YOUR PET’S GOLDEN YEARS
It becomes essential to your aging dog or cat to provide comfort and preventive care in order to preserve their quality of life. Pets today can live an average of 10-12 years due to improved medical care and nutrition. Usually those golden years begin around the age of 7. With increasing age, your pet will probably begin to slow down and feel some aches and pains.
It is recommended that your pet see a veterinarian twice a year for checkups. With this examination be sure to have the doctor check for heart murmurs and skin lesions. The exam should include checking the blood and urine to determine body chemistry and organ functions. Discovering diseases at an early stage can mean better and more successful treatment.
Other suggestions to improve those golden years include:
Brushing your pet’s teeth. Dental disease can cause lots of problems.
Maintaining regular grooming including nail trims and plucking ear hairs.
Providing mental and physical exercise. Walking and games are a great help.
Allowing your pet lots of opportunity to eliminate outside.
Providing a ramp or steps up to the sofa or bed if you allow that.
Making their bed warm and comfortable and keeping it clean.
Your pets will appreciate the love and attention you give them during their golden years and you will appreciate that companionship and love of your pet for a while longer.
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March 11th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Wellness exams are extremely important for our pets. It is typical for an animal to lose 75% of an organ’s function before they become symptomatic.
Additionally, like humans, once a animal reaches mid-life, the probability of living late into their senior years is 35% hereditary and 65% healthy living.
Dental care is also a very important aspect of routine wellness for pets. The plaque and bacteria found with dental disease can cause a host of other problems including heart disease.
An investment in routine wellness care promotes a long and healthy life for your pet and helps prevent the high cost of treating advanced disease.
March 13th, 2009 at 11:18 am
My vet said that its a matter of when a dog will get arthritis… not if. If they live long enough it’s inevitable so it should be taken into consideration even when caring for young dogs.