Caring for Your Aging Pets
As our pets grow older, so are their needs for attention. Here are some common ailments or signs that we should be aware of.
Bad breath
Normal bad breath is caused by bacteria and plaque buildup for having poor dental care. The easiest way to tell is bloody gums after your pet chews on something. Brush your pet's teeth regularly to minimize the foul smell.
Pay attention to three different unusual odors: foul smell indicates liver or intestinal diseases, fruity smell may be the cause of diabetes, and ammonia smell is a possibility of kidney disease.
Cataracts or Glaucoma
Vision deteriorates as your pet grows older. If you see him/her bumping into the furniture, or not response to stimuli, and have cloudy eyes, you can help by keeping his/her feeding bowls at the same spot, and do not rearranging your furniture in the house.
If your pet is having difficulty getting up and a stiff walk, those are signs of degenerative arthritis.
To help care for your pet, restrict his/her exercises, and only take your dog for a short, slow walk. Talk to your vet for supplement with glucosamine to help bone health. Depending on the severity of arthritis, your doctor may also want to give your pet an anti-inflammatory drug.
Kidney Disease/Bladder Stones/Cystitis
Signs of frequent accidents, loss of appetite, and decreased in weight are pointing to some type of illnesses. To help your dog coping with these changes, take him/her out more often. To help your cat, keep the litter box at the same place for fast access. Your vet will probably goes over a diet plan or prescribe antibiotic for cystitis.
Hyperthyroidism
The warning signs are loss of appetite, and decreased in weight. Some may gain weight because they cannot absorb nutrients very well. To help your pet with this problem, make sure he/she has two meals a day. Talk to your vet about a diet plan, or try a liquid meal.
Emergency Situations
· Excessive vomiting or diarrhea
· Abnormal discharge from the nose, eyes, or other body openings
· Uncontrollable accidents
· Unusual behavior such as aggressiveness or extreme lethargy
· Changes in respiration
· Weakness or inability to move
Taking care of aging pet is tiresome. Enlist help from family members or a pet-lover neighbor in case you have to be away for a while. Make sure your pet is comfortable, loved, and well care for.
Published by BC Doan
If you can speak what you will never hear, if you can write what you will never read, you have rare things. ~~~Henry David Thoreau~~~ View profile
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6 Comments
Post a CommentAs an animal lover, this is most helpful. Thank you. Roberta B.
Thank you for typing this. It's very helpful.
Very important article. I have two aging dogs. Thanks for sharing!!
The last year of her life my dog had all of those she went from super healthy to quickly deteriating in just a years time. She also could not hold her urine for more than a few hours, so we woke up everymorning to a big puddle. We had to put her down last July because she kept falling down and had trouble getting back up, she also had some things going on internally. Hardest and saddest thing I ever had to do, I still cry about it all the time.
NIce job with your article
I just hate it when our pets get old.......there is aspirin especially made for dogs who have arthritis..... good info.