Easy Tips to Take Good Care of Your Senior Dog

A dog is not just a dog. It’s so much more than that. It’s your best friend, your most loyal buddy, and sometimes, your only source of happiness and smile. However, you can’t understand what they want to say if you don’t pay close attention to their behavior especially in their old age. Just as in humans, old age takes a toll on a dog’s body and mind, too. The only difference is that humans can communicate about their needs clearly and dogs can’t. So, as a pet parent, you need to be extra cautious when your dog approaches old age. A little attention to the everyday behavior of your dog can help you determine the current physical and mental health status of your dog.

Here are some things that you can add to your dog’s day-to-day activities to lead a healthy and fulfilling life.

Regular Exercise

A little workout never hurts, especially at an age where our dog’s muscle mass decreases and bones become weak. Now, you don’t have to create a new exercise circuit or need any special equipment for that. All you need is a ball, or a frisbee, or even a wooden stick to play fetch with your doggo. The only thing that you’ll need more than anything else is a little patience and time

Regular Health Check-Up

Another important thing to keep in mind for your dog’s well-being is to consult with a vet regularly. This will help you to catch symptoms of anything that your dog might be going through at an early stage and it’ll be easy for you to provide treatment to your dog for the same

Healthy and an Age-Appropriate Diet

You are what you eat and the same applies to dogs as well. Your dog’s health depends on what you feed him/her. You need to feed nutritious food to your dog. Apart from feeding your dog healthy food, you also need to keep in mind that as your dog grows old, it gets tough for them to chew everything as easily as they used to when they were younger. So, you should feed them food that they can chew easily. Else, it’ll lead them to eat less, which will result in weakness.

Proper Vaccinations

As your dog approaches old age, their body starts to lose its strength to fight illness and they become more prone to catch any disease easily. Even the slightest of illness might cause severe damage. So, it’s important to get your dog vaccinated.

Observing Sleep Patterns

A sleep-deprived doggo is a grumpy doggo. Not getting proper sleep can take a toll on your dog’s mental health as well as physical health. You need to observe your dog’s sleep pattern and help your dog get proper sleep by giving him/her a proper environment and place to get the sleep that they need.

Noticing Behavioral Changes

Another important thing that you need to keep in mind is that you notice the behavioral changes in your dog as they grow old. changes like not reacting to your commands, not being able to see properly, and not being able to smell properly. These might be signs of a developing disability. In such a case, you’ll need to be extra sensitive towards your dog. It’ll make them feel better and boost their morale.

Spending Time with Your Dog

Everyone’s got a busy schedule, and that’s fine. However, you must spend some time out of your busy schedule with your dog. You can even take your dog on a vacation. A change in surroundings always helps. There are plenty of airlines that provide domestic pet flight service, or even better, you can take your dog abroad if you’re traveling for any occasion. It’s surprising how many airlines provide international pet flights for the export and international pet flights for the import of your loved one.

No amount of caution can ever be enough when it comes to taking care of your dog, and it’s crystal clear how important a part your dog plays in your life. So, all you can do is try to help your dog to the best of your ability, spend as much time with them as possible, and take the best care of your dog. There’s a reason a dog’s called a human’s best and most loyal friend, and you don’t need to be a pet parent to understand this, however, if you are a pet parent, you understand this better.