3 Ways To Help Your Dog Live Longer
One of the most important things that you can do when you have an older dog is to take steps to make sure that your dog not only lives longer but also has a high quality of life in his or her later years. Listed below are three ways to help your dog live longer.
See The Vet More Often
One of the most important things that you can do to help your dog live longer is to see the vet more often. In most cases, you will want to make sure that you get your dog to the vet for a wellness exam at least once a year. However, when your dog starts reaching his or her senior years, you will want to start seeing the vet at least twice a year.
The reason for this is that when your dog has reached his or her senior years, potential health issues and diseases can actually develop much quicker. In addition, going to the vet more often means that your vet will have a better chance of spotting a potential disease or condition early, which greatly increases the odds that treatment will be successful and that your dog will recover from the issue or disease.
Keep Your Dog's Teeth Clean
Another thing that you can do to help your dog live longer is to keep your dog's teeth clean. The reason that you will want to brush your dog's teeth regularly in order to keep them clean is that bacteria can very quickly develop in your dog's mouth and spread to the rest of his or her system.
In that situation, the bacteria can reach some of your dog's organs and cause a number of dangerous health conditions. In addition to brushing your dog's teeth regularly, make sure that you take your dog to the vet for a dental checkup at least once a year as well.
Keep Your Dog Active
Finally, it is absolutely vital that you keep your dog active if you want him or her to live as long as possible. As a result, you will want to make sure that you avoid overfeeding your dog and that you make sure that he or she gets plenty of exercise. If your dog is unable to get around very easily, consider talking to your vet about any medication or supplements that can help your dog deal with joint pain is that may very easily make your elderly dog more active as he or she will no longer be in as much pain when he or she moves about.
Contact a vet or animal hospital today in order to discuss what you can do to help your dog live longer and to schedule a wellness exam. You will want to see the vet more often, keep your dog's teeth clean, and keep your dog active in order to help your dog achieve a longer lifespan.