"Dogs and cats age 5 to 7 times faster than humans and are considered to be elderly... from the age of about 7 years (on average about 50 human years of age).”
6 senior dog health factors Vets must check
Now that medical scientists know dental health in humans affects our hearts’ health, dog parents need to apply this finding to our dogs. Rotten teeth hurt. Rotten teeth may prevent a pet from eating and infections often block or mask to other wellness issues. Infections in older dogs, like in older people, can lead to serious, life threatening hospitalizations.
On reading this useful list of what Vets should be checking for in our over the hill dogs, I thought of you, dear readers.
- When is the last time your dog had a wellness checkup?
- Do you brush your dog’s teeth everyday?
- Has your dog had his or her teeth cleaned?
- How long since your dog had a blood test?
What about your old dog’s brain?
Keep it kicking with new games and learning new behaviors
Even my all time favorite dog magazine The Bark confirms my personal experience, “You can teach an old dog new tricks!”
Just get your dog off the couch and start playing.
Check out the fun and the good advice on The Bark “Teach Senior Dogs New Tricks to Stay Healthy” by Jeannette Cooperman. To get a taste of this great article read this quote from the opening section “Check your assumptions.”
“Another thing to remember is that you need to observe your dog closely, scrutinize your own assumptions about aging (some of us think getting old is the end of the world) and act accordingly. “The most crushing thing is this sense—I’m sure it’s not intentional—but it’s almost like the worth of the dog isn’t the same anymore,” Haug says. “People will stop giving heartworm prevention or shots; they say, ‘Oh well, he’s old, we’re just going to feed him until he dies.’” She pauses, then says quietly, “They deserve better than that.”
“Ted Kerasote, author of the acclaimed memoir Merle’s Door, is a superb athlete; when his dog Merle couldn’t do the ski runs anymore, it broke Kerasote’s heart. Then it made him examine his own impulses. “The first thing to be clear about is whom you’re indulging. Very often, because we want to run or mountain bike, we delude ourselves into thinking, ‘The dog loves this,’ and we push the dog far beyond where he needs to go. The problem is, dogs age much more quickly than we do. Say you get a dog when you’re 30, you’re now 38 and in fine shape, and the dog is possibly geriatric.”
My thanks to the veterinarian writer at the link below for inspiring my post with his list of health factors most often seen in senior dogs. Go visit his Website, which has both a blog and an e-store.
Geriatric Pet Health Services
The Most Common Age Related Problems that Veterinarians See in Elderly Pets
- Periodontal disease
- Organ failure (i.e. heart and/or kidney failure)
- Osteoarthritis (commonly referred to arthritis in humans)
- Cancers
- Blindness & deafness
- Dementia
Follow on Google Plus Dr. Renier Delport
“Port Shepstone is situated on the mouth of the largest river on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, the Mzimkulu River(the great home of all rivers). 120 kilometres (75 mi) south of Durban, it is the administrative, educational and commercial centre for southern Natal.” Wikipedia Port Shepstone
Thanks for reading, caring and sharing, Deborah Taylor-French
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