It will come as no surprise that the Animal Biome team loves dogs. Most of us have dogs of our own, some of whom are growing old — which is a great privilege, but also a challenge. Keeping an older dog healthy requires a little more care. 

So we’re sharing what we actually do for our older dogs to maximize the years we have left with them. One of these (young-at-heart) senior pups is Darwin, our co-founders Holly and Carlton’s 14-year-old couch potato/counter surfer cross. We’ll use Darwin and his routine as an example.

Darwin, stealing hearts (and snacks) since 2012

Life with an Old Dog

Humans experience all sorts of health changes as we grow old, including digestive issues, achy joints, periodontal (gum) disease, and fragile skin. Naturally, our dogs do, too. The signs your dog is getting older can be subtle at first: Maybe they’ll go a little white around the muzzle. Perhaps they’ll be more picky about what they eat. Or get out of bed a bit slower. 

Whatever it is, it’s tough to watch your best friend grow old and struggle with things they didn’t before. 

Luckily, you can help them stay happier and healthier as they age. With senior dogs, the goal isn’t to chase every symptom individually. The goal is to provide proactive support so your dog can enjoy their life with you for as long as possible.

What Proactive Support Looks Like in Practice

Rather than reacting to problems one at a time, focus on maintaining the systems that influence your dog’s overall health. For our own older pups, we break this into four main areas of health:

• Gut health
• Skin health
• Joint mobility
• Immune defense

Each of these areas can be supported in simple, actionable ways. We’ll take you through what we do for our own dogs, so you have a better idea of how to help your own dog stay resilient and comfortable.

1. Gut Health: The First Thing We Monitor

We do wax lyrical about gut health, but it’s truly connected to everything! The gut microbiome directly influences nearly every aspect of health that one could think of, so this is a critical topic to hone in on. Without good gut health, it’s difficult to achieve good health in other areas. 

Fortunately, stool consistency is one of the easiest ways to monitor gut health. You want your dog’s poop at a 2-3 on the stool scale. A single soft poop may not be cause for concern, but any ongoing trends should be closely monitored; if soft stools persist for more than 3-5 days, that may indicate an underlying issue. To keep Darwin’s stool at a stellar 2 or 3, he takes a full course of Gut Restore every 4-6 months. This ensures beneficial, dog-specific bacteria remain present, which translates to better overall health. In addition, he gets his poop sampled every 6-12 months using a Gut Microbiome Test for Dogs. The results provide a closer look at all the bacteria living in his gut, and confirm that healthy bacteria are alive and well. 

Even with good gut support, older dogs are more prone to softer stool or diarrhea. For an old dog who’s stiff or tired, needing to urgently get outside can cause pain and discomfort. This means that addressing soft stool quickly is key for older dogs. When Darwin’s poops get softer, he gets S. boulardii + FOS to quickly firm them up.

Diet is a critical component of gut health (and overall health), particularly for a senior dog. Limiting calories is often appropriate as dogs age and become less active. Keeping Darwin lean puts less strain on his joints, helping minimize pain from arthritis.

2. Skin Health: How To Prevent Issues

Darwin gets mild seasonal itching, which sometimes escalates into “hot spots.” These are red, itchy skin sores that develop when a dog repeatedly licks or scratches the same spot.

Older dogs are particularly prone to hot spots because their skin is thinner and vulnerable to underlying persistent inflammation. If your old dog has painful joints, they may also lick to try to find relief, creating skin sores. However they develop, hot spots can spread fast, sometimes doubling in size in as little as 24 hours. 

You can proactively support your dog’s skin health to lessen the chances of these issues developing. For Darwin, this means he gets Skin Rescue capsules daily. They break the inflammation cycle associated with skin flare-ups, and keep his skin and immune system more resilient as he ages. Now that Darwin is taking Skin Rescue daily, his hot spots are less frequent and less severe, even during peak allergy season.

Fun fact: Along with potent postbiotics and zinc, Skin Rescue includes a highly bioavailable form of quercetin, often referred to as “nature’s Benadryl."

3. Joint Health: How To Support Mobility

Like many larger-breed dogs, Darwin has developed osteoarthritis as he’s aged. The signs that his parents first noticed were: 

• Slower movement
• Stiffness after resting
• Tiring more easily
  

Your dog obviously can’t tell you when they’re in pain, but these were all signs that Darwin was struggling. 

