7 Tips to Help Keep Your Senior Dog Happy and Comfortable

You’