Keeping Your Senior Dogs Healthy

by | Sep 26, 2019 | Animal Health

Just as humans are living longer lives, so are our pets. Thanks to advances in nutrition and veterinary medicine, we are seeing the lives of our dogs and cats being extended out for years as well as seeing the quality of their lives improving. However, it is during the golden years of a dog’s life that issues such as kidney and liver disease, diabetes, arthritis and joint pain, cancer and tumors, obesity and dental disease that special attention must paid.

Having a sound approach to maintaining the vitality and vigor of your senior dog starts with preventative maintenance. By feeding your pet a healthy diet and supplementation, by making sure your pet gets regular exercise and by following up with regular visits to a vet clinic or there will give your senior dog the best chance for keeping fit and healthy.

Every veterinarian will tell you that a healthy dog — at any age– starts with a nutritionally solid diet. Choose premium brands of dog food and feed your dog healthy dog treats are a good start. Talk to your veterinarian as to which brands are right for your dog. Dog food is formulated based upon the age, weight and, in some cases, breed of your dog, and an informed veterinary professional at an animal hospital Alexandria, VA can help you sift through the myriad of dog food brands out there. They will also tell you to stop feeding Max table scraps!

With a smart diet in play, your next objective is to plan time to exercise your senior dog. A dog needs exercise, daily. Whether it is a thirty minute walk in the morning before you head off to work or free-range play at a local dog-friendly park afterwards, the importance of working the muscles and joints of a dog, of getting oxygen into the lungs and into the body and of allowing your dog to do what he or she was built to do cannot overstated. And besides, all little bit of daily exercise for the owner of the dog can’t hurt either.

Just as you take your car in for regular tune ups with your mechanic (you are doing this, right?), you want to make sure to work closely with your veterinarian at your animal hospital in Alexandria, VA. As your dog ages, regular exams become even more important. This regularity of seeing your dog’s vet will make early diagnosis of any health issues much easier. Ailments such as organ failure, cancer or osteoarthritis can be treated much more effectively if they are caught early on.

Fort Hunt Animal Hospital offers pet wellness care, senior pet care, dog and cat grooming & more services in Alexandria, VA.

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