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Are there any older Havs out there?

7K views 27 replies 18 participants last post by  gigipie 
#1 ·
It does not look like there is much activity on the Older Havs forum. Most posts are about young dogs or puppies. Just wondering if there are other older Hav owners out there. My Mia will turn 11 soon. She is my first dog and I just wondered if owners with older Havs have any particular tips or advice for me or things to watch out for. Thank you.
 
#3 ·
My Hav is one, but I’m interested in this too since Sally is my first Havenese. My previous dog was a cocker spaniel, Lucy. I was familiar with cockers and prepared for the health issues. The big surprise was doggie dementia at age 11 or 12. Luckily it progressed slowly. I think dementia may be an issue with any breed though. So far, fingers crossed, Sally is very healthy. By this age, Lucy was already on an ear regime because she nearly always had an ear infection.


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#6 ·
Eddie will be 11 in a few weeks. He has hypothyroidism
I was wondering if the vet did a full thyroid panel on Eddie to diagnose his hypothyroidism? My 11 year old Mia started having a slightly lower T4 two years ago, however I do full thyroid panels via Hemopet on her as well and they show that the thyroid is normal. I understand that some older dogs can get a lower T4, however that does not always mean hypothyroidism. However, some vets assume hypothyroidism just on T4 alone. Jean Dodd's has some good articles on hypothyroidism and is very knowledgeable.
 
#7 ·
I’m not sure if theyve run a full panel or not. I do however know that his levels were low enough that they didn’t even really register...and he was very symptomatic with lethargy and hair loss which all resolved with treatment. So I feel very confident he was indeed hypothyroid! But thanks for the info, I appreciate your concern.
 
#8 ·
I'm not sure if theyve run a full panel or not. I do however know that his levels were low enough that they didn't even really register...and he was very symptomatic with lethargy and hair loss which all resolved with treatment. So I feel very confident he was indeed hypothyroid! But thanks for the info, I appreciate your concern.
I have heard that hypothyroidism is very common in dogs these days...not sure if more common in certain breeds. Is he on medicine? Do these help him? I thought the medications are supposed to be very effective.
 
#16 ·
Hi. I love my older girls!!! Mine got sweeter with age!

As for health problems, they are both deaf now. Not sure how common that is. They are not related to each other.

That's really the only health problem they have shared that I can think of.

As they age, I make sure to not skip any teeth cleanings. I think they sometimes suffer silently with a tooth ache and we don't know it.

My smaller girl, 9lb, age 14, has arthritis in back legs. Since she can't make the neighborhood walks anymore, we got a dog stroller and keep on going. I also pick her up now so she doesn't have to jump onto the couch or bed with me.

I think they just need a little more love as they age. More snuggle time, more petting, and a few extra treats make their lives sweet. 😋 and they deserve that! They've sure made my life sweeter!
 
#17 ·
Hi,

My Havanese will be nine in June, wow, how time flies. He acts exactly the same as he did at one years old, but I should qualify he has always been a very laid back dog. My pet sitter always tells me, Desi loves lazy days. He is mostly white with a little beige so he doesn't show any gray / white hairs so he looks just the same as he looked when he was a year old. We just had blood work done last month at the vets and everything came back perfect.

He is an awesome little guy, the most obedient dog and easiest dog to train I have ever had. He has his excellent title in rally and has been a therapy dog since his first birthday and he has traveled with us all over the United States, he is always so perfectly behaved and never barks on the plane or in the hotel room. One hotel left a plate of human cookies on our bed as part of the turn down service and even though Desi mostly hangs out on the bed when we are out of the room (I spied on him through the window when we had a first floor hotel room) he did not touch the cookies. When we opened the hotel door, he met us at the door wagging his tail and than ran over to the bed and jumped up staring at the cookies, as if to say, "Look mom and dad, what they brought us, I saved them to show you." He is, like I said, so good, my other dog would have gobbled up the cookies the minute they set the plate on the bed.

Our other dog is a six year old standard poodle and despite what they say about poodles, being super smart and easy to train, he forgot to read the breed book and it took years of training, I constantly wore a fanny pack with treats so I could work on training all day with him for four years. However, what our poodle lacks in obedience, he makes up for in fun. He is so much fun, he loves life, he loves hiking, swimming, chasing tennis balls and of course cuddling, he is a seventy five pound lap dog. At six years old he is now a very good boy, he no longer pulls on walks, jumps on people or barks at everything, eventually praise and treats does work.

I feel so lucky, I have to awesome dogs, two white, fluffy love bugs.

Overall, Havanese are pretty healthy purebred dogs and I think the average life is around fourteen years but many exceed that. Enjoy your Havanese, they are very special dogs.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Not sure if this forum is still active. However, I am the proud Dad of an older Havanese. My boy, Boo turned 17 in 2019. He is still pretty spry, and a good jumper (makes it up on the sofa 9 out of 10 times). However, he does have age-related hearing (mostly deaf) and vision issues. As such, he has difficulty following voice and hand commands. Mostly, he only has monocular vision. Still, he has no trouble navigating around the house or outside in bright light. His housetraining also is fully intact, and he alerts me by ringing a large bell. Except for daily eyedrops and a probiotic, he does not take any medications or supplements. I attribute his good health to a combination of things (i.e., good diet, exercise, regular vet visits/dental cleanings, and weekly grooming/baths).
 
