Are greyhounds good for seniors?

As dog lovers, getting older doesn’t stop us from wanting a canine friend in our lives; in fact, many senior citizens would rather have a dog as a companion than be alone.

Unfortunately, some breeds can be difficult to keep up with because they need regular grooming, medications, or exercise, which can be too much work for some retirees. Fortunately, we are aware of a few low-maintenance breeds that are fantastic retirement companions!

The majority of mixed breed dogs are free of hereditary health defects, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Any low energy mixed breed will be ideal for an elderly companion. The best choice for elderly people is to adopt a dog from a rescue or shelter where it has undergone behavioral testing or is dependable.

There is always a dog that needs rescuing, no matter what kind you are looking for!

The name Cavalier King Charles Spaniel conjures up images of a dog that requires a lot of upkeep. However, in reality, these dogs are the exact opposite. Cavaliers typically have a calm disposition and are affectionate and reserved dogs. They don’t require a lot of activity, and their thick coats are typically tangle-free. These dogs need occasional grooming but make wonderful lap dogs for seniors looking for a new best friend.

This is the ideal pretext to invite the grandchildren over for a playdate because cavaliers are typically wonderful with kids.

Italian Greyhounds are much smaller than their racing legend cousins. These puppies are ideal for seniors who may lack upper body strength because they are slightly larger than a standard Chihuahua but weigh less than a handbag.

They are attractive due to their small frame, but many people worry that they need excessive exercise. Thankfully, the majority of Italian Greyhounds will sleep for more than 20 hours each day. Before taking their subsequent nap, they should walk or exercise while they are awake. Since these dogs almost never shed, this is not a problem.

For seniors looking for a larger dog, standard greyhounds, which are much larger than Italian greyhounds, make lovely companions. Similar to their diminutive cousins, these dogs spend most of the day sleeping and don’t need a lot of exercise. They make fantastic apartment dogs because they are frequently placid and quiet.

Greyhounds do not shed much and are great with kids. They are great for seniors with eager grandchildren and should occasionally be taken for a run. Greyhounds love a good game of fetch!.

If in good health, pugs make wonderful companions for senior citizens. Due to their shortened snouts, which make breathing difficult, they don’t need much exercise. These dogs would much rather spend the day relaxing on the couch and taking brief daily strolls.

Pugs should not be overfed because they are prone to health problems. For their elderly owners, however, they can be very entertaining and low-maintenance.

Welsh Terriers are an excellent choice for senior citizens who still want to explore because they are slightly more energetic than the other dogs we’ve mentioned. Even though they enjoy their downtime, these dogs are fundamentally terriers. They hardly shed, and are considered to be fairly low-allergenic.

Welsh Terriers are easy to care for and great for fetch games with young children.

Similar to pugs, French bulldogs can be low maintenance as long as they are in good health. Although they are prone to health problems, these dogs are generally simple to care for. They don’t eat much, and rarely need to be groomed. Additionally, they cannot engage in physically demanding activities, so their ideal homes are those that allow for up to 15 minutes of exercise each day.

Due to their coats appearing to be hypoallergenic, Bichon Frises are the breed most frequently owned by elderly people. This means that the dogs rarely shed. Bichons are popular purse dogs, and require little physical exercise. They do require grooming and are well known for having “tear stains” or “eye gunk,” but they require much less upkeep than many breeds.

With the right owners, bichons can be quiet and timid, but it’s crucial to limit their tendency to frequently bark. They tend to get a bad reputation for “yapping!”.

Due to their history as lap dogs, Lhasa Apsos have the appeal of being extremely low energy Like greyhounds, these dogs are expert nappers and enjoy spending time indoors with their friends. Lhasas do need some grooming, but short haircuts can be fitted to reduce tangling. When it’s cooler outside, they are content to take short walks or even just be carried around for a while.

These dogs make excellent companions for senior citizens because they are typically well-mannered and low-key.

