Caring for an Older Cavalier
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels reach their ‘senior years’ somewhere between 8-10 years old depending on their health.
Caring for an older Cavalier
More frequent vet visits - It is essential that you increase their annual vet check to twice a year. This should include a blood check. This will enable the Veterinarian to ensure anything needing treatment can be picked up sooner rather than later.
Ensure your Cavalier gets regular exercise. This is important to help maintain fitness and joint health. As their age increases moderate the exercise but still maintain it. You wouldn’t expect the average 70-80 year old person to exercise at the same level of a 20-30 year old person and you shouldn’t expect it of your dog. Exercise in different ways such as swimming if your dog is overweight or has joint soreness.
Keep your Cavalier King Charle Spaniel on a healthy diet. Don’t fall into the trap of giving too many treats, just because your Cavalier has mastered the ‘begging eyes’ act perfectly. Being overweight is not good for any Cavalier but it adds more problems for your seniors.
Talk to your Veterinarian about supplements to assist with joint mobility or probiotics to help with digestive health.
Play brain stimulating enrichment games to improve your Cavaliers cognitive ability. It is important to exercise your Cavaliers brain and their body. Enrichment games that stimulate the brain are a lot of fun for both you and your dog. Examples include hiding their favourite treats around your garden and letting them sniff them out. Another example is hiding treats in empty egg cartons, then closing the carton and letting your dog open it with their mouth and paws. Used toilet rolls provide a great game too, just fold in one end, place a few of their favourite treats inside, then fold in the second end. Then watch as your Cavalier has fun trying to figure out how to open the roll to obtain the treats.
Take your senior Cavalier King Charles Spaniel out to different places as an adventure, giving them new sights, sounds and smells. You will both enjoy the new experience. Remember, your dog’s world is only as big as you let it be. Help them explore the world around them, especially in their senior years.
Maintain dental health. Again prevention is better than cure as older dogs with health problems, particularly advanced Mitral Valve Disease (MVD) may not be able to withstand the anaesthetic required to have teeth cleaned.
You may need to make changes in your home such as replacing bedding with a heated one for winter, placing steps next to the favourite chair, couch or other piece of furniture, putting non-slip mats down in areas where your senior might slip. You nay need to adjust things if your dog cannot manage the stairs to an upper floor anymore. They may not be able to walk for long periods but still want to be out and about. This is when a Dog Pram is a great purchase. They are safe in the pram and they still get to see and smell everything around them. Any adjustment to help them maintain their independence is great.
Senior Cavaliers are beautiful, check them out.
