Growing Old with You — Horlicks the Golden

Growing Old with You — Horlicks the Golden

An Owner's Perspective on Caring for a Senior Dog with Osteoarthritis and a Sensitive Stomach

A heartfelt and practical guide to senior dog care, canine osteoarthritis, mobility changes and life with an ageing dog — told through the real-life journey of Horlicks, a senior Golden Retriever.

Horlicks is my first senior dog. When he was diagnosed with osteoarthritis at 11, I thought I understood what growing older with a dog would look like. I quickly discovered I was in unfamiliar territory, and there was much more to learn.

Growing Old with You is inspired by my experience of navigating those changes with Horlicks — from recognising the first subtle signs of ageing to adapting our home, exercise, food and everyday adventures as his needs changed.

Along the way, I learnt how important it was to understand his individual baseline — the little habits and behaviours that make Horlicks who he is. Sometimes, a change in appetite, the way he walked or even whether he followed me around the house told me more than I initially realised.

The book explores both the practical and emotional realities of caring for an older dog with osteoarthritis and a sensitive stomach, including mobility and muscle loss, arthritis flares, decreased appetite, rehabilitation and supportive therapies, medication, supplements, home modifications, travelling together and heavier topics such as anticipatory grief.

But this isn't only a book about chronic illness or getting older.

It's also about adapting.

It's about finding new ways to keep doing the things your dog loves, even when walks become shorter and adventures become smaller. It's about learning when to help, when to slow down, when to ask more questions — and when to simply enjoy a good day together.

Above all, Growing Old with You is about preserving the dog behind the diagnosis.

Horlicks may need more help than he once did, but he's still curious, still exploring, still enjoying his favourite places and still very much himself.

Written from an owner's perspective, this book is for anyone caring for a senior dog, navigating canine arthritis or age-related mobility changes, or simply wanting to make their dog's golden years as comfortable and meaningful as possible.

Because growing older doesn't mean the adventures have to stop. Sometimes, they simply change.