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<\/a><\/p>\nWe\u2019re all getting older, and so do our dogs. If you\u2019re fortunate enough to share ten, 12 or even more years with your dog, but at some stage, you\u2019ll have to make changes and adapt to your aging dog. As a rule, the bigger the dog the shorter the expected lifespan will be \u2013 which means a Yorkie could live five to six years longer than a St Bernhardt.<\/p>\n
If you take good care of your dog\u2019s health, chances are that it\u2019ll have a good quality of life even when its system inevitably starts to slow down. Keep a close look at its teeth as they can cause painful problems and poison the dogs system. Also, watch for changes in bowel movements and consult your vegetarian if they persist.<\/p>\n
Getting older is no excuse for a dog to become overweight. In fact, maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most important ways to improve your dog\u2019s chances of a comfortable old age. Monitoring the dog\u2019s food intake and exercise will help to keep its weight in check. Although you will have to cut down on exercise as the dog gets older, it\u2019s important to keep the dog as active as its body allows it to be. Try taking it out even when it becomes sluggish, but don\u2019t force exercise on it. Avoid going out during the heat of the day and put a doggy jersey on when it\u2019s cold. Carrying extra weight will slow down all other bodily functions and put a strain on the heart. Feeding the elderly dog may necessitate changing to softer and easily chewable food. There\u2019s no need for a drastic reduction in the amount of food, but keep an eye on the weight.<\/p>\n
A dog\u2019s eyesight and hearing may deteriorate as it gets older. Be on the lookout for signs of this. If the dog is in good health otherwise, it can still lead a good life.\u00a0 However, it\u2019ll be necessary to make adjustments to ensure that the dog is safe when it can\u2019t see and\/or hear as well as previously. People often accuse older dogs of smelling \u2013 just remember it\u2019s not the dog\u2019s fault. Do your best to keep the dog hygienic as far as teeth, coat, and accidents in the house are concerned.<\/p>\n
In the end, you may have to make the difficult decision about euthanasia. Keep your dog alive as long as possible, but when it’s quality of life deteriorates to where it\u2019s uncomfortable, sick or in pain, you have the obligation to have him put to sleep. It\u2019s a tough decision, but it\u2019s a time to think about your dog and not your feelings. You\u2019ll always remember it, miss it, but be thankful for the wonderful times you were able to spend together. Be with it at the end, and think about starting a new life with another dog.<\/p>\n
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We\u2019re all getting older, and so do our dogs. If you\u2019re fortunate enough to share ten, 12 or even more years with your dog, but at some stage, you\u2019ll have to make changes and adapt to your aging dog. As a rule, the bigger the dog the shorter the expected lifespan will be \u2013…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=133"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":220,"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133\/revisions\/220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}