Weight management is key to reducing stress on the joints. To keep Darwin active in his golden years, he enjoys slower walks and gentle swims. 

To help with osteoarthritis, Holly and Carlton added PupFlex+ chews from BioPup. These support cartilage structure and mobility, and they are a great proactive care supplement for joint health. Since starting them, Darwin has been much more comfortable (and more eager to go on walks, too).

4. Brain Health: How to Boost It

All of our immune systems get weaker with age, and dogs are no different. One way to support their immunity is by supplementing with prebiotic fiber, which contains key nutrients and immune-boosting compounds that make it a “no-brainer” choice to support Darwin’s brain health. 

These fibers are found naturally in medicinal mushrooms like turkey tail, reishi, and maitake. So Darwin gets a daily mushroom blend containing 8 organic medicinal mushrooms.

Along with strengthening the immune system, beta-glucans calm brain inflammation. This means medicinal mushroom supplements can help older dogs stay more alert, and may even ease the symptoms of ‘dog dementia’, like confusion or poor sleep.

Fun fact: This versatile mushroom blend powder can be mixed into food, prepared as a broth, or baked into treats (Darwin's personal favorite).

Physical Mobility Tools that Actually Help

Now that we’ve covered the four pillars of proactive health care, we’d like to touch on other things that are helping to make Darwin’s older years more comfortable. 

One surprising challenge with older dogs is that many mobility products (designed to help lift and/or move them) don’t work very well in real life. After trying several harnesses, Darwin's pet parents finally found one that actually worked for Darwin: the Help ’Em Up Harness. It safely supports both his front and back legs when Darwin needs help standing, navigating stairs, or getting into the car.

Another useful tool has been a dog stroller. When Darwin wants to join on longer outings but doesn’t have the endurance for a full walk, the stroller lets him come along without overexertion.

We also recommend increasing the traction on flooring at home, since slippery surfaces can be extra difficult for dogs with arthritis. Adding non-slip rugs or yoga mats can go a long way in improving your dog’s comfort and mobility at home. This can be especially important around the food and water bowls.

On the topic of food and water bowls, Darwin’s are elevated to the level of his shoulder so that he doesn’t have to bend down as far to eat and drink. Sometimes a finicky appetite may actually be caused by pain while eating.

A Note on Cancer, and Why Risk Increases in Older Dogs

For both pets and people, almost everyone who has the privilege of living long enough will die with, or of, some form of cancer. As difficult as age-related cancers are, they can also be a sign of a long, full life. 

The same is true of our dogs. In fact, veterinarians estimate that about half of dogs over age 10 will develop some form of cancer. But why is cancer so common as we age?

Many factors are at play here, but some of the main drivers are:

• Accumulation of DNA damage over time
• Declining immune surveillance
• Increased chronic inflammation

Proactively caring for your dog’s gut microbiome and fighting chronic inflammation is always a good idea for their overall health. Still, there may not be much you can do if they are diagnosed with age-related cancer. 

Fortunately, these days there are medications to help relieve a dog’s suffering and ensure their comfort. Holly and Carlton also shared their lives with Yuki, a medium-sized mixed-breed herding dog. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer near the end of her life, but still found plenty of joy in a bite-sized piece of steak or a resounding bark at the mail carrier. 

If your dog is dealing with age-related cancer, ask your veterinarian to explain all your available options.

Closing Thoughts on Life with an Older Dog

Darwin is 14 years old now, and caring for him requires paying attention to small changes. This helps Holly and Carlton ensure he lives a happy life filled with activities he loves. The day will come when Darwin is unable to join in on regular walks and play, but for now, his proactive care routine is delaying that for as long as possible. 

We can’t control everything that happens as our dogs age, but we can support the systems that keep them resilient and comfortable. You can find more advice on caring for your old dog here.

A Summary Of Darwin’s Supplement Routine

Every morning and evening:

• Mushroom Biome Blend for immunity
• Skin Rescue to prevent hot spots and itching
• PupFlex+ Chews for joint health and mobility

Every 4-6 months:

• Gut Restore microbiome booster for overall health and stool consistency

As needed:
S. boulardii + FOS for periods of soft stool