Show YOUR Old Dog Some Love--Best Valentine's Day Gifts for a Senior Dog!

Your senior dog has melted your heart for years. An ever faithful friend deserves a reward for all those years of unconditional love. But what would be the perfect gift to show your older dog just how much you love them? If Valentine's Day is designated to show your sweetheart the love you have in your heart, why not spoil your senior dog with a heart shaped box of dog treats?


Our family loves to pamper our pets. Any special day, like Valentine's Day is a day to show our senior dog Tikki (and his cat siblings) how much we love them with special pet gifts. Every year as Tikki aged, we bought our old dog special presents like funky red dog booties to protect his paws or a box of heart-shaped dog cookies and chews for Valentine's Day. An elevated dog dish was the perfect way to serve his festive treats.



As he approached 15 years, Tikki didn't enjoy the rawhide chews in the heart shaped box as much as he had in previous years as they became too tough to chew. We opted for homemade heart shaped dog cookies and less chewy dog treats for his Valentine gift. But he still loved  the pink and red plush dog toys and and warm doggie sweaters well into senior life.


A dog ramp can be a gift that really shows your love. As Tikki started struggling with the back steps, we installed a semi-permanent dog ramp at our back door. This particular dog ramp model was designed with extra traction so there would be less trouble getting up and down  in snowy or icy February weather. We did consider a portable one too...Our old dog absolutely loved his car rides. After all, spending time with your sweetheart (especially your senior dog sweetheart) is what Valentine's Day is all about!

5 PERFECT Valentines Gifts to show your Senior Dog LOVE:

1. Therapeutic Dog Bed (Coziest Valentine's gift for the older canine!)
2. Dog Booties (Protect old dog paws from the February ice and salt.)
3. Portable Dog Ramp (Make it easy to take your canine sweetheart along for the ride.)
4. Elevated Dog Dish (Perfect way to serve up Valentine's treats for senior dogs.)
5. Holiday Dog Sweater (A fun, festive way to show how much you love your older dog.)

Copyright 2012 OldDogPaws.com
 

BEST Gifts for your Old Dog at Christmas!

Does your senior dog, an old friend who is a part of your family for years, have a special gift under the Christmas tree? Is there a holiday dog stocking by the fireplace filled to the brim with a chew toy and chicken-flavored dog treats for your lovable older pet? Well, by gosh, there should be!

Our family embraced the holidays as a time to spoil and pamper our pet. Tikki (and his cat siblings) had their own Christmas socks and special holiday gifts under the tree. Every year as Tikki aged, we bought our old dog a new dog bed as a holiday gift. The old one was usually worn down from extended use. He was properly spoiled the first year we purchased the plush orthopedic bolster bed. But as he aged, he really seemed more comfortable with the lower edge and smooth fabric of a large therapeutic dog mattress.


As he approached 15 years, Tikki didn't enjoy the rawhide chew bone as much as he had in previous years as they became too tough to chew. We opted for homemade dog cookies and less chewy dog treats to stuff his holiday stocking. But he still loved plush dog toys and chasing bright colored balls well into senior life.


The year of the dog ramp was especially memorable. Tikki was struggling with the back steps so we installed one at our back door. The dog ramp we purchased was designed with extra traction so there would be less trouble getting up and down the ramp in snowy or icy weather. We did consider a portable one too...Our old dog absolutely loved car rides and often joined the family as we toured the holiday lights throughout the neighborhood.

5 PERFECT Holiday Gifts for Senior Dogs:

1. Therapeutic Dog Bed (Coziest Christmas gift for the older canine!)
2. Dog Booties (Protect old dog paws from ice and salt.)
3. Portable Dog Ramp (Bring your old dog all through the season.)
4. Thundercoat for Dogs (Calming during stressful holiday parties and activities.)
5. Holiday Dog Sweater (Festive way to include Fido in the family holiday picture.)

Copyright 2011 OldDogPaws.com

Waterproof, Durable and Replaceable Dog Bed Covers for Orthopedic Dog Bed--Perfect for the SENIOR Dog!

If there is one thing made our older dog comfortable during his senior years it was his dog bed. We had not invested in a dog bed when Tikki was a pup, but as he aged we saw the amount of time he spent lying down and the difficulty he was having getting up off the floor. Eventually our old dog had not one but two, well used and loved, dog beds in the house. But it took some work to find the right dog bed for our senior dog.

Local stores had few good senior dog bed options. We ended up purchasing several beds using the trial and error method.. Some were too fluffy for Tikki to lift his paws over them as his eyesight was poor. He often tripped when the profile of the bed was too high or slippery. Once the bed was used, it could not be returned so it was a frustrating expensive, process to find a good orthopedic dog bed.

Recently, I found a wonderful orthopedic dog bed online that would have been perfect for our home and senior dog. It has everything an aging dog needs for back and bone support. It is orthopedic foam dog bed with a removable and replaceable cover. There are also optional waterproof covers that can be purchased to further protect the mattress from accidents. Optional extra covers are an important feature because an older dog will make continual use of his bed. When we needed to wash the cover, Tikki would resort to using the uncovered bed which would cause the actual mattress pad to deteriorate much more quickly. Had the option of replacement and waterproofing covers been available to us, this would have made Tikki’s favorite bed last throughout his final years.

Features to a PERFECT Bed for the Older Dog

1. Orthopedic Support
2. Washable Cover
3. Replaceable Cover
4. Availability of Waterproof Lining Covers
5. Cover fabric that is durable and not slippery

Using this short list will help guide you to find the perfect bed for your older dog.  Having a good place to rest is essential to making your dog’s senior years happy!

Need more help to find the perfect dog bed for your Senior Dog? 
CLICK HERE and check out the DOG BED page at OldDogPaws.com.

Copyright 2011 OldDogPaws.com

A Bolster Dog Bed for the Diggingest Old Dog!

When my boys were younger, they loved Dr. Suess’ beginning reader books. One of their favorites was The Diggingest Dog by Al Perkins. In the story, a boy, Sammy Brown enters the pet store and rescues a dog from life on “the bare, hard floor of stone”.

Our own dog was a pup then and though he liked to dig, Tikki rarely slept on bare floor. He had his usual spots on a rug or the carpet. Sometimes at night, he would even sneak up on the couch. The one time we kenneled Tikki for a trip, they did keep him in a cement-floor jail cell. We never kenneled him again.

As Tikki got older, we remembered the book and knew he would need a bed. But which dog bed is best for a senior dog?

Our first attempt was around the time Tikki was 9 years old and we purchased a bolster bed. This one was just the ticket at the time. Tikki loved the pillowed edge around the side that supported his back. In order to get into the dog bed, he had to be able to maneuver over the edge. But at 9 years young, Tikki was still spry and full of energy; arthritis had yet to kick in so it was a perfectly cozy choice for our diggingest dog!

For a list of some of the BEST Dog Beds for Older Dogs CLICK HERE

 Copyright 2011 OldDogPaws.com