I spent part of today adjusting Ginger’s new Help ’Em Up harness.
She’s been having a much harder time getting herself up lately. Our hardwood floors certainly don’t help, and more and more I find myself giving her back end a boost so she can get her feet underneath her.
I bought the harness hoping it will give her some extra support and make things easier for both of us, especially with our upcoming road trip. We’re still figuring out the fit, so I’m not ready to review it yet.
But watching Ginger change lately has been hard.
I know she has arthritis, but I’ve also been seeing changes that make me wonder if something else may be going on too.
What I can do is pay attention and keep track of what I’m seeing.
Our dogs can’t simply tell us something feels different
One thing I think we sometimes forget is that our dogs can’t simply tell us, “Something feels different today.”
We have to notice.
Maybe your dog gets up a little differently, hesitates before jumping into the car, starts avoiding the stairs, or doesn’t want to be touched somewhere they used to enjoy.
None of those things automatically tell us why something has changed. But they give us information we can pay attention to and, when needed, share with our veterinarian.
The little details are easy to forget
This is also one of those times I’m especially grateful that I keep track of what’s going on with Ginger.
I can look back at when things started changing and keep notes on her mobility, appetite, sleep, behavior, medications, and all those little details that are surprisingly easy to forget when you see your dog every day.
When changes happen gradually… or suddenly start happening faster… having that history helps me see the bigger picture.
Take a minute and really watch your dog
Sometime today, take a minute and really watch your dog.
Watch them get up, lie down, walk across the room, stretch, or turn around. Just observe without trying to fix anything.
Do you notice anything you haven’t noticed before?
Sometimes those little changes are simply part of getting older. Sometimes they give us a reason to ask our veterinarian more questions.
Either way, noticing them gives us information we wouldn’t have if we weren’t paying attention.
Tracking Ginger’s difficulty getting up makes sense, especially with hardwood floors adding another variable. Recording the surface and whether she had help alongside each mobility note could make those observations easier to compare. As you adjust the harness, noting changes in its fit could also help distinguish changes in support from changes in how she moves.