Senior Lurcher care on a budget

Senior dogs really do need some adjustments as they age — nutrition, joint support, dental care, and sometimes sleep comfort all come into play — but how much intervention is needed, and when, depends a lot on breed and the individual dog. Lurchers in particular vary quite a bit depending on their sighthound mix, and rescues with an estimated age add another layer of uncertainty. To point you toward what'll actually make a difference: what mix do you think your Lurcher is, are there any specific health concerns you've noticed, and what's prompting you to look into this now?

That morning stiffness after rest is really classic joint ageing in sighthound types — Greyhound and Saluki crosses both carry a lot of their weight on slim frames and long legs, so the joints do feel it earlier than some stockier breeds. The good news is that for what you're describing — stiffness on rising, slower after walks — a decent joint supplement genuinely moves the needle, and you don't need the expensive prescription versions. Can I ask: is she currently on any supplements at all, and is she on a wet food, dry food, or a mix?

That's a perfectly reasonable base. The one thing I'd add — and it's the highest-value change you can make for her stiffness — is a glucosamine and chondroitin supplement. The product I'd point you to is YuMOVE Joint Supplement for Dogs, the standard tub for large dogs. It's one of the best-evidenced joint supplements available in the UK, it contains glucosamine, chondroitin, and green-lipped mussel which is an anti-inflammatory that genuinely helps with that post-rest stiffness, and the large-dog tub works out at roughly 30–40p per day. For a 10-year-old sighthound showing exactly what you're describing, this is the one product that's going to give you the most real-world difference for the money. You'll usually see some change within four to six weeks. It's available on Amazon and often cheaper per tablet in the larger tub sizes, so buying the 300-tablet tub rather than the starter size saves money in the medium term.

For where she is right now, the joint supplement is the main thing — it addresses the stiffness directly and it's the best return on a limited budget. The only other low-cost thing worth doing is making sure she has a thick, well-cushioned bed rather than a thin mat, because sighthounds have almost no body fat over their joints and hard surfaces make stiffness worse overnight. An orthopaedic memory foam dog bed is genuinely helpful, but that's a when-you-can purchase rather than urgent. Keep an eye on whether the stiffness gets worse or starts showing up mid-walk rather than just after rest — that's when it's worth a vet conversation about prescription anti-inflammatories. But based on what you've described, you're catching this at the right time and the supplement alone should help her noticeably.