Caring for Senior Dogs

Younger and senior dogs have different care requirements, and most people know about it. But the question is how to care for senior pets? But first of all, you need to find out when you can consider your dog as a senior? The age range for old dogs depends on breed and size. It’s your responsibility to keep an eye on aging signs. Moreover, you need to make necessary changes in their diet, environment, and routine. So, let’s discuss some valuable tips for caring for senior pets.

5 Tips for Caring for Senior Dogs

Since November is adopt a senior pet month, you might be thinking of adopting one, or you might already have a senior pet at home. So, in both cases, the following tips can help you take care of your older pets.

For healthy dogs, you need to take them to the vet at least twice a year. But when dogs get old, the best practice is to schedule a monthly visit. Disease prevention is much cheaper than cure. Ask the vet to evaluate your pet’s body to ensure that your pet has an ideal body weight. When pets get overweight or underweight, they suffer from various diseases. So, regular vet visits can help you keep your pets in tip-top shape.

When you purchase food for your senior pets, ensure that you read the label. Dogs’ food must be according to their age and lifestyle. Low-quality food can result in overweight or underweight. When pets become overweight, they suffer from diabetes, skin and heart diseases, and even cancer.  Vets can suggest you the best food for older dogs.

When dogs get older, they suffer from arthritis and other joint issues. If you want to improve the dog’s life quality, mobility and reduce pain, you need to invest in an orthopedic dog bed. Moreover, it can help reduce stiffness and fix joint problems.

There are plenty of ways to keep your dogs occupied. The first one is to take your dogs for exercise. It will help maintain healthy joints and muscles. But for this, understand your dog’s breed and size. Older dogs are happy even with a brisk walk. It’s essential to keep your dogs active. Otherwise, they can easily gain weight.

Secondly, you can purchase some puzzle toys or a Dog Snuffle Mat to keep your dogs occupied. For example, food puzzles can stimulate mental health and can help reduce weight as well. Finally, you can play some games with your pets to keep them busy.

When you make small changes in your dog’s living environment, they can do wonders. For example, you can increase the carpeting so that your dogs can have a good time. On slippery tiles and floors, they might slip. Reevaluate your dogs’ food and water setup and use elevated dog bowls, if necessary, to ensure that they’re easy to use and provide comfort.  Finally, you can install some nightlights in your home to help your senior dogs at night.

Final Words

No doubt, you have to go some extra miles when it comes to caring for senior pets, but after following these tips, you can help your older pets to live a healthy and long life.