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Keeping Elderly Dogs Healthy
Just like humans, man’s best friend grows older each year. By the time, your dog reaches the age of seven he is considered elderly or at least coming up on his senior years. This usually results in heath issues. Your dog is unable to tell you exactly what is happening to his body as he ages. He may develop arthritis, hearing loss, or dental problems such as gum disease resulting in a poor appetite without you even knowing it. As your dog ages it is extremely important for him to receive complete health care from your veterinarian in order to catch any problems in the early stages of development. You may want to discuss having some geriatric testing done every six months.
There are several signs that you can watch for that indicate that your dog is aging such as a change in the appearance of his coat. You may notice gray hair forming around his mouth and ears his coat may seem thinner and drabber than it used to be.
Your dog may start to gain weight due to inactivity and the slowing of his metabolism. Although, if you recognize any sudden weight loss or weight gain, you should immediately report this to your dog’s veterinarian because this could indicate a problem
Your dog will have a significant decrease in energy levels as he ages and he will take more naps and probably will not feel like playing ball as much.
There are things you can do to help your older dog with aging. Exercise is a great help with keeping his joints from getting as stiff and achy. Exercise will also help to burn off extra calories to keep him from becoming over weight. It will help your dog with digestion, which begins to slow as your dog ages and it will help with circulation.
Always try to remember that your aging dog needs you and be sensitive to his or her needs. Your dog will be experiencing many changes in the coming years, emotional as well as physical he will need your unconditional love, support and dedication to continue living a happy, and comfortable life or at least as comfortably as possible. You can provide your dog with the extra emotional support he needs by making an effort to spend extra time with him. Pet him. Brush him. Play with him and talk to him after all he has not been just your dog, he has been your best friend.
Vets like human doctors will have a specialty. Whether in dogs, cats, reptiles, small mammels... You'll obviously want a vet that operates on your pet type.
Many problems in pets can be overted by proper nutrition, exercise and attention. Don't buy cheap pet food, litter and toys as they can cause problems down the road. The little bit more you spend now on quality resources for your pet will save thousands down the road then they start to age.
If you're unsure of what to buy you can search online communities and reviews for what kind of food and treats to buy to optimize their health and happiness. One tip is to never feed your pet human food. Human food is full of fat, sugar and processed chemicals that are not good for them. Quality canned meats and freah meat is ok in certain circumstances. Veterinarians can help you decide what is best too!
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