No one likes the thought of their pet getting old. Fortunately there's a few things you can do to help and support them at this delicate stage of life.
You may find your pet becomes less active and a bit stiffer as they age. Due to the decreased energy levels you may need to decrease their food to stop them from becoming overweight. Keeping an eye on their weight is especially important during this stage of life as excess weight will put more pressure on their joints.
As they get older then immune system gets weaker. To try and keep their immunity strong you can add more vitamin C to your pets diet. Dogs can get this through adding more berries to their diet (cranberries, blackberries, raspberries etc). Cranberries also help the urinary system which can be another thing than weakens with age.
Another problem older pets struggle with is digestion. You may notice they can't digest the bone content as well as they used to (their faeces become crumbly). A good tip for this is to reduce the bone content in their food. Some brands have a senior range with a reduced bone content. To ensure they're getting enough calcium you can always add a little cottage cheese to their diet.
Adding some probiotics to their diet at this age will help them with digestion and help the immune system. Frozen kefir is a good way to get some good bacteria into them.
You can also add some raw organic apple cider vinegar to aid digestion.
With age all the organs (heart, liver and kidneys) don't function as well as they used to and may need a little more support. If your pet has been diagnosed with failure of any of the organs there are supplements to help support them. As mentioned in previous articles, dry food doesn't have enough moisture to help the kidneys (yet Hills and Royal Canin make a dry kidney food!?)
You'll need to be careful of your pets sodium (salt) intake so be careful what treats you give them.
There are some kidney raw diets on the market which help manage your pets phosphorus levels and controlled proteins to not put too much pressure on the kidneys.
If you haven't already it's more important than ever to take care of your pets teeth. So many pets suffer with dental disease in old age. This has been linked to heart and kidney disease. This leaves your pet in a tricky predicament where they're high risk under anaesthesia but they're in pain with their teeth and need some removing. Chewing on bones and antlers helps but brushing is the gold standard. We have many dental products in our shop. Including toothbrushes, toothpaste (cats and dogs) and CSJ seaweed and parsley, which helps with your dogs breath too!
Some breeds are more prone to dental disease including Greyhounds, Rough Collies, Yorkshire Terriers, chihuahuas and brachycephalic breeds.
Supplements
There are many joint supplements on the market to help dogs with stiff joints. The main ingredients of these are Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Omega 3 is also good for joints.
CSJ make a supplement to support older dogs. It contains ingredients to help with blood pressure, liver and kidney function and a boost of vitamin C. This product can be found in our shop https://www.woofster-uk.com/product-page/csj-turn-back-thyme
If you need any advice for your senior pet, please feel free to contact us!
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