Don’t Abandon Senior Pets!
Dear friends around the world,
Having a pet is like having a child. It is our responsibility to take good care of them especially in their old age. We should not abandon them just because they are old and have become “useless” or something of a nuisance and burden. Pets should never be an object of companionship which we throw out once they are not in good condition.
If you visit dog shelters, you will notice that most of the dogs who live there are senior dogs who were abandoned due to old age and poor physical condition. This is extremely wrong and is no way of treating a fellow sentient being. It is equivalent to abandoning your child when he becomes too ill. No one should follow this inhumane trend and cause more sufferings for animals.
I hope you find this article useful. Please share it and let people know that we must never hurt animals.
Tsem Rinpoche
Simple Ways You Can Help Make Life Easier and More Comfortable for Your Senior Dog
There’s something special about senior pets. Maybe it’s their graying faces and wise, soulful eyes that have a story to tell — or the random moments of playfulness where they act like a puppy or kitten again. Whether they’ve been with you their entire lives or are a recent addition to your family, the incredible bond we form with them is just as strong. And while it can be hard to watch our pets age and begin to struggle, it’s a time in their life where they need us most.
As with pets of all ages, caring for senior pets takes time and patience. They still need exercise to keep them physically and mentally healthy, and providing toys or treat puzzles can help prevent boredom and keep them mentally stimulated. Senior pets also require more frequent veterinary care, so it’s important to always keep your vet updated on your pet’s condition. If you notice changes in your pet’s behavior, eating habits, or bathroom habits, it could be an indicator that something is wrong. In addition to proper veterinary care, there are things we can do at home to make sure our senior pets stay healthy, comfortable and happy.
1. A Comfortable Bed
All pets deserve to have a nice, comfy bed but it becomes even more important as pets age —especially since conditions like arthritis can be aggravated by lying on hard surfaces. Help them rest their achy joints by providing a soft bed with an orthopedic insert. If your pet is still a chewer, you can purchase a raised, cot-style bed that provides support. If you choose a fabric bed, make sure it has a removable, washable cover for easy cleanup. Waterproof liners add an additional level of protection if your pet has issues with incontinence. Check out this list of eco-friendly options that help pets and the planet.
2. Pet Stairs and Ramps
Accessing furniture or getting in and out of vehicles can become more difficult (and painful) as a pet ages. You can ease joint strain and help prevent injury by investing in pet stairs or a ramp. Make sure they have a surface that provides sufficient traction, and it’s always best to measure your furniture or vehicle to make sure you’re purchasing a product that’s the correct height. You can find great deals on pet stairs and ramps online, or get super crafty and build your own.
3. Pet Socks or Booties
If you have a lot of non-carpeted surfaces in your home, you might want to consider pet socks or booties for your furry friend. More than a fashion statement, these socks and booties have an anti-slip bottom that helps pets keep their traction on non-carpeted surfaces. Measure the length and width of your pet’s paws first to make sure you purchase the correct size.
4. Jackets or Sweaters
A soft, comfortable jacket or sweater helps older pets retain body heat while outside on chilly days. They also help keep joints warm, which can ease pain and stiffness. Sweaters and jackets should be made of soft material and made so they don’t restrict a pet’s movement. It’s also important to remember that not all pets like wearing clothes. If your pet looks uncomfortable or stressed after you put them in clothing, it’s best to remove it and consider an alternative option like using a self-warming mat or bed.
5. Elevated Feeding Dishes
A raised pet dish can make feeding time more comfortable, especially for larger, taller pets. You can purchase raised stands, make your own or use items you have around the home — unused boxes, short stools or crates — to help raise their dishes to a comfortable level.
6. Potty Training Pads
Our feline friends have the benefit of litterbox access, but it’s a different story for dogs. As pets age, their need to eliminate can increase. If your pet needs to go out several times during the night or is left home for an extended period during the day, you can help prevent accidents by training them to use potty pads. Reusable, washable pads are a great alternative to the disposable option. They might cost a bit more upfront, but you’ll be doing the planet a favor by eliminating the amount of plastic and trash going into landfills.
Adopting a Senior Pet
Older pets are typically surrendered to shelters due to age, medical issues or because their caregiver has passed away. Being taken away from the only family they’ve known can leave them sad, confused, and wondering why their family has left them behind. Senior pets have just as much love to give as younger pets, but they often have a more difficult time finding homes. You can help by choosing to adopt a senior pet or providing a foster home where they can live out their final days in comfort and surrounded by love.
