senior%20dog%20care - search results

The older we get, the more we need a backup plan for our dogs, in the event of our deaths.

The best senior dog vitamins are the ones your dog needs and that have an NASC seal on them.

I just used WDJ’s new searchable dry dog food database to look for potential new foods to feed my 14-year-old dog, Otto. One goal...

Tooth loss is somewhat preventable in senior dogs, as it is in humans, but you need to start dental care sooner rather than later.

Older dogs tend to develop mobility issues, whether from arthritis or injury. Many aging dogs will experience increased difficulty getting on and off furniture, in and out of cars, or up and down steps. Quality pet stairs come in many styles and prices. A small stepping stool designed for pets could be just what your senior dog needs to continue living comfortably!

Not one but two friends said goodbye to their beloved senior dogs in the past week. I read their tributes to their beautiful dogs...

My senior dog, Otto, is nearly 13 years old. He often acts like a big grump around any puppies or foster dogs I have...

which he has a lot of experience with!üIt's easier to take a blood sample from the big vein in a dog's neck than it is from a smaller vein in the leg – as long as the dog is behaving as well as Otto is. He didn't mind the restraint and didn't even blink at the insertion of the needle.üThe veterinarian examined Otto while he was on the floor

Older dogs, like older people, have an easier time getting around if they aren't overweight. Losing weight can be a challenge for dogs at any age, but more so as dogs grow older. Still, weight loss for dogs is worth the effort. Slender dogs not only get around more easily, but also actually live longer. A 14-year study showed that dogs fed 25 percent fewer calories than their free-fed littermates lived nearly two years longer, showed fewer visible signs of aging, and enjoyed an extra three years of pain-free mobility before developing canine arthritis.

Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD), also called cognitive dysfunction syndrome, is comparable to Alzheimer’s disease in humans. Dogs with CCD may show signs such as confusion, disorientation, anxiety, irritability, apathy, reduced interaction, house soiling, forgetfulness, and aimless wandering or pacing, especially at night. CCD can rob a dog of quality of life, and make living with an old dog difficult.

Exercise is essential for dogs of all ages. It helps maintain muscle tone, a healthy weight, joint flexibility, good circulation, and overall health and happiness – but when movement causes pain, it's only natural to slow down or stay still. That creates a vicious cycle in which inactivity contributes to pain, pain reinforces inactivity, and the dog's health deteriorates.

If we're fortunate enough to have them live to old age, at some point, most of our canine companions begin to lose their hearing and may eventually be, for all intents and purposes, deaf. It's painful to watch a beloved dog become less and less responsive to his environment because he's unaware of what's going on around him, and even more so when it limits your ability to communicate with him. The thought of a hearing-impaired dog wandering off and not being able to hear your calls is frightening. Here are five things you can do if your dog's hearing isn't what it used to be.