have one wellness exam a year or two a year for dogs older than 8. Grover says the exam should be a full physical that includes listening to the heart and looking at every part of the dog from head to toe. If changes are found, the exam may include blood work.
Grover also encourages owners to feel their dogs and look them completely over — including under the tail and between their toes — every couple of weeks to spot potential problems.
Dental care plus
One of the most neglected parts of dog care is dental work, a problem that lead to infections, Grover says. Smaller dogs are more prone to dental problems. Owners should brush their dog’s teeth daily or at least every other day with toothpaste made for dogs, Grover says. He also encourages using a brush made with real bristles
Contreras, who is writing a children’s book on dental care for dogs, agrees with its importance. Seventy-five percent of dogs require dental cleaning by a vet by the time they are 3-years-old, he says. “Dental care is a huge issue we see, especially in older pets,” he says.
Contreras adds that a dog’s metabolism changes as it grows older and a dog may need to be put on a senior diet. “Obesity is one of the biggest problems we see in our pets because of nutrition,” he says.
Grover says owners also should be aware that some diseases can be transmitted from dogs to humans. Owners in the Chicago area should regularly treat their dogs with medication to prevent heartworm, and take precautions such as wearing gloves and washing hands after picking up after dogs, he says.
Grooming
Grooming your dog also is a part of pet care. Some animal hospitals have groomers on staff, but otherwise the owner can do the grooming or use the services of a dog groomer. Grooming includes bathing, trimming nails and haircuts for longhaired breeds.
Recommendations for how often grooming needs to be done vary, but generally a long-haired dog needs more frequent baths and brush-outs. Long, matted fur can hide skin problems. Megan Rozell, owner of The Barking Lot in Wheaton, recommends four to six weeks for a long-haired dog and six to eight weeks for a shorthaired dog.
Grover says a short-haired dog may need to be bathed only twice a year, but is likely to need more frequent nail trims depending how fast the nails grow and the surfaces the dogs walk on.
“Every dog is an individual,” he says. “You have to look at the pet in front of you.”