Although Yorkshire Terriers require more maintenance than some of the other dogs we’ve mentioned, their size makes them the perfect canine companion for seniors. Although they are thought to be hypoallergenic and rarely weigh more than 10 lbs, they do require some grooming.

Despite the Yorkshire Terrier’s lower energy level, they still need daily exercise. Fortunately, they are little enough to get tired from a quick walk!

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If they could, Ace, Tiara, Dream, Bridget, and Lady would tell you. Retired racing Greyhounds can lead rewarding lives with senior citizens. It says a lot that these dogs and their adopters are so bonded. Even though it may seem strange to pair the fastest breed of dog with people who are well past their prime, just because someone qualifies for senior citizen discounts doesn’t mean they can’t own dogs or are only allowed to have teacup poodles.

I haven’t yet come across the ideal Greyhound adopter profile. All age groups have their pluses and minuses. On the down side, young adults’ lives aren’t established, and dogs might not be compatible with their changes in lifestyle. Families with young children might discover that they are too busy to care for their dogs or that they don’t provide enough supervision when young children and dogs are present. Many middle-aged couples put in long hours at work, and some separate and relocate to places where dogs are not allowed. Seniors may experience health issues or not live as long as their dogs. Adoption organizations are increasingly aware of the need to accept retired racers who, through no fault of their own, have lost their homes after being put in any of the aforementioned circumstances. Greyhounds placed in what appear to be perfect homes may return to the adoption system. Fortunately some people recognize the joys of adopting older Greyhounds. When she was married, a senior adopter in a motorized wheelchair adopted her young black Greyhound girl. She eventually had to move into a nursing home due to her failing health, and she was able to bring her cherished dog, KC, with her. One of the nurses took in this adorable older Greyhound after the woman passed away.

Seniors who adopt Greyhounds benefit because they are less likely to be away from home working 40 to 60 hours per week. Additionally, they won’t spend hours driving the kids to events like birthdays, ballet, and baseball games. Many senior citizens have had dogs for a significant portion of their lives and are familiar with the fundamental duties they entail. They spend more time with their animals, quality time. Dogs don’t discriminate by age. A dog can form a bond with a person as young as 30 or as old as 70. A dog gives many elderly people a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Dogs can greatly improve their lives and provide them with the exercise they need. I like it when senior citizens bring their Greyhounds to our adoption demonstrations because it shows that you don’t have to be an Olympian to adopt a Greyhound. I’ve known several exceptional seniors who have adopted Greyhounds over the years. What follows are some of their stories.

Edith Dyer and Tiara

Edith Dyer was the first senior adopter I met. At age 73 she adopted her Greyhound. Her male Doberman had serious health issues, and her husband had recently passed away. She visited the REGAP (Retired Greyhounds As Pets) kennel at the Seabrook track with her daughter and granddaughter after seeing a TV segment on adopting Greyhounds. The sheer number of Greyhounds in need of homes astounded her, and she would have found it impossible to choose just one, but the tiny fawn female who cuddled her granddaughter won her heart. She had a happy life with her Doberman and her Greyhound Tiara up until his passing six months later. Edith made a cardboard sign that read “Adopt a Greyhound” and taped it to the window of her car because she believed that retired racing dogs would make wonderful pets. She would occasionally appear at our adoption demonstrations and accompany Tiara to the Maine State House to support a bill that would outlaw greyhound racing.

She hasn’t fenced in a space for her dog despite the fact that her home is on 10 acres of land; instead, she prefers to put the leash on and take her dog for several daily walks. Her cats Jasmine and Gabriel like to tag along. Even in the bitterly cold winters, Edith and Tiara dress in layers and she dons cleated boots, always appreciating the wonders of nature. She extols the virtues of retired racers and describes greyhounds as wonderful, intelligent, and sensitive dogs. She can tell Tiara to go easy if her back hurts, and this canine is responsive. They have been almost constant companions for nine years. Edith is now 82 and Tiara is ten-and-a-half.

