Dog owners play a vital role in promoting longevity for their dogs. Regular vet visits for check-ups, practicing healthy habits, and providing balanced nutrition are among the main things that can help promote longevity for dogs. Here are some easy recommendations to ensure your dogs live longer.
Keep them Slim
Obesity significantly contributes to numerous debilitating problems like arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes, which can all affect your dog’s longevity. The best strategy is to keep your dogs trim by providing just enough feeding to maintain a healthy body condition. Ask your vet for help in devising a proper diet if you have an obese dog.
Provide Complete Nutrition
When it comes to feeding your dogs, ensure that the diets you chose are high quality, appropriate for the specific life stage, and are nutritionally complete. For senior dogs, the best food is one that has high fiber and low calories. Also, provide several small meals instead of one huge meal per day.
Ensure your Dog Exercises Regularly
Go outdoors and work out with your dogs. Besides burning calories, working out also enhances blood circulation, strengthens muscles and enhances the brain and heart function in your dogs. Choose activities that are suitable to your dog’s stamina and strength levels, while making sure to build up the exercises gradually.
Provide Fast Pain Relief
While you exercise, take the precautions to ensure your dogs are pain-free. Dogs with arthritis may be experiencing pain, and thus, you should provide medication to keep them comfortable to workout. There are several treatment options available, including massage, supplements, acupuncture, and anti-inflammation medications that you can use.
Be Considerate of the Ageing Changes
With old age, your dog will start experiencing a loss of either vision or hearing, which means that it is necessary to observe them more closely. Keep tabs on where your older dog is before driving into your driveway to avoid accidents. Make sure you prevent your dogs from experiencing harm due to aging changes.
Respond Quickly to Sickness
If your older dog gets sick, react quickly, and take them to your vet. Compared to the younger dogs, seniors will typically be more susceptible to various symptoms like vomiting, lethargy, lack of appetite, and diarrhea. Getting immediate help could help in avoiding dangerous consequences.
Conclusion
Finally, you must schedule regular checkups for your dog. Move from once per year to two times annually to enable your vet to detect abnormalities and create a better healthcare plan quickly.
References: Pet health network, sacbee
