How to Take Care of Senior Pets

We love our pets, and as much as we want them to live long healthy lives sometimes it’s painful to watch them grow old. However, the time inevitably comes when we have to be more aware of what our pets need as they grow older. Here are some ways to make the process easier:

Regular Vet Visits – Making sure your pet is in good health is the most the important aspect of taking care of senior pets. Regular vet visits can help prevent or at least mitigate diseases. If you don’t take your pet often for check ups this could lead diseases going undiagnosed and potentially making your pet sicker in the long run.

Ideal Body Weight – Overweight pets are most likely to develop diseases. Add on top of that age related illness and there’s even more potential for getting sick. By taking your pet for regular checkups the vet will let you know whether your pet needs to lose or gain weight for optimal health.

Adding Supplements – Supplements can be very beneficial and prolong their lives or at least the quality of their life. However, check with your vet first to discuss what type of supplements would benefit your senior pet before giving any to them.

Exercise – Keep taking your senior dogs for walks. This is not only good for their general health, but the movement can also help alleviate arthritis.

Keep Their Teeth Clean – Many of us humans know that bacteria in the mouth can lead to other diseases and it’s not any different with our pets. So if they’ll let you, try to give their teeth a quick brushing every night. An actual teeth cleaning done by your vet may not be ideal for senior pets since in many cases they have to go under to get it done. But if your pet’s teeth are especially bad, talk to your vet to see what your options are.