Dr. Bill Wyatt and Ace

Six years ago, after his elderly Beagle died, Dr. When Bill Wyatt observed dogs in animal shelters, he was overwhelmed by their pitiful expressions. He saw a flyer for an adoption demonstration I was doing for Maine Greyhound Placement Service (MGPS) and was so moved by the demo dogs’ kind demeanors in the little shop that he scheduled an appointment to visit the adoption kennel the following day. Bill was 67 years old at the time. Beautiful brindle Greyhound Ace moved in with the Wyatts and replaced Beagle in the doctor’s office, where he frequently receives attention from dog-loving patients. With Bill’s gradual reduction of his medical practice to two days per week, they have more time to run errands together and take afternoon naps together in bed. (At night, Ace opts for the couch as the doctor’s wife occupies the bed, but he still makes a few nighttime visits to see how his master is doing. Ace enjoys running with the dogs next door with the Wyatts’ son and daughter-in-law in the fenced-in area that was built for him a while back.

Because both frequently assist at our demos, we have observed Ace’s face turn as white as his adopter’s hair over the years. Having them there is always a treat because Bill’s dry sense of humor livens up the proceedings. He is now 73 and Ace is nine-and-a-half. The doctor claims that because they are so attuned to people and are affectionate and low maintenance, greyhounds make excellent pets for seniors. Because they are so familiar with one another’s routines, he and Ace appear to communicate via ESP.

Elmina Sewall, Ashana, Dream, and Bridget

Elmina Sewall refers to greyhounds as “the perfect dogs,” which is an extremely high praise. As a teenager, she brought home her first dog, and over the course of her 88 years, she has lived with countless breeds of dogs. She bred and judged Pug dogs, showing one to the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor because she had a particular interest in them. She has owned up to 20 dogs at once and was president of the West Kennebunk Animal Shelter, which bears her name, for 17 years. Elmina wasn’t bitten by the greyhound bug until she was in her early 80s. She contacted MGPS after reading an article about the plight of retired racing Greyhounds and their need for homes in her neighborhood newspaper five and a half years after one of our demonstrations. When Elmina acquired Ashana, a red fawn female Greyhound, she also acquired a small mixed-breed female from the neighborhood animal shelter. A red fawn girl named Bridget joined her pack two years later, and a brindle female named Dream was adopted two months later. Elmina even attempted to adopt a greyhound that was advertised in the newspaper as being “Free to a good home,” but she discovered that it was incredibly hostile. It was delightful to watch her three retired racers run in their mowed, fenced-in meadow while pursuing fluttering birds. The best part was watching them sprint, exhilarated, back to their mistress.

Elmina broke her hip a year ago and now uses a cane to walk. This has limited the active octogenarian’s options because she can no longer walk her dogs in the woods or around the meadow. Fortunately, she has staff who adore her dogs and take good care of them. Despite their size, Elmina believes that greyhounds make excellent companion animals for seniors because they are calm and simple to handle. As she reads and completes her paperwork, her girls make for pleasant company. Her little mixed-breed dog, Jessie, and her first Greyhound, Ashana, recently passed away. Bridget and Dream, two greyhounds, appear to be in this special home very content and healthy.

Don and Edith Bailey and Lady

The Baileys’ heard that retired Greyhounds make excellent pets. The Bailey family was able to locate the MGPS adoption kennel after the last of their three Siberian Huskies passed away. Their daughter knew her dog-loving parents would adopt a Greyhound. Our kennel manager advised them to schedule a meeting in order to talk about adopting a Greyhound. A small, shiny, black female Greyhound with a white bib and toe tips caught their attention among the many others they saw in the turnout pen. When they returned for their appointment, they were shown five dogs that would work, but they would take home this little Lady Onyx. That was over a year ago. Edith is 79, Lady is almost four, and Don is currently 84 years old. Smokey, the deaf cat, and Lady quickly grew close, and the two of them now scurry back and forth inside together. She knows the names of her favorite toys and carries them around in her mouth. Don, a retired baker, still enjoys rising early and taking Lady for her first daily leash walk. They use a harness on her to minimize pulling. The Baileys are grateful to Lady for assisting them in getting the exercise they require and enjoy. Don and Edith both adore greyhounds and believe they are smart, kind, peaceful, and simple to train dogs. They frequently assist at our adoption demonstrations with their adorable young daughter, and their station wagon is decorated with an “Adopt a Greyhound” bumper sticker.

