We have owned dogs for more than 46 years, and for 36 years we’ve had more than one at a time. Every dog owner knows the deep grief and mourning that takes place after a beloved pet passes away, a loss that often takes place when a tough decision is made for compassionate euthanasia.

“Thank you for the lovely note! I am only too happy to be able to donate my craft project profits to help rescue groups and wonderful organizations like The Grey Muzzle Organization!"

Since this entire blog series has been all about pain in dogs, our last discussion needs to be about what drugs are available to manage pain. Most of these you may be familiar with, but there are two important concepts that I want you to take away.

If we at Thulani ever forget why we do what we do, it only takes a message like this to remind and reinvigorate us. And to remember to thank all of you generous donors who make this work possible.

Guppy, a small poodle mix, has been living at Main Line Animal Rescue in Chester Springs, Pa., for a few years now. His behavioral issues have made him a very difficult dog to place in a home, but MLAR loves him!

Most of us, whether we’ll admit it in a public forum or not, think our dogs deserve to be famous—either for their weirdness, their cute expressions, their loyalty, or their funny habits. (Thus, internet sensations like the aww subreddit). Add that to...

When you share your life with an animal companion, planning for your loved one’s short- and long-term care is imperative. They are counting on you to assure their care no matter what. The older your pet is, the more they need a plan for future care.

Laura T. Coffey is a self-avowed dog nut and the author of the bestselling non-fiction book My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts.

The previous article introduced you to the concept of making a plan for the care of your pet. In that article you were encouraged to: Address your pet’s uniqueness. List their identifying characteristics including color, sex, age, and microchip number, if applicable. This information will be invaluable to those left to care for your family companions. The MAAP outline (Make a plan, Address needs, Appoint caregivers, Publish plan) you create should cover their eating habits and personality traits. By creating this document you enable the person caring for your pet to know its common behavior. It seamlessly allows someone to step into your shoes.

In our initial discussion of navigating the journey your pets take if you cannot care for them we talked about creating a MAAP (Make a plan, Address needs, Appoint caregivers, Publish plan). This MAAP will help others care for your pets in the way you intended. People think the only time they need a plan for their pet’s care is when they die. I thought so too until I broke my ankle. I had no plan in place to help my family care for my pets and me. This experience spurred me to write the initial MAAP program. Pet owners need a MAAP plan to cover their animal’s care if they are sick or injured.

In the prior three articles we talked about the plans you need to make that will provide care for your pet, the people you appoint to carry out those plans, and plans to address the needs of your individual pet(s). These articles help pet owners learn how to navigate the journey their pets will take if they cannot care for them. We discussed creating a MAAP (Make a plan, Address needs, Appoint caregivers, Publish plan). This MAAP helps others care for your pets in the way you intended.

As your dog gets older, you want to make sure that you are making choices that will make their life as enjoyable as possible, including choosing the right food. There are more dog food options available than ever before, including many that are for “senior” dogs. What makes a dog a senior citizen? It can vary based on breed or size, with larger dogs being considered senior at 6-9 years, and small dogs not reaching that milestone until their early teens.