A proactive approach to your elderly dog’s care, including dental care, can help detect and ease problems early. Nobody wants to see their best furry friend suffer and easing any old age aches and pains prevents your pet from becoming overly stressed.
Of course, keeping your pet fit and healthy with regular walks, socialisation and optimal nutrition will help delay the signs of ageing (just like us humans).
Common Signs of Ageing
Have you noticed that your dog no longer responds when you call? This could be a sign of advancing hearing loss. Or perhaps your dog seems a bit clumsier than usual! This could be the start of vision impairment. Keep an eye out for these common issues. The diminishing effectiveness of your dog’s primary senses may be accompanied by signs of insecurity when being left alone or a gradual decline in coping skills.
Ensuring your dog receives regular health checks can help pre-empt any health complications. Dogs are very resilient and often don’t show signs of illness until the later stages – some chronic diseases are not painful and might not be detected until they are advanced. Common age-related diseases include liver disease, kidney disease and heart disease. With regular health checks, your vet will be able to spot any warning signs and intervene early – this will, not only prevent suffering but also keep your veterinary costs lower in the long run.
Advanced age animals can show signs of cognitive dysfunction, much like Alzheimer’s in humans. Dogs can stare at walls, seem confused by changing circumstances, develop irregular eating habits, even start toileting indoors. If this is happening to your pet, please contact us for advice as soon as possible.
Arthritis
Arthritis is possibly the most common sign of ageing. You will notice some of the following signs in your dog:
Unfortunately, arthritis is irreversible. The initial stiffness your dog experiences will worsen gradually and progressively. Here, at Karingal Veterinary Clinic, we aim to manage your ageing dog’s arthritis. The advances in veterinary medicine mean that your dog doesn’t need to suffer through this phase of ageing. We have supplements, therapies and treatments to help with your dog’s quality of life.
At Karingal Veterinary Hospital we understand that many people feel concerned about maintaining a regular health care schedule for their pet because they fear it is too costly. However, early intervention can often save you from expensive fees in the long term and will also keep your best furry friend from needlessly suffering.
Our Vital Pet Care Plan is an affordable way to space out your pet health care costs. It is a monthly subscription service that covers ongoing pet health costs. It is affordable and includes extra benefits such as discounts on pet food. If you’d like to find out more, please visit our Vital Pet Care page or give us a call; we’re happy to discuss the different options with you.