Future Predictions

Dogs have been and still are a big part of life for a lot of active seniors I’ve met. Many of us can’t imagine our lives without dogs. I see myself, friends, and acquaintances in the crystal ball in 15, 20, and 25 years, with a few more creases and sags, and with our canine companions.

Finally, older greyhounds may experience organ failure, such as heart, kidney, or liver failure Heart murmurs (an abnormal flow of blood through the heart) can develop or be present at birth in some greyhounds. When your veterinarian uses a stethoscope to listen to your dog’s heart, they may be able to hear a heart murmur. Murmurs may eventually result in fluid buildup in the lungs, or heart failure. Coughing, breathing issues, weakness, or lethargic behavior are signs of heart disease. If your dog exhibits any of these symptoms or has a murmur, your veterinarian can perform a heart ultrasound or a chest x-ray to identify the disease’s cause and extent. If necessary, there are numerous different heart medications and low-sodium diets available to help prevent and treat heart disease. Testing your Greyhound for heartworm disease each year and keeping them on monthly heartworm prevention is the simplest way to prevent heart disease. Your Greyhound may experience symptoms like vomiting, loss of appetite, increased drinking or urinating, weight loss, or jaundice if their liver or kidneys are failing. These diseases can be managed with special diets and medications as prescribed by your veterinarian if identified early through routine blood screenings. By limiting the spread of bacteria from the mouth into the bloodstream, yearly dental cleanings and at-home dental care can help prevent some types of organ diseases. Additionally, nutritious food and vitamins can maintain healthy and effective organ function, as advised by your veterinarian.

Arthritis, which develops as Greyhounds age and is brought on by the breakdown of cartilage in their joints, is one of the most prevalent issues they encounter. Since cartilage acts as a cushion between the bones, its destruction causes pain and inflammation as the bones rub against one another. The destruction of the cartilage can result from normal weight bearing over time, joint damage, or joint malformation brought on by poor breeding. Any dog can develop arthritis, but due to their large size, likely racing injuries, and careless breeding, Greyhounds are more likely to do so. Walking stiffness, trouble getting up, reluctance to jump or climb stairs, and crying while moving are all indications of arthritis. While some degree of arthritis is to be expected, your veterinarian and home care can lessen the severity and pain. It’s crucial to keep your dog at a lean body weight because excess body fat can put additional strain on the joints. Your veterinarian should determine the proper serving size of a high-quality pet food for senior animals, and they shouldn’t be given table food or treats with a lot of calories. Maintaining a healthy body weight as well as keeping joints lubricated and preventing stiffness require slow, controlled exercise, such as 15-20 minute leash walks three times per day. Finally, there are medicines that can lessen and prevent arthritis pain. To lessen the severity of this condition, greyhounds of any age can take a daily joint supplement containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. Most pet stores and veterinary offices carry this supplement, which is also an ingredient in some commercial pet foods. It works without a prescription by assisting in repairing and restoring the damaged cartilage within the joints. To keep your pet comfortable, there are prescription drugs like Rimadyl or Deramaxx that reduce arthritis-related pain and inflammation. If your dog needs to take this kind of medication daily, your vet will determine when it is appropriate and might ask for periodic bloodwork to check for side effects. Detection and prompt and consistent treatment of arthritis can make it a painful but manageable condition.

Our beloved Greyhounds experience certain ailments as they get older, just like people do. Our dogs unfortunately experience this sooner than we do because they age about seven times more quickly than we do. In order to put this into perspective, a ten-year-old Greyhound has the same age as a person who is 70 years old. Due to their large bodies, lack of proper nutrition and sanitation during their formative years at the track, as well as the extreme physical strain brought on by years of racing, greyhounds age particularly quickly. As a result, a Greyhound is regarded as a “senior citizen” by the age of seven or eight. The diseases, treatments, and steps that can be taken for early disease detection and prevention are described below along with some typical issues experienced by senior Greyhounds.

