How To Best Care For Your Senior Dog
When your dog celebrates their 8th birthday, it’s time to start putting a little extra TLC into taking care of your pup. To help keep your senior dogs happy and healthy, we put together these five ways to best care for your dog.
1. Engage in Mild Exercise
As dogs get older, it becomes more important to ensure that they maintain a healthy weight. The good news is, senior dogs still enjoy going on walks! Exercising together is a great way to avoid conditions that are common in eldery dogs such as arthritis and muscle loss.
Try taking your pet on low-impact walks in a comfortable climate. Senior dogs are more sensitive to changes in the weather, so you’ll want to be sure it’s not too cold or too hot outside before embarking on your next walk. Your pup may find it more comfortable to walk on a grassy surface as opposed to a harder surface like gravel or asphalt.
By exercising your senior dog regularly, you will keep their body strong and healthy. Your walks may be slower and shorter than before, but your furbaby will love them all the same!
2. Schedule Routine Vet Visits
Veterinarians suggest scheduling a checkup semi-annually, or every 6 months, for senior dogs. This way, your vet can see your pet regularly and recommend any adjustments to their diet or lifestyle to ensure they remain healthy.
3. Feed a Special Diet
Senior dogs usually require a special diet to ensure they maintain a healthy weight and receive proper nutrients.
Try feeding your dog Evolve Grain Free Senior Formula Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Berry Recipe Dog Food. It contains the same great nutrition as our other Evolve items but with fewer calories. It also contains glucosamine and chondroitin, which helps aid and support joint health
4. Additional Grooming
Your pet may experience dryness in their skin and an increased susceptibility to mouth infections as they get older. Therefore, it is important to implement additional steps into your dog's grooming routine in order to maintain proper oral hygiene and coat health.
By engaging in regular teeth brushing and professional cleaning, you can help prevent otherwise harmful dental diseases for your dog. In addition to mouth care, spend some time brushing your pet’s coat to avoid the appearance of mats and tangles in their fur. You may consider trying out some sensitive dog shampoos and give them the spa day they deserve!
5. Care for Specific Needs
Caring for a senior dog looks different based on each pet’s specific needs. However, a common occurrence among senior dogs is joint problems that affect their mobility.
There are steps you can take to make your pet more comfortable. Try keeping their food, toys, and bed in the same area so they don’t have to climb up and down the stairs. Ideally, their bed should be in an easily accessible location that avoids any climbing or jumping to reach it. You may want to add in extra soft bedding to ensure a good night’s sleep!
Though we love to take care of our pets, sometimes they take care of us. There are many health benefits to be gained from owning a dog at any stage in life. For children, it could be a lesson in responsibility while keeping active. At the other end of the spectrum, for aging seniors, companionship could be key to a more fulfilling life. One of our fans is one smart pup and sent us a useful link to check out as well here. Thank you, Liz, for your contributions!
