If your dog is seven years or older, its time to get your radar up. Possible ailments rob senior pets of their quality of life. In this article we cover three of the main challenges that geriatric dogs face and what you can do to address these health challenges.
Common Ailments of Older Dogs
As our dogs age their bodies begin to break down, or struggle, to keep at the level of health they previously enjoyed. Here are 3 of the major challenges to look for:
1. CANINE ARTHRITIS
Is your dog slowing down, lacking mobility or limping along? These could be the first signs of canine arthritis. In dogs seven years or older, 40% of them can be affected with canine arthritis. This is caused by the deterioration of the joint tissue (basic wear and tear), and then the ensuing pain and inflammation.
What to do: Protect the Joints with natural nutrients Glucosamine, MSM, and Chondroitin sulfate. They feed and cushion the joints against the bone and help rebuild them. Further, omega-3 has pain reducing and anti-inflammatory properties that boost good joint health in dogs. Omega-3 produce hormone-life substances known as eicosonoids that attack and balance inflammatory products. Our natural products RJX for Dogs and Celavin™ are ideal dietary supplements for arthritic dogs.
2. POOR NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND LOW ENERGY
Second, poor nutrition status in dogs is often displayed by a low energy and poor coat. Common in senior dogs, if your dog is lethargic and shedding profusely, they could malnourished. As animals age, their digestion and metabolism of foods diminishes along with their absorption abilities. This means they need additional support to improve digestion, reinforce the gut, and increase their overall intake of valuable and beneficial nutrients.
What to do: Look to high potency vitamin and mineral formulas. A liquid supplement, like Spectrin for Dogs™ will give them the nutrition they need to have proper metabolic function. Spectrin contains biologically appropriate vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for dogs. The result will be improved nutritional status and more energy. Further, reinforce the gut and improve digestion with probiotics and enzymes The Miracle Pack discount bundle provides this power duo to streamline many of your dog's body systems.
3. EXCESSIVE SHEDDING AND POOR COAT QUALITY
Similar to the above, senior dogs and cats suffer from poor natural enzyme production. The main result of poor enzyme production is malnutrition. This happens even when the dog is eating because he lacks full ability to break down food into available nutrients. Excessive shedding and poor coat could be one of the tell tale signs of malabsorption and digestive stress. Pay attention if you notice vomiting, weight loss, and stool eating, as these are definite signs of digestive stress.
What to do: Providing a high quality, broad-spectrum digestive enzyme like Enzyme Miracle® should do the trick. The main purpose of enzymes of relieving digestive burden, but there are also many other benefits of these enzymes especially for older pets.
4. OBESITY
It's estimated that 50% of dogs in the U.S are obese. The percentage of obese dogs is likely higher in senior dogs. There are a number of causes of dog obesity including poor diet, poor metabolism, and inability to remain active. In part, one can see that this problem is related to the first two problems listed above. Thus, its imperative to keep our pets weight in control as they age.
What to do: First, dont overfeed your dog. You should consider a senior diet or a grain-free food, such as Nusentia® Raw & Grain Free dog food. Secondly, give them exercise.
In conclusion, keep in mind that obesity is an inflammatory condition. In the obese state, cell signaling causes the production of inflammatory by-products, which are extremely dangerous to health. If you're applying the suggestions above, but the results aren't showing as you like, seek a protocol for the natural control of inflammation. Again, the number one nutritional remedy for reducing inflammation is omega-3 fish oil. In any situation, fish oil provides a host of benefits to your dogs entire body in addition to the protocols above.
Conclusion
We don't have to feel helpless for our dogs when they grow old. Putting knowledge into action is power, and with these above observations we can put our pets into a healthy aging trajectory.
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CITES AND REFERENCES
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