The aging Greyhound also frequently suffers from cancer, particularly bone cancer. The most frequent type of bone cancer in Greyhounds is osteosarcoma, which typically affects the carpus (knee), shoulder, or shoulder blade. Arthritis symptoms and those of bone cancer can be extremely similar. In order to differentiate between these two diseases, x-rays of the joints and bones are required. If your Greyhound exhibits any signs of limping or pain, you must immediately take them to the veterinarian. Bone cancer is extremely painful and aggressive. The prognosis for survival is extremely poor if it is not detected early because it can spread to other body parts. Early detection and aggressive treatment are required to stop the disease’s spread and the dog’s suffering. The affected limb should ideally be amputated to remove the cancer’s source and the painful area of bone, then chemotherapy should be administered to remove any cancerous cells that may have escaped into the bloodstream. With this type of treatment, some dogs do remarkably well and do not experience the negative effects of chemotherapy, such as hair loss, as do humans. If your Greyhound is found to have this illness, you and your veterinarian will need to make a very personal choice because not all dogs are good candidates for these procedures. Greyhounds can develop other types of cancer as well, so notify your veterinarian at the first indications of illness and arrange for your senior pet to visit him or her for routine checkups and lab tests at least twice a year.

While we can’t stop our Greyhounds from getting older, we can make sure they live happy, fulfilling lives well into their golden years. Make sure to have routine lab tests performed to check for disease every six months as part of your senior Greyhound’s examination by your veterinarian. Keep a close eye out for any changes in your Greyhound’s behavior or health, and notify your veterinarian right away. If diagnosed early, the majority of diseases can be better controlled or treated. Like with human health care, a healthy diet, regular exercise, and preventive care can lengthen a pet’s life and improve its quality of it!

9. Although most senior Greyhounds are already trained to use the restroom, they might not know how to do so, especially if they were retired as seniors. Until they master asking, you might need to periodically give them the chance.

6. You don’t have to worry about teething puppies chewing your shoes and furniture when you’re not looking because they are past the puppy stage.

2. Dogs can be trained at any age. Giving an older dog a loving home will reward them with unwavering devotion and a desire to please their new owner, making training them relatively simple. They are not easily distracted like puppies are. Not to mention, older dogs often make excellent therapy dogs.

The sweetest dogs, but frequently the most difficult to place for adoption, are senior greyhounds Many believe that elderly people only have a limited amount of time left and may experience medical issues that will be too expensive or take too long to treat. The truth is that the majority of greyhounds live 10 to 14 years, and they are one of the healthiest purebred dog breeds. Greyhounds are considered “senior” at 6-7 years of age. The majority of them still have years to spare for a caring family. There are a lot of benefits to adopting an older Greyhound, but today we’ll focus on the top 10.

1. You can be a hero. You are defending the worth and beauty of life at all ages and stages by adopting an older Greyhound. It’s true that by selecting an older animal, you are saving a life. Giving an older dog a second chance to live out the rest of their life with dignity and love when others frequently don’t even bother looking is heroic.

FAQ

What is the best dog for an elderly person?

There are several breeds that are suitable as senior pets, including poodles, maltese, pomeranians, and pugs. The best dog breeds for older people tend to be more low-maintenance and require less exercise.

Is 70 too old to get a dog?

You should have a dog at any time in your life if you make thoughtful decisions and put some thought into it. It seems that the time when you most desire a dog is when you are no longer a child.

What are the cons of having a greyhound?

Health problems. Bloat, a digestive disorder that can be fatal in just a few hours in Greyhounds, develops suddenly and is very common. In addition, a concerning number of young Greyhound deaths are caused by cancer.

Can greyhounds be left alone for 8 hours?

Greyhounds are much better than other dogs at handling being left alone for extended periods of time. The suggested amount of time away from your dog is 6 to 8 hours, but not longer.