If you are fortunate enough to share your family home with an animal, you will undoubtedly be dedicated to ensuring that they have the best quality of life and that they live as long as they possibly can. Whether you want to be extra prepared for when the time comes or you have an older dog now, you need to know how to continue to give them a good life. So, with this in mind, continue reading to learn how to care for an older dog.
Oral Health is Important
For younger dogs, the best possible way you can look after their teeth is to provide them with healthy and breed-specific chews and chew toys to ensure each tooth is kept to a proper length and that the enamel remains strong and hardy.
In older dogs, oral health becomes even more important to their overall physical wellbeing, and more regular check-ups with a reputable veterinary surgery, such as Easy Vet, should be scheduled to ensure their mouth, tongue, teeth, and gums are in good condition.
Grooming
Depending entirely on the size of your dog and indeed the thickness of their fur, it may well be the case that, for the first few years of your dog’s life, you have rarely taken a brush to their coat.
For older dogs and elderly dogs, however, grooming is far more necessary, and you should always strive to keep their coat mat and tangle-free. Older dogs are much more susceptible to dry, flaky and brittle patches of skin which can cause a myriad of diseases and problems later down the line.
Replace Their Bedding
Another necessary change to make when caring for an older dog properly is to replace their beds and bedding with comfier and softer materials.
One of the most common problems with older dogs of any breed is that they tend to develop arthritis in one or more of their joints, and it is for this reason that you should move their bed to a more accessible location on the floor, free from hazards.
Protection & Vaccination
Just as in puppies, younger dogs, and adult dogs, lice, fleas, and ticks are a constant threat, especially if your dog has always spent much of the day wandering around the back garden.
Even if your dog, in their old age, has started to prefer to spend time indoors and does not want to walk for very long, it is still vital to keep them up to date on their parasite protection and to administer proper treatment for vaccinations.
Healthy Treats
When our dogs are puppies we often give them lots of treats, especially when we are trying to get them to learn new commands. However, older dogs still enjoy treats too but as they are less active in their old age it is important that they aren’t having too many treats and that the ones they are having are healthy. DoodleBone have a selection of fantastic treats called Nuri Treats, available in 3 flavours which are all nourishing, natural and grain free.
Love & Affection is Even More Important
Naturally, as a loving dog owner, you will consider your dog to be as valuable a member of your family and inner circle as any human, and as such, you will have already formed a strong bond between the two of you.
As your dog ages, it becomes even more important to spend proper amounts of time each day with your dog, caring for them, stroking them, and being with them, especially if they are in pain for one reason or another. Your presence, emotional support, and physical touch will mean the absolute world to your dog, for now and always.