Source: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/make-life-easier-and-more-comfortable-for-your-senior-dog/
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Animals show love for humans! Cow, lions, apes, dogs, bears, parrots and more can all be very affectionate and show surprising emotions when it comes to expressing their love for people. An emotional animals hugging humans video.
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videouploads/comment-1546455946.mp4
H.E. the 25th Tsem Rinpoche loves animals and is passionate against their harm, torture, and abuse.
The few minutes a day we spend on social media creating awareness for animals who cannot speak is purely spiritual and humanistic practice because we are trying to alleviate pain from another sentient beings and that makes us more spiritual, and that makes us more spiritual and more humane.
Most of us know how to take care and love a pet when it is small and cute, but as they get old and their health starts to fail most people will abandon them. Most of those old abandoned dogs can’t survive in the outside world as they are used to having people feed them so sooner or later they will die.
We should take care of our pets as we would our own family members after all we are the ones who took up the responsibility of buying the pet.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this helpful post.
At frist, I would like to thank Rinpoche for this beautiful article. Now days very few people talks bout these topic. These older pets have given their love and devotion to their owners in their young time. It is important for us know they need affection and attention, love and care more then ever, just like human. It may not be as much fun to look after an older dog and it may seem more enjoyable to take cute Facebook pictures of a puppy, but I feel there is value to age and time he has spent with us. I have been learning a lot how Rinpoche taking care his own senior dog in ladrang and giving him as comfortable life as can. I can see how mumu loves the attention and love from us, looks soo happy and calm always…
I find this article very useful. I never have a pet before I join Kechara, ahat I know about pets is limited as well, but I have learned many things about animals, especially dog, birds, fish and other wild animals when Rinpoche shares knowledge and observation about them. Recently I make a wooden house for my dog for him to sleep more comfortablely. I never think of senior animals would be like himan having problem of getting food, after reading this article I think an elevated food dish would be a good idea to have wheny dog getting older. Thanks for caring and sharing Rinpoche.
So cool of you to make a dog house, do you have the instructions on how to make it? Like the idea of an elevated food dish too.
Dear Rinpoche,
Thank you for this teaching. The critical point is that senior pets should be treated with equanimity as a sentient being, just like humans. Just because they cannot talk to us or communicate, doesn’t mean that they deserve to be treated with lesser love and care compared to a fellow human.
At present, we do not have pets in our home and perhaps will have (adopt) one later on. However, observing how others treat their aging pets, I can say that in general people tend to abandon senior pets, although there are many who would surrender to another party to take care of the senior pet. However, like you have mentioned below, it creates stress and the pet(s) may not understand why there is another person to take care of them, when they have been with us for a long time.
Thank you Rinpoche,
With folded hands,
Lum Kok Luen
These are great tips regarding how to care for your aged dog. It is also a good reminder to us about ourselves for if we cannot be responsible for our aged pet(s), how are we treating our children, our parents?
It is true that we have to take more time and patience when taking care for senior pets. However, if we don’t treat them kind, there is no one will do and take care them. In this life, we see the pets are in animal’s form. But they might be reincarnated as human form in future life and have faith in dharma if we treat the pet as our beloved family members and do dedication to them by doing any virtuous deeds.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing which reminds us to be kind to all the animals no matter it is young or old.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article on how to take care of senior pet. Yes, animals are sentient beings. Very much like human, they have all the feelings as human. Thus, no matter how old they are, we should treat them well. Since we’ve accepted them in our family the moment we adopt or bought them from pet shop, they are part of our family. Thus, we should treat them like our family members. They are many people who put their old pet into sleep when they can’t bare the pain seeing them suffer from their illness. But, we don’t put our family members into sleep when they are old age and suffer from illness. That is so wrong. We spread dharma to friends and family, letting them understand karma, compassion, and all the living beings have feelings too. Hope that more and more people understand this and will not simply put their old pet into sleep when they come to this. Thank you Rinpoche. _/\_
Thank you Rinpoche for always showing us ways to cultivate the compassionate mind. I have seen many cases where people give their dogs away because they can’t keep the dogs for various reasons such as moving to a new condo which do not allow for big dogs; or need to work outstation/overseas for long term. I think many of us do not really put priority to the dogs when we make decisions, which I think we should change this attitude.
Thanks Rinpoche and the blog team for sharing this useful information.
Just like we shouldn’t abandon our aging parents, we shouldn’t abandon our senior pets too. I think every pets would think we are part of their family and they will do their best to service us, and so do us. The tips here are heartwarming and these are things we can treat our senior pets well by giving more convenience to them.
I have some dogs now, most of them are young now. It’s my promise to them to take care of them until the end of my life because I love them so much.
