Many dog owners discover that caring for a senior dog is nearly as difficult as having a puppy. While you may not need to train the dog again, older dogs may have more frequent accidents and mood swings, and might require extra care to get around the house, help to go outside to go to the bathroom, or extra help eating. If you work all day or have obligations that keep you away from your pet, you may be asking yourself how long your older dog can stay home without you. If you are worried about leaving your older dog home along, consider hiring an Atlanta pet sitter for older dogs like our Critter Sitters.
How Long Can an Old Dog Stay Home Alone?
When your dog was younger, you may have felt comfortable leaving them home along during your work day. Dogs are always happy to see their owners when they get home, so it’s difficult to tell how the dog dealt with being home alone.
First, if you are going to leave your dog home alone, make sure that they have access to what they need. Consider leaving extra water out for your dog. If your pet is the kind to eat their entire bowl of food at once, you may not be able to leave food out – but if he or she usually eats a bit of food throughout the day, make sure to leave them food, too. If your dog is paper-trained or has another spot in the house where they are supposed to go to the bathroom, you may be able to leave your dog at home with few problems.
However, as your dog gets older, you may notice stranger behavior. Many dogs have difficulty controlling their bowels and bladder as they get older, and may have more frequent accidents. If you come home to your dog having left you a present every day, you may want to consider getting your pet extra care and attention during the day.
As dogs age, they may also lose some of their physical abilities. Dogs can get arthritis and other joint and bone issues just like older adults. This may limit their mobility and make it harder for them to go outside or get around the house. In addition, their senses may start to fade, making their sight, hearing, or smell worse. This makes it harder for dogs to identify people and places. Along with confusion or dementia in senior dogs, they may bark more, get scared by their surroundings, and panic. This can lead dogs to have more accidents, destroy things around the house, or wander-off if left unsupervised.
Pet Sitters for Older Dogs
Many of the issues older dogs face make it harder to leave them home alone. If they’re going to have accidents every day, you may need to consider having someone let your dog out a couple times a day. If they won’t eat their food all in one sitting, you may need to have your dog fed multiple times throughout the day. Especially if your dog needs daily doses of medication or a special diet, having a dog sitter you can rely on to give them a missed dose of medicine or extra water can be a huge help.
At Critter Sitters, we help you have the piece of mind that your older dog is safe at home while you’re at work or out of town. Even if your dog was accustomed to staying home alone for long stretches, they may not be able to handle being alone in their old age. Our Sitters can make scheduled visits each day to take your dog outside, take them for a walk, feed them, refill their water, and even administer medication.
If you become a Key Client and leave your key with our Sitter, we can even make emergency visits. If you’re suddenly worried about your older dog, get held-up at work or in traffic, or your flight home is delayed, our Sitters can swing by for an extra visit and help care for your dog. This makes it much easier and less stressful to leave your old dog home alone every day.
Atlanta Pet Sitters for Senior Dogs
Critter Sitters offers pet sitting services for all kinds of pets, including older dogs. Our Atlanta dog sitters are willing to help with the special needs of your older dog, and can help them get around the house, administer medication, and make sure they’re taken care of during the day. If you’re worried about leaving a senior dog home alone, schedule an appointment with our pet sitters today. Call our office today to schedule a free consultation with our Sitters and set-up your pet sitting schedule. If you want to leave a key with our Sitter and sign up for on-call or emergency visits, ask about becoming a Key Client today. Our phone number is 404-793-6178.
