Cross Breeds

what can I expect if I adopt a senior dog?

in the future (like 5 years from now) I want to adopt a healthy senior dog. Do I need to do anything special for it? Does it need a senior dog food? I will most likely adopt a senior ex-racing greyhound

Public Comments

1. Lots of Vet bills!
2. yes senior dog food. greyhounds are different than other large breed dogs because they don't get alot of the diseases that the other large breed dogs get. they are great with kids. they may be skiddish and shy around new people. this is about the general breed. i have had grey puppys not olderdogs so i can't help much there. you can go to: greytrescues.com for more information allthough they are based in IN.
3. I fostered a senior Lab, this past year. He was a great dog. We didn't know much about him when we got him, but we learned together. He was already trained to; sit, stay, down, paw, go to bed, etc... He did eat senior dog food. We did NOT crate him, since he was so big 85+ lbs. He was already potty trained, so there was really no need. There were more pluses in my opinion, than there were minuses. I'm sure you can think of reasons not to adopt a senior dog, but I like to think positive. Our foster now has a great home, and I am still in touch with his new family.
4. First of all I just want to say GOOD FOR YOU! seriously! I have never seen anyone on this site seem to care about adopting an older dog. Everyone wants puppies! Which is really stupid because even if they are adopting them, puppies get adopted 90% of the time. Seniour dogs get put down 90% of the time, so you should be proud of yourself. The main thing that you have to watch out for in a seniour dog (esspecially an ex-racing) is arthritus. It can cause the dog alot of pain and discomfort, so you have to deffinatly watch out for that. Also, dogs get cavities, just like humans, so that can be very costly esspecially as they get older.Other than that greyhounds are very healthy dogs. Just expect to get their shots up to date every year and to buy dog food every month!
5. Congrats on thinking of adopting a senior greyhound. I have 5 greyhounds, including my last one who is 8 years old. She has also had 3 litters of puppies while at the farm where they breed racing dogs. Her only problem was she had some arthritis in her back legs. After giving her glucosomine, that turned her into one happy dog that can run. Some older dogs have bad teeth. So do some of the young ones, but the older the dog is, the worse it's teeth can be. But greyhounds can do very well without any teeth. My senior get respect from my other 4, because they seem to know she is wiser. They are very intelegent, and I wouldn't hesitate to adopt another senior in a heartbeat. Good luck!!!!!
6. One tid-bid of info I didn't see on the other responses is that greyhounds are used to confined spaces. Between races, they are usually cooped up in a crate. So, you might not have to get a crate much bigger than the dog IF you decide to get a crate. Good luck.
7. Bravo! for being willing to adopt a senior dog. As anyone who works with rescue will tell you, it's often very hard to place a senior dog. Everyone wants a puppy, but hardly anyone wants one of the old guys. When you get someone willing to take in a senior dog, it's like finding a $20 bill on the sidewalk. Doesn't happen very often, but sure nice when it does. Regardless of breed, in my view the two big things to keep in mind are that you aren't going to have this dog as long. You're getting an animal that is probably closer to the end of its life than to the beginning. Also, you're likely to have more vet bills with an older dog. But, you'll have the satisfaction of having done something really good. As for any special needs, that's something you'll have to deal with when you get the dog. It might be diet, it might be medication, it might be any of several things, or none at all. Time will tell.