Care of a Senior Dog
Make sure you have a vet who understands the needs of older and geriatric dogs. Establish a protocol on how often you should schedule checkups, have bloodwork run and dental scaling and polishing performed. Also consider reducing yearly vaccines to only every three years, as currently advised by the major veterinary colleges.
If you know the breed of your dog, find out what conditions they are prone to and keep on top of what symptoms to watch for and what tests can be done.
Feed your older dog a high quality food. Research has shown that some of the commercial diets contain unnecessary and even some harmful ingredients. Some are processed and the food value is greatly decreased. Even consider trying some of the raw food diets. Keep in mind that even an older dog should never become obese. Obesity can lead to multiple health and physical problems and can shorten the life of your dog. Keeping your dog in shape can reduce the chances of them developing diabetes and will improve heart and lung functions.
Check into adding MSM or glucosamine/chondroitin supplements to help alleviate arthritis symptoms or to prevent arthritis from setting in. In addition, don’t forget to provide exercise suited to the size and breed of your dog as well as to his/her advanced age.
Don’t forget that as anyone ages, they need more warmth and soft places to sit or lay. Provide a nice soft dog bed in the warmest room of the house. Purchase or make a sweater for the colder months of the year if they are low in muscle and fat mass to help them retain their body heat.
In addition to meeting your dog’s physical needs, provide toys and “entertainment” to keep his/her mind stimulated. Any creature can become bored and depressed. Include your senior dog in as much of your daily life as possible. Teach them tricks. An old dog CAN learn new things!
Keeping your dog happy and comfortable can only prolong your time together and will create warm memories of the time you shared.
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