We sat down with long-time Pack Leader of our store in Vernon Hills, IL, Allison and her shop dog, Juno, to discuss how older pets may need special care and attention to help keep them in their best shape.  Allison has four senior pets – 3 cats and 1 dog, and all over 11 years old, so she is definitely an expert at keeping senior pets healthy!

Elmira (13), Amy (12) and Masen (11) are her sweet cats and Juno is her 13+ year old rescue lab who comes in to work with her every day. If you swing by the Vernon Hills store, you will probably meet her.  Here are their top picks for this senior pet health:

1. DOG GONE PAIN (DGP)

Dog Gone Pain, also known as DGP, is one of my top recommendations. I give DGP to Juno my Lab and Amy my cat who has an untreatable nerve pain in her hips, called Cauda Equina Syndrome. Juno is 13 years old and struggles to get up off the ground.  She was sleeping a lot and on edge sometimes. She has had reoccurring soft tissue trauma and would limp for days, but now that we use DGP it supports her joint mobility and flexibility. It works fast to help ease pain and aches that come with old age. We really just LOVE this stuff.

When I started giving DGP to my senior cat Amy, I saw changes almost immediately.  She is dealing with pressure on her nerves due to narrowing of spinal canal so it can be very painful. She is no longer yelping in pain when you pet her and she is back to jumping on the counter to eat again. It has greatly improved both Juno and Amy’s quality of life and I am so very thankful that I tried it.

2. PET RELEAF CBD HEMP OIL CAPSULES

I give three of my four seniors Pet Releaf CBD Hemp oil on a daily basis. It helps Amy with her hip pain, it helps my male cat Masen with his symptoms of feline hyperesthesia, and helps Juno relax and ease her anxiety.

At Juno’s age (13+) I had to have a talk with my husband a few months ago about quality of life and whether she is suffering or not. She was pacing and whining all night long without sleeping because she was restless, confused, anxious, and possibly in pain. I spoke with her vet who is knowledgeable about alternative and holistic health care, and he suggested CBD hemp oil. We haven’t looked back since!

My cat Masen has feline hyperesthesia, which means his skin is abnormally sensitive, super twitchy and painful. It causes him to run around the house like someone is chasing him and sometimes he beats up the other cats! With the use of Pet Releaf CBD he is a completely different cat. He’s calmer, less angry, less twitchy, uses the litterbox and sleeps better at night. I cannot say enough good things about Pet Releaf and their products. I recommend it to all customers with an older animal.

3. STELLA & CHEWY’S FREEZE DRIED RAW FOOD

I feed these formulas to both my female senior cats and Juno.  The benefits of higher protein, raw food diet as an animal gets older is one of those well-kept secrets that I’m trying hard to share with as many people as possible!

The older they get, the harder it is to break down highly processed foods so by giving a higher protein, unprocessed raw diet I give them a better shot at easy and healthful digestion. Raw foods are easier on their internal organs, and cause less stress on the kidney and liver, which are common issues with older animals.

One of my cats, Elmira, has always had a very high metabolism and I have had trouble keeping weight on her despite her insane appetite. The freeze dried raw has helped me resolve this issue. She loves the taste, and it is very easy to work with and helps keep the weight on. Meanwhile, Juno becomes pickier by the day and the freeze dried raw allows me to add different nutritious toppers to her food with each meal. It also helps with Juno’s digestion, shinier coat and smaller/easier bowel movements.

4. IN CLOVER OPTAGEST

I give In Clover Optagest to all of my pets. As everyone knows, one of the most common issues with cats is vomiting. I too was having issues with this despite their high-quality food and getting them groomed regularly.

Optagest is a prebiotic and even has digestive enzymes to make it even more beneficial.  I have far less accident clean up in my house as well as less litterbox mess issues. Plus cats can be very finicky and hard to trick by adding something in their food, I have never had issues adding this into their food so it is super easy to work with. My carpets thank In Clover for this wonderful product because I have less mess in my house and my animals are much happier and healthier!

If you have a senior pet with special needs, head into your local Kriser's to speak with any of our Pack Members.