admin     2013年3月22日 11:40

Do you suddenly realize that your beloved dog is slowly got old? Although it is still your intimate companion, it is no longer as energetic as before. These cases illustrate an unavoidable fact - your beloved pet may have entered the stage of aging; its needs are changing, and it is more than ever dependent on you to get healthy and comfortable.

Most 7-year-old dogs started to enter the stage of aged dogs, but the exact ages depend on their varieties and sizes. After the age of 10, they usually start losing teeth or their teeth turn yellow; their capacities such as smell, hearing, vision, and digestion decrease significantly. Aged dogs become quieter and have little movements. Dogs’ aging process is just similiar to human being. Their metabolism and immune system cycles become slower than before; arthritis may affect their daily movements; their vision and hearing diminished. They may also encounter bladder and bowel control problem. Besides diminished physical fitness, their appearance and temperament could also change. Hair around their mouths and eyebrows will grayed out. Instead of vivacious, kicking, or chasing frolically with you, they may be very sensitive when surrounded by many children or other dogs.

These symptoms can help you determine whether your dog has entered old age. If the answer is yes, you should take your pet to the veterinary hospital to have checkups regularly: annual booster injection vaccine is particularly important for aged dogs because their abated immune systems make them easier to suffer from infectious diseases. Moreover, they are highly susceptible to parvovirus infection. Besides giving an injection, the veterinarian can also check the dog’s health (some veterinarians may recommend increasing the checkup frequency), including the examination of skin, kidney, liver, other vital organs, whether have lumps, and the mouth.

Aged dogs do not need much food to maintain their body weight. Your veterinarian will recommend that you convert its diet to the aged dog's diet. These diets contain more digestible nutrients, which limits fat intake to preventobesity and gastrointestinal discomfort.

Pet's needs for food vary with their life stages (childhood, adulthood and old age). Their food formula not only depend on the age, but also depend on their weight. For aged dogs, please choose special formula such as food marked "comprehensive and balanced food formulated as a special diet" or "balanced nutrition food supplement”, and ensure they drink adequate water and avoid  overfeeding.

Your dog is your faithful companion for more than ten years. It needs more attention from you to continue a healthy and happy life when it gets old.

                                                                                    - Article by the American Pet Food Intitute