Proper Way To Care For Your Aging Pet
Owning a pet is a big responsibility. You need to understand many things, like the fact that pets age more rapidly than humans, for instance. Whether your pet is a dog or a cat, you must know that it ages seven times faster on the average than you. A two-year old dog is already an adult. At four, it is considered to be in the middle age bracket, while already a senior at seven years old.
As pets advance in years, they become more prone to certain health concerns such as heart and kidney diseases, arthritis, diabetes, periodontal disease, cancer, and even thyroid diseases for cats, to name a few. Sometimes, it’s very difficult to tell if your pet is going through some kind of health crisis. Cats in particular are very quiet; they can keep their illness better than dogs.
To be on the safe side, therefore, it will be wise to bring your pet to a veterinarian once a year or every six months, especially if it’s already in its senior years. Your vet will be more than willing to work with you so as to come up with a wellness program for your pet.
There are regular screening tests that are conducted to your pet every time it sees the vet, but as it ages, there will be even more examinations. For example, your pet will now have to undergo osteoarthritis checks and thyroid exams, chest radiographs and blood pressure screening.
Dental exams are also a must because older dogs and cats are prone to gum disease. Gum disease should not be taken for granted as it can lead to more serious problems. When taking your pet to the vet, see to it that the vet examines your pet’s teeth and conducts regular cleaning.
Remember that as pet owner, your responsibility goes beyond taking your pet to the vet. At home, take time to observe your pet closely and watch out for incidence of vomiting, sneezing or coughing. You need to monitor, too, your pet’s eating habits as well as its appetite. Any changes in weight or activity level must be reported to the vet at once.
Your pet’s diet is important to ensure that it ages gracefully and well. Keep in mind that as your pet ages, its metabolism slows down. Thus, if it is eating roughly the same amount and kind of food when it is younger, it will obviously gain weight. You can ask your vet or a dietician to help you come up with the right dietary program for your pet.
Then of course, exercise and play are very important, even for aging pets. Play with your pet, but be gentler and more careful this time. Take it to leisure walks in the park or even just in your own neighborhood. It’s also a good idea to take your pet swimming.
All these things may not sound extraordinary to human ears, but these help to improve the life of your pet, and to your pet’s point of view, all these are worth everything.
Sep 16, 2009 | 0 | Cat Care, Dog Care, Pet Care, Pet Health