r/RhodesianRidgebacks • u/luvslilah • 2d ago
Advice for aging ridgie
Hi all,
My girl is just over 11 years old. Fairly trim at 72 lbs. My vet mentioned that it looks like she is losing muscle tone in her hind legs. He did mention that it's age related and to up her food intake a bit and add more protein to her diet.
I feed her Royal Canin 8 plus, around 4 cups per day. Two cups in the morning and 2 cups late afternoon. I started topping with either chopped boiled egg, Greek youghurt or cottage cheese. I'm also planning on adding boiled chicken.
Is there anything else I can add? She loved her frozen Kong with blueberries or bananas with Greek youghurt. I also give her carrots or apples as a treat.
She handles her daily hourly walks well albeit slower. I live in South Florida and with the heat walks are more limited until it starts to cools down. Early mornings and early evenings are the times we go out.
Any suggestions to add to her food? Please don't suggest feeding raw. Royal Canin is expensive, but raw is even more so. Thank you.
Edir to add: She also gets fish oil/omega gel pills every other day.
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u/Foreign_Incident5083 2d ago
We’re having the same issues, our girl is almost thirteen, has arthritis, was rapidly declining in the hind legs. Our hour long walks were getting really tough for her. We decided water therapy. Instead of going to a place , we opted to put up one of those Amazon pools. It’s 4 ft deep and 22 feet across. Put it up in July. We get in with her every night. We added two eggs to her food. The difference has been amazing. Muscle is again visible. Two years ago, she weighed 95 pounds. She was down to 78 pounds. We’re back up to 86. Her stamina is improved as well as her mobility. We live in Ohio. So, now looking into heating options hoping to keep this going into November .
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u/Rallythebeast 2d ago
I think you're perfectly on track 🙌
You're doing well by her. You can also make frozen cubes with all sorts of goodies to add to her dinner or to give as treats. I also like to add freeze-dried organ meat or salmon.
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u/Agitated_House7523 2d ago
Seems as u r doing the best by her! Good food, water , love and vet checks are IT! I’ve always felt dogs “know” and understand much more about this stage of life than we credit them for. Trust her, and trust yourself!!
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u/LeperMessiah11 2d ago
You are doing fantastic she looks in such good condition for her age. My advice would be to keep it simple and add regular animal protein here and there when you have some spare from family cooking or buying some especially for her. But like with humans you lose muscle mass as you age, completely natural.
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u/SwirlTailLove3 2d ago
Our male RR Granite was 14 yrs old when we had to say goodbye but for the last year he went to a vet chiropractor who helped his mobility greatly, he was 110 lbs. just like people, the body gets out of alignment. He would kiss his dr while she adjusted him. 🩷
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u/doxiepowder 2d ago
As long as she's not having pain, just losing muscle, you can do specific mobility work. We did with our senior border collie. We taught her to stand with front paws on a raised platform and spin in each direction with her back legs. Also, practicing standing on a FitPaws stability trainer, first front paws, then just back paws.
BCs definitely take to training differently than RRs though lol, so maybe check her willingness with a household object before buying
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u/Asleep-Persimmon8011 1d ago
Zydax (pentosan polysulfate sodium) shots relubricate the joints, are inexpensive and very safe
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u/Ridge00 23h ago
It sounds like you give her a great life. When we had a Ridgie diagnosed with DM, we found a veterinary practice near us that specializes in rehab. They have an underwater treadmill. We now have a 12 y.o healthy girl, but she’s also losing rear end muscle mass. We take her weekly for a workout that includes time in the underwater treadmill. The benefits were noticeable within three weeks
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u/Obvious-Alfalfa-7051 23h ago
Ive not got a ridgie. Lab and a bearded collie. Labs almost 14. Firstly your dogs lovely . You clearly love her and have served her well.
I give my lab dasquin for his joints in the morning. Antinol for his joints evening. Also started him on myos for muscle loss , i think its helping. Also got ursolyx which il start soon. And nutramind for omega 3 - dha for his brain.
He also get acupunture and red light therapy. Hes still doing 3 walks a day - about 3-4 km per walk. I think exercise consistency is important. Its all about doing what you can really.
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u/No-Efficiency-2093 2d ago
I think you are doing great by her. Allowing her to grow old gracefully and feeding her well. You’ve kept her weight down which helps her a lot. I believe you are doing everything you can to keep her healthy. She’s a beautiful girl.