Old dog, new tricks for longevity.

Longevity in dogs.

Large dogs are prone to health problems. I’m told that the majority don’t live past 11 or 12 years of age. It’s rare to get to 13 and above.

Today our Doberman, Jerry, celebrates his 14^th birthday, and he’s not doing too badly. Yes, he’s slowed down a lot, but he still jumps pretty well, and loves his daily walks.

A year ago, though, he wasn’t looking so good, and I was a little worried that his days were coming to an end, so I used a trick I had used on my German Sheppard.

I put half a cap full of Swedish Bitters into his drinking water every day, and then every other day.

The results certainly seemed to speak for themselves, as he did get that extra perk, and he stopped stumbling when walking and had more vigour.

Back in 1994, my German Sheppard, Gypsy, was also displaying the symptoms of Hips Dysplasia, and could barely walk 10 paces without collapsing. As it was, I had been reading about the benefits of Swedish Bitters the day it started, and figured that if it was supposedly so good for human, it would be good for my dog, too.

So, I did the half a cap full in the water every day, and within a few days, he stopped stumbling, and within a week, he was running about like he was 12 again. He lived another 2 years in good health, until he just finally reached a point where I needed to euthanize him.

Jerry, the Doberman,  has been looked well after, and we take him on monthly chiropractic visits, which also help, but the Swedish Bitters appear to have given him the edge.

Curiously enough, no one takes much notice when I tell them this information, in spite of the longevity in the dogs I’ve given it to.