Setter slowing down at 8?

[fethrduster]

My 8 yr. old setter is slowing down to a walk or trot after a couple hours hard hunting.  He used to go all day.  Vet said it could be his joints, so I give him doggie aspirin, but it doesn't seem to help.  I don't think it's a conditioning issue, as he doesn't seem incredibly winded or anything.   Just seems kind of early for him to be slowing down, but maybe not.  Thoughts?  Advice? 

[cougforester]

My dad is also a vet. He has been giving our Labradors glucosamine every morning for a while, and it helps quite a bit. Also, we stopped letting our dogs jump down from the truck beds. That puts a lot of pressure on the front elbows. Up is fine, but we lift them down now. Food for thought!

[fethrduster]

My dad is also a vet. He has been giving our Labradors glucosamine every morning for a while, and it helps quite a bit. Also, we stopped letting our dogs jump down from the truck beds. That puts a lot of pressure on the front elbows. Up is fine, but we lift them down now. Food for thought!

Thanks, I'll try that!

[Naches Sportsman]

+1 glucosamine and lifting dog up and down from truck.

I don't let my dog jump on logs 3' off the ground now.

[skinzner]

When my dog was having joint issues the vet recommended these chews and we feed 1 every morning and have no issues since. You can find them much cheaper if you look around.

https://www.vetdepot.com/s3-soft-chews-240.html

[kselkhunter]

Depends on how big your Setter is.  My labs have typically started slowing down on upland hunting around 8 years old.   My GSP is almost 9 and still going strong and I'm expecting him to stay fine for at least another few years, but he's 30lbs lighter and smaller than the lab.   Lab gets glucosamine every day, and aspirin after heavy activity.   He's mostly down to waterfowl for me now, but I still take him out upland just for a half hour to let him run in the fields and he clearly loves it.  Just have to meter his time and distance.   And I usually take him in the Explorer now than my truck as it's about a foot shorter for him to jump up and down.   

[wildweeds]

All of the setters I've had went like a lion with a turpentined butt till well past 10,  smaller field dogs, 48 pounds was the biggest, several around 30. All shared a certain ancestor. Perhaps the dog is telling you a new pup is in order. I always tried to keep hunts for each dog at 3 hours, no more and then a rest period of 1 day. I had 6 dogs so it was easy to do then. Always had plenty of fire to burn.

[jetjockey]

At 8, conditioning really starts to become important.  A young dog can recover quicker and gets in shape faster, but older dogs take more time. As Wild said, most pointing dogs should be able to go hard past 10 years old.  The sire to my trial dog ran the Brittany Nationals at 11 yeas old, and almost won it.  My trial dog is 9 1/2 and is still competing in 1hr trials at the highest level.  With that said, it did take her a little more time to get in shape this summer.  I figure I have this year and next year to hunt her hard before she starts to really slow down.....  if your dog has any excess weight, get it off ASAP.  That can really affect the dog, just like it does humans.

[fethrduster]

Per the recommendations here, I've been giving him glucosamine the last few weeks with every meal, and it has made a huge difference.  He's ran like a demon the last couple hunts, just like his old self.  Thanks!

[tlbradford]

I think a good dog bed does wonders for their longevity.  Whether it's straw in an outdoor kennel, or the fluffy Costco ones, it is better then a thin bed on hard surfaces.  Bonus in training, that it gives them a spot to lay down instead of wherever they want. 

[cougforester]

Per the recommendations here, I've been giving him glucosamine the last few weeks with every meal, and it has made a huge difference.  He's ran like a demon the last couple hunts, just like his old self.  Thanks!

Awesome! Hope you have a great couple more seasons with your buddy.