How to Care for Older Dogs

This is a time when a dog must be observed closely to detect any conduct changes the dog may be having. Although it is true that with old age changes occur in their body that are related to them getting older, but it could also be an indicator of a problem such as a physical sickness or of a behavior change. If you notice that your aging dog is having any of these problems, make sure to check in with your veterinarian:

• The dog is not sleeping well at night
• Walks all the time, with difficulty
• If the dog moans for no reason
• If he gets lost in the house
• Defecates and urinates anywhere and more frequently
• Does not respond when you call him
• Growls about anything
• Bites for no reason
• If his appetite changes
• If he drinks an excess amount of water

The solution for any of these problems is obviously a veterinarian. Remember that these problems do not always occur in dogs at the same age; this usually depends on the breed of the dog, his size, and on how he went through the previous stages of his life.

Nowadays, dogs tend to live longer than before since there are more options and a greater knowledge of nutrition, and because more dog owners are concentrating on taking better care of their dogs, such as taking them to get check ups to before a problem becomes too big to deal with.