Thank you.
Jace
For me, I can’t imagine how to even abandon or abuse our little dog. She’s part of our family and has brought us so much joy. She totally depends on us for everything and we feel a sense of responsibility to provide for her. We love her so much and dread the day when we would have to say goodbye. Old age, sickness and death is a natural process and no one can escape it. It would be devastating for us, especially the kids when that eventuality comes.
When people abandon their pets, it is due to selfishness. They take it as a burden and it becomes increasingly so as the pet grows older. So they discard the pet as they would an old toy. They might even get a new cute and cuddly one only to do the same thing when the time comes again. After all, there are convenient shelters where they can drop off their no-longer wanted pets and pass the burden to others.
In Buddhism, we learn that all sentient beings are equal. Yes, we must not treat animals any lesser than we would another human being. Would you discard your mother when she gets old and useless? Sadly some people do that too.
Like what Rinpoche has said above, I agree that having a pet is like having a child. Just like raising a child, we should not abandon or neglect our pets when they become old and are no longer as cute and playful as they once were. Instead, it should give us all the more reason to be more aware and to be more attentive towards the needs of our aging pets. Extra steps such as getting a more comfortable bed and sweaters or jackets for our beloved pet is just a few ways to keep our aging pet comfortable.
I previously read a very true saying that though our pets may only be part of our lives, but to them we are their whole lives. This is all the more important to ensure that we care for them for as long as they live.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. Each points is so detailed and shows how much observation and love Rinpoche has towards animals.
We should take care of our pets no matter how young or old they are. They are living beings and deserved to be loved and be taken care of.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this useful and informative article about taking care of senior pets.We got to take care and love them more when our pet are senior that is where they need us more too.Its good to know those simple ways we can help make life more comfortable for our senior dogs.No one should cause more sufferings for animals especially they are senior.Whatever happen to them as a pet owner we are responsible for our action, Never hurt and abandon them.
Senior pets deserve our love and extra attention. Like the elderly among humans, they are beginning to be feeble and frail, slow in their movements. My elderly cat, for instance, being a stray adopted at the age of six months or more ,came with a slew of mouth and gum problems and now can only take mainly soft food. He needs special care when he is feeding. He is very slow now in movement.
Yes, these senior pets have given their love and devotion to their owners in their younger days and should now be taken care of and not discarded and dumped at a pet shop or home. They are still loving and their slowness should not be taken against them.
The pointers, given here on how to care for them mindfully ,are very helpful for those with senior pets.
Thank you Rinpoche for this blogpost, which looks sensitively at the situation confronting elderly senior pets.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article on how to take care of the senior pets. Although I myself do not have a pet, I feel that all pets no matter they are still young or old still need the love and care from their owners. We should not abandon them just because they are old and not as active as before.
With folded palms,
Vivian
A good article for all the dog owner to read…
Yup agreed age dog need more care ..
Thanks for the sharing
For any animal which anyone wish to keep as pet, yes, you are their only hope, love, family and life. Just like any living being, including humans, when young they are cute, cuddleable and adorable, and that’s what make them lovable, and proud to have amongst your family members. Yes as said, with the experiences they have encountered, caring for pets takes time, energy, patience and love too, so as to keep them adorably healthy! But as they aged and become senior pets, more attention and time are required to keep them constantly healthy, as well as free from all animal contagious diseases. So a dog, cat, bird or any animal, brought home for keeps is not a pet. To them you are their family, love, hope, safety and life! As His Holiness, The Dalai Lama has once said, “We as rational human beings have an obligation to contribute in whatever way we can to the happiness of animals and their respective rights.” Om Mani Padmi Hung.
Thanks for the tips on how to care for senior pets. But, here in Malaysia, the weather is so hot, the dogs don’t need sweaters but rather they need air-conditioning to keep cool. And, in the case of one of my dogs who’s afraid of rain and thunder and lightning, proper kennel or a pet door would come in really handy.
Well, different pets have different requirements. Bottom line is that we do have to observe and pay attention to our senior pets as when we observe, we will be able to assess their need in our homes. With the right equipment, they will be comfortable and it will be easier to care for them.
Nothing beats attention and love for our pets, be they senior or otherwise.
We are the only family to the senior pets, how cruel it is to abandon them when they are old and helpless. It is a time our pet needs us most because they are in pain or suffering from discomfort, and we should be more sensitive to their needs. Very heartwarming to read a list of ideas to shower the raging pets with some tender loving care. Thank you Rinpoche.
*aging pets (not raging pets)