Hi,I am in process of adopting a senior dog to add to my household. Frankly was looking for a smaller breed that would be easy to handle physically due to my age (70's but healthy and active but do have a bad back thanks to my horse LOL). However just came across someone trying to place a 9y 75lb GSD/X who is the sweetest dog I ever met. I am temporarily fostering for a few days and he gets along beautifully with my GSD/X. He has just gone thru HW treatment so is in need of good nutrition etc which I can provide (I do raw). However, he is obviously abit slow in the back end although still agile. So, my problem is that due to my back I would be unable to hoist him up on the bed with my other dog or may have difficulty getting him into my car. These things had me up worrying half the night. So thought I would ask here for any tips or hints on handling a large dog as it ages when one is unable to lift them etc. Thanks for reading this, I did think of taking him to my vet tomorrow and having him examined to see how his back end is but frankly what difference would that make regarding my decision. He is very bow legged but luckily has very big legs and feet. ann

ramps . . . everywhere .

build , or have built , ramps for the specific locations you need so you are not dragging the things around . put a little rope loop on them so they can hang neatly where you need them , but don't need them in place all the time .

i'm thinking some 1 by 10" , with a ledge / gripper device on the underside of the top end .

Cosequin (a dog supplement) helped my old dog get a little more pep in step.
Is this dog on anything?
What does vet say?
Swimming has also helped my dog loads.

Hi, thank you for giving him a home.
I agree with Ian, ramps and steps, even a mounting block could substitute for steps. I used this with an aged dog who had a bad back, at first he was hesitant but once acclimated he preferred his ramp and steps. There are many premade available just be sure to check weight limits, a lot are made for smaller dogs.
Have fun with your new pup.

I also hope that you know about giving fish oil (plus the needed extra Vitamin E to support the fish oil's PUFAs during the body's processing).

Please post back if the thread isn't clear on the ramps and shallow steps, because many of us use both.

For example, the concept of portable "mounting blocks" (or steps or ramps) .... it does NOT require a young human bod to help out an old dog. (You can trust me on this one! )


Do you know about keeping this guy slim and trim? 75 lbs doesn't sound overweight in general for a GSD, but who knows? Mine is 63 lbs and perfect for his frame.

I too thank you for helping this guy.

 Quote: Jodi Moen

Hi, thank you for giving him a home.
I agree with Ian, ramps and steps, even a mounting block could substitute for steps. I used this with an aged dog who had a bad back, at first he was hesitant but once acclimated he preferred his ramp and steps. There are many premade available just be sure to check weight limits, a lot are made for smaller dogs.
Have fun with your new pup.

I have several lightweight "steps" .... one is perfect for cutting the height to the bed in half.

In addition, please don't forget that many dogs would actually prefer not to sleep up high on the people bed.

I now have a pack who have been together for so long and are so well trained that being on my bed is OK. Still, one wants his own little "den" under a chair, and he has it. His dog bed is under there, and he never comes up on the furniture.

I also want to thank you for taking the old guy in!

One thing I did was move the chair ottoman into the bedroom to the foot of the bed. The dogs all use it to get onto the bed, but they all seem to like to sleep on it, too. Even foster dogs or those that I am watching for friends like to hang out and use that ottoman. It's funny because that ottoman NEVER got touched when it was with the chair.

There are tons of great supplements that will help with creaky hips. Synflex is one that I've had great results with. I have also used SoundDog Viscosity Chews with great results. Both of those products are sold by Leerburg, but there are many others out there that might help your new dog- I would recommend talking with your vet to see what would be the best for your dog's problems.

I hope you have many happy years together!

Great to give the old fella a home!

Maybe, at least about the bed, you should see if he even wants to get up there. Perhaps he's been trained to stay off the furniture. If so, he may feel uneasy being up there.

Perhaps bed could be "special" for you and your original dog.

Lots of great suggestions here about ramps, steps, joint supplements. (I know a number of people who swear by Glyco-Flex.) I just want to mention, too, they also make special lifting harnesses for dogs that can help with mobility if needed. They have handles so that the person doesn't have to bend over too far to help the dog. If you Google something along the lines of "senior dog products," you'll get a slew of companies that carry these kinds of things.

I hope all goes well and you are able to give this guy a nice retirement home. Let us know!

Post photos!