Boost your older dog’s health with these three tips. As an owner of an older dog, you may be concerned about their health deteriorating. While aging does come to us all. You can use these tips to help you keep your dog in tip-top shape for years to come.
Get regular check-ups
The first thing that you need to do is make sure that you go to the vets for regular checkups. You need to get a body condition evaluation. This means you dog’s weight and muscle tone is checked to see whether they are over, under or at their ideal weight for their age. A useful tip is to ask the vet how this is done so that you can check this at home. It is also really important to go to the vets to screen for any serious signs of disease such as eye damage, incontinence or arthritis. Arthritis can be a real problem for older dogs, but there are medications and food supplements that you can get to help alleviate the pain. You can help prevent eye damage with the use of Doggles, and they look super cool too!
Keep Exercising
Even though you might not be taking your dog for a run when it gets into later life, remember it is still important to play fetch games and go on walks. Exercise is important for aging dogs as it keeps them supple and keeps their weight down. Exercise also keeps them mentally stimulated. If your pooch is overweight or a bit infirm, they may not be in the best condition exercise, ask your vet for Vivitonin for dogs. This tablet can used to perk them up and help them to want to exercise and be able to tolerate it better. If your canine buddy is suffering from arthritis, you can book aqua therapy for them through organisations such as this. The idea of this therapy is that the water supports the weight of the dog, allowing them to move while relieving some of the pain in their joints. This method is also good for any page of dog recovering from an injury.
Feed them a good diet
Keeping their physical health in top shape also includes their diet. As we know from humans, exercise can only do so much, and health can be boiled down to the food you consume. It is the same for dogs. Older canines may need a more nutritious food. As we know, it's really important to keep your dog within the ideal body weight, you also could consider some food supplements such fatty acids. Fatty acid work to help alleviate arthritis or other bone conditions and can help weight management. If your dog has a more specific health issue, there are specialised diets than you can follow.
Remember, it is also vital to not feed your pooch human foods especially as they get older. As they age, dogs can become more sensitive, and some human food can have a bad effect on your dog's health. In particular chocolate and sweets are very bad. Try to be strong! No matter how much they look at you with those big soulful eyes, make sure you know that their health is more important than giving them human treats!
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