MUST HAVE PRODUCTS for Your Older Dog

Recently, my dog, Molly (the Girlfriend), got old. She has had three surgeries in the last 18 months to remove a recurring cancerous tumor on the back of her left leg. After each surgery, we have rehabbed her to the point where she was back to walking two to three miles five days a week. Not too shabby for a 12 to 13 year old husky/border collie mutt, but she has been in pain recently and quite suddenly, so she needed some help to improve her quality of life. After a visit to our vet, she is now on two very expensive, but effective medications, Dasuquin Chewable Tablets for Large Dogs and Previcox, a canine-safe anti-inflammatory, available through prescription only. NOTE: If you cannot afford to care for your pet 'til death do you part, please, do not get a pet. Molly has cost us five figures and we will do anything for her as long as she is comfortable, happy and active, within reason for her age. My mom helped us find most of these products and I thank her profusely! Thanks, Mama! You are the BEST.

We decided it was time to get some items that would make Molly's changing last chapters as comfortable as possible. During all of her surgical recoveries we SO WISH we had found this, the BEST THING we have bought for her: Peak Pooch Dog Walking Lifting Carrying Harness with Mesh Support padded Vest and Reflective piping for safety. It has been a LIFE SAVER for Molly and for us. The handle on top make assisting your dog so easy for both your pup and you! The padding on the bottom of the straps is absolutely wonderful, protecting Molly from any potential pressure point pain. The straps are fully adjustable and the measuring chart is fantastic for finding the very best fit for your dog. Make sure you can easily get two or three fingers in there. Easily, not shoving them underneath.

We have wood floors in our home which are very difficult for ANY dog to run around on and nearly impossible for a dog to navigate if she has weak hind quarters. We have added many non-skid rugs to our home for her, but, being a husky girl who is warm even in our very cool air conditioned home, she likes to sleep on the cool floors. This all sounds great, until she wants to get up. We, of course, are not always at home to help her and certainly do not want her to struggle. 

Enter these great additions: Expawlorer Anti-Slip Dog Socks! Measure carefully before ordering! I took my time and got the right size for our girl. I have become quite adept at getting them on her feeties quickly! She is now independent, not skidding around, getting hurt just to get UP. Love these socks. I have not had to use the tape, which would go around the cinched in area above the foot, but it's there if she ever starts getting these off. I put them on her front feet only so far, but as her weak hide end conditions worsen with age, we are ready for all fours!

Molly is afraid of storms, and, yes, these shirts help! ThunderShirt Classic Dog Anxiety Jacket is really quick to put on, but the point here is to get it on BEFORE your need it whenever possible. I use Vitality Extracts Peaceful Pup oil on her jacket, on the chest area. I use the 30ml eye dropper bottle, but it comes as a roll-on, too. The stuff is not cheap, but a little goes a long way!

I cannot stress enough that, while anxiety jackets are effective, I find it most useful when I put it on her 30 minutes or more before the storm arrives. If I come home in the middle of rain, of course, I still put it right on her.

As mentioned, Molly has a hard time with sliding on slippery surfaces, and that includes the leather seats in my car. My parents visited recently and had the nicest, most effective car seat cover that I have ever seen, and now I have one, too! The URPOWER Car Seat Cover, with slip-proof backing and waterproof fabric (YES!) comes in different styles at different prices, but this one works great for us. There are even two large pockets for holding leashes, collapsible bowls, whatever! The best part? The white pieces that you see in the lower left of the picture from the manufacturer. Fold your seats forward, put the seat anchors through, and snap your seats back in place. No more balling up, sliding around, etc. LOVE IT. This is the fourth car seat cover I have purchased, and, thankfully, the last. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! There are velcro seat belt openings so your dog is not tripping on them and TWO included seat belts that fit any standard vehicle seat belt receiving ends! Just clip onto your pet's harness and click it to safely keep your dog secure and in the back seat! If you want one with mesh so your shorter pets can see forward, check out this model, still under $40.00, the URPOWER Dog Seat Cover with Detachable Mesh Visual Window!

And one last thing: outdoor stairs. Do your dog a favor like we did - cover the stairs with outdoor carpet - one piece screwed in at the top, making a step 'back' if there are not any backs to your stairs, dogs slide their feet through, often smacking their chests against the hard steps and causing injuries to legs, backs and hips. Give your dog a non-slip surface. The easiest way is to use this 3'x5' artificial turf. It is 3' wide, perfect for steps, you can trim in with a utility knife, and it is tough enough, is screwed down properly, to assure that you dog will not slip and get hurt on stairs.

If you have any questions about any of these products that I own, let me know! They all make our Molly's life easier and I believe will improve the life of your dog, too!

Thanks for reading!

~Stacie

All opinions here are based on the facts that I have gained from my experiences. If you purchase anything linked here, I get a very small percentage at no additional cost to you! Pretty please? It's good stuff, or I would not be telling you about it, I promise! All photos above, except Molly, are the manufacturers, as they show excellent detail and represent the products best.