#21 ·
We LOVE having Boo here!!! We have had several "elder states-dogs" here over the years, including other 17 year olds. It is so much fun to see them loving life and doing well! <3 Kodi's grandmother lived to be that age, and loved running with the other dogs to "chase" balls that she couldn't see or hear. :) Kodi is almost 11 now, and I sure hope he is still with us at that age!!!
 
#22 ·
Hi everyone! I used to be more active with my sweet Bentley but have been busy the past few years and have not been on this forum. My havanese, Bentley, will be 14 years in a few months. He is doing ok aside from being blind in his right eye from an accident when a lab head bumped him 6 years ago at a dog park. He has adapted very well until recently as he is loosing his site now in his left eye. Aside from medication in his right eye 3 times a day (Neo poly dex) he gets around pretty well (no stairs). His hearing not very good anymore and I cannot let him jump off the sofa, etc. He usually waits for me to help him down. He is the sweetest dog and so full of love. I cannot even imagine what life will be like when he is gone. We got him from a breeder when he was about 5 months old. I feed him dinner around 4:30 pm because he loves to eat and my schedule works for that. It always worked but in the last 6 weeks he has been waking up between 4:30 and 5:00 am to eat breakfast. It is so strange. He sleeps in our bed and just sits up and does a small whine then lays down for 5 minutes and repeats the cycle (the whine gets louder). I have been getting up with him and feeding him and then going outside with him. After that he goes back to sleep until we get up at 7:00 am. I wish there was a way I could stop this cycle but I think it is old age as he never did this before even if I fed him at 4pm (if we were going out, etc). Bentley is obsessed with his 2 meals a day and has never missed a meal. Other than the recent developments with eating.... he is an awesome dog and companion for our family. Below is his photo from a few weeks ago.
 

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#24 ·
Bentley looks like a sweetheart! I guess in old age both dogs and humans are entitled to a few “quirks”! Wonder if feeding him his dinner a bit later might help him last longer until breakfast? Or what about a small snack before bed? Just a thought so that you would not have to get up earlier just to give him his breakfast.
 
#25 ·
That is a great idea about feeding him a small snack before bed. I am going to try it tomorrow night. This all started when we came back to Rhode Island from Texas (we live part-time in both states). I usually go over to my daughter's house around 4:30 to help her with her small children (3 grandchildren under 4 years old) at dinnertime. Her husband works in Boston and gets home late. I do not get home until 7:30-8pm. That is when I started feeding Bentley at 4:30/5 so he wouldn't get stressed out waiting for me. He loves to eat and has never missed a meal. :) I will definitely try doing a small snack tomorrow night and see if that gets him through until 7:00 am again. I hate to think of him being so hungry he has to let out a small cry at 5:00am. After he eats he is so happy so I know it is not a medical issue.
 
#26 ·
vision in older havs

Hi,

My almost 13-year-old Snugs is having vision problems. He has been checked by the vet. No cataracts just severe presbyopia. All of his blood work results are good. No other health problems.
BUT the poor vision is really causing him problems. It is sending his anxiety through the roof. He walks into a corner and can't get out, which of course makes me think of dementia, as well.

Any words of advice?

Triona
 
#27 ·
Hi,

My almost 13-year-old Snugs is having vision problems. He has been checked by the vet. No cataracts just severe presbyopia. All of his blood work results are good. No other health problems.
BUT the poor vision is really causing him problems. It is sending his anxiety through the roof. He walks into a corner and can't get out, which of course makes me think of dementia, as well.

Any words of advice?

Triona
My Boo turned 18 at the end of last year. He has had vision problems and deteriorating hearing for about 2 years now (i.e., cataract in right eye and nuclear sclerosis in left eye and age-related hearing loss). Due to his advanced age, cataract
surgery is contraindicated. As such, we use eye drops to treat his vision issues. Essentially, he only can hear high pitched sounds, and has limited monocular vision. At times, he does experience increased anxiety, due to his loss of senses. However, it has decreased over time, as he has adapted to the loss. I found that keeping rooms as bright as possible helps him maneuver more easily. Also, I do not move furnishings around, as he has memorized his path in the house. I always lightly touch him, when awakening him or picking him up to avoid startling him. Dogs vision is not really that good. So, they rely more heavily on their sense of smell and hearing. Even with his limited vision and hearing, Boo still does remarkably well, and is able to find his way in and out of the backyard. He eats normally, goes to the groomer every other week, plays his puzzle games, and enjoys being petted. Of course, due to his age, he requires much more care and attention than a younger dog. However, he still has a good quality of life.

In my experience, dementia is hard to diagnose in dogs, especially ones with limited vision, as running into walls or getting stuck could be a result of the vision limit. I would watch Snugs closely for a week, and make a note of any unusual activity, if you believe there is a dementia component. They do have medication now that might slow the progression.
 
#28 ·
I have two 13.5 year olds! They are doing very well - one of our vets was shocked they were 13.5!

One does have anxiety (she's had it all her life) that seems to have worsened slightly in the last year or so, but we have had some life changes as well that could have contributed to that. She also has arthritis in her front elbow/shoulder. Since she is still full of energy, we got a doggy stroller and she can walk for 10 min at a time, so she is in and out of the stroller on her walks. She doesn't mind at all! Her pain is well managed with anti-inflammatories and cbd oil from the vet.

My other hav has allergies and gets an injection every 6-10 weeks that seems to really help her. She does have an elevated liver number (only one on the whole liver panel) that we just recently found at their routine check up - we are currently going to see a specialist to figure that one out. She has also developed some strange twitching episodes (very mild) that we are investigating.

Otherwise they are very happy, healthy, and enjoying life!
 
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