Dogs will live longer if you care about their health and nutrition. Approximate life expectancy depends more on the breed, however, compared with the situation that was 20 years ago, the life expectancy of pets has increased significantly.
Therefore, in our time, the problem of old dogs has become more relevant, and such dogs need special care. With aging, the deterioration of health inevitably also comes. And although aging can not be slowed down, we can describe the diseases of old dogs and their symptoms.
Symptoms of dogs with aging:
Change and graying of wool
One of the first signs of the old dog is the graying of the wool cover on the eyebrows and around the mouth. However, this can happen with dogs that are five years old, so gray hair is not so important.
When old age approaches, the dog's hair often grows longer, this also applies to short-haired breeds. Claws also begin to grow noticeably faster, so they need to be cut more often.
Deeply and for a long time he sleeps.
Another sign of aging is a deeper and more prolonged sleep. The old dog is easily frightened when it suddenly wakes up, and some can even snap their teeth and growl at you if you are awakened by touching them.
However, you can help your elderly dog by making him a bed in a quiet and cozy corner where she can sleep comfortably. If you have other pets at home, they should be kept as far away from the old dog as possible.
Needs for food and food change
Loss of appetite, eats with difficulty or reluctantly. The first can be caused by spoiled teeth or inflammation of the gums (gingivitis).
Thirst also becomes higher. It can also be a sign of kidney disease or other illness.
It is sometimes useful for old dogs to change their diet so that they can digest their food more easily and contain less protein, in order to reduce the burden on the kidneys. A veterinarian can advise you on special foods and recommend going to a dog's health survey and analyzing her blood more often, for monitoring the functions of the liver and kidneys.
Difficulties in digestion of old dogs.
Symptoms of difficulty: constipation, diarrhea, vomiting. Significant changes in diet can include:
- a diet that is prescribed by your veterinarian.
- boiled eggs (these proteins are easier to digest);
- a day 3-4 small portions of feed (as you once gave the puppy);
Osteoarthritis and arthritis
Old dogs and dogs that often slept in the cold, outdoors or on hard surfaces for a very long time, are more prone to such ailments. The early symptom is rigidity (stiffness), it is clearly visible when the dog rises and immediately begins to walk in a circle, after which its condition becomes better. If the stage of the disease of dogs is more serious, they walk with difficulty, experience weakness in the hind legs, limp and clearly notice how bad they are. As soon as you see that your pet has such signs, I'll have to talk to my veterinarian and follow his instructions.
Treatment.
Every day you need to take anti-inflammatory non-steroid drugs, as well as drugs that provide mobility of joints and promote the formation of synovial fluid. Natural and homeopathic medicines, such as shark cartilage, phytopreparations, glucosamine, are helpful.
The function of the bladder decreases.
Perhaps the earliest symptom is the desire of your dog to leave the house a couple of times a night. It also happens that the dog begins to lose control of its urination (in other words, urinary incontinence is observed), leaving puddles on the bed or on the floor while sitting or lying down.
In this case, you need to make for her a special bed, covering the plastic mattress on which she sleeps, putting a thick layer of newspapers on top, and then putting them softly on a mat of sheepskin or synthetic fur. In this case, urine will flow down through the rug and soak into the newspapers, leaving the bed on top dry. After that, if necessary, it is worth changing the attached newspapers.
Your dog starts constipation.
Arthritis can permanently interfere with the old dog to sit in a normal posture, in which defecation is possible.
To combat this problem, it is worth to increase the amount of fiber in the diet of the dog, giving him bran, grated vegetables or bread with bran, and as a lubricant, you can add a tablespoon of mineral oil to the food. You can go to the vet and consult that in your particular case it is better to take your dog to ease his anguish
Deafness that progresses.
When deafness is in the early stages, it is often difficult to identify, since most dogs adapt well to it. You should pay attention to such symptoms as:
- the voice of the dog changes, usually becoming higher than normal.
- the dog begins to bark frequently for no apparent reason. This can happen when the dog simply lies on his bed;
- the dog ignores your call;
When your dog's hearing becomes worse, special attention must be paid to prevent accidents. When you are walking, do not let go of the dog from yourself and, instead of calling the dog in a voice, it is best to approach it yourself.
Blindness of dogs that progresses.
In the early stages of deterioration of vision is easy not to notice. Later symptoms are:
- in bright sunlight and / or in darkness, the dog reluctantly leaves the house;
- the dog stumbles on furniture;
- there is cataract - the central part of the eye is white;
- cornea damage - eyeballs look bluish.
In this case, try not to move furniture and protect the dog from all sorts of dangers. Completely or partially blind is usually able to live a normal life, if it is in the familiar surroundings.
Slowness of a dog.
Symptoms of this kind of disease are as follows:
- the dog gives a voice more often;
- increased need for your attention;
- anxiety;
- violation of orientation.
Now there are a lot of drugs that are designed to help alleviate the decrepit state.