Ensuring adequate nutrition and facilitating movement of the animal are some ways to prevent disease in pets.
Dryer and whitish skin and hair, brittle and long nails, decreased appetite, loss of muscle mass, loss of desire to play and walk, dental changes and behavioral changes may be some of the signs that your cub is taking elderly.
Second Gisele StaroskyFormula Animal veterinarian, it is difficult to establish an age or point at which a dog is considered senior, but factors such as breed, size, genetics and diet can interfere with the aging of the animal.
A similar explanation is given by Gabriela Moreno Piresveterinarian of the Vet Quality Centro Veterinário, who points out that it is important to be aware of the signs to understand if old age is already affecting the animal.
“What we do know is that small dogs, from the age of 10, can already start showing problems, while large dogs tend to age earlier, so from the age of 8 we can already see some changes “, He says
However, according to her, this information is not proven and, therefore, the animals need a follow-up that identifies problems caused by age.
How, then, to be attentive to the signs of old age and ensure a better quality of life for puppies who reach old age? Check out some tips we separated in our conversation with the experts:
1. Frequent medical evaluation
“There is no direct relationship between the occurrence of disease and the age of pets, but there is a relationship with the frequency of visits to the vet,” warns Gisele Starosky.
According to the specialist, it is important that the dog undergoes a periodic and annual evaluation with a veterinarian to ensure disease prevention or early diagnosis and thereby increase the life span of the animal.
For Gabriela Moreno Pires, annual checkups are also important to identify kidney and heart changes, which tend to appear with advanced age.
“[É importante] dynamically follow the evolution of diseases in order to understand how much is evolving and arrive at a diagnosis before the symptoms become too severe”, he concludes.
2. Prevention and aid to locomotion
Prevention against disease or the effects of old age can also be included in the animal’s daily life. According to Gabriela, the difficulty of locomotion can also affect pets with age and, against this, some actions can be taken.
For small dogs, the ideal is to prevent them from doing very strong exercises. “That 1 or 2 kg patient who jumps on the sofa every day, the impact that that animal’s spine, knee and shoulders have is very great,” she explains.
The vet says that, in these cases, it is recommended to use stairs or ramps, which can be found in any pet store, so that dogs can climb onto the sofa or bed without too much impact.
3. Food
Another factor that can be directly linked to healthy aging in dogs is their diet. “Because these animals tend to have a lot of muscle loss, the main focus of feeding dogs and cats in this stage is to maintain body weight,” says Gisele.
The specialist explains that, as the animal ages, it needs nutrients that supplement its basic needs, but that these must be easily digestible and with high quality proteins.
Gabriela highlights the super premium feed, more balanced and based on animal proteins, and underlines that, if the tutor opts for a natural diet (which is not only based on feed), this should take place under the supervision of a nutritionist.
4. Provide a suitable environment
If your dog has developed blindness or hearing problems, it is important to check whether these problems have arisen solely due to age or if they are related to any disease.
Once this is done, the best thing to do is provide a suitable and safe environment for the animal. Gabriela points out that dogs who have spent most of their lives indoors will feel more comfortable in that environment.
In this sense, taking care of the changes in the arrangement of the furniture, keeping the animal on your lap in unfamiliar places and, little by little, introducing it to anti-trauma collars are some of the actions that can be done.
“Another interesting aspect is to always leave the animal’s food and water in accessible places and on the ground, to facilitate feeding,” completes Gisele.
5. Enter into manual commands
As for hearing problems, one piece of advice Gabriela provides is to start entering into manual commands with your dog.
“That command that came from the voice, you [pode] switch it to a manual command, like pointing or making a hand gesture that the patient understands, so you can communicate better,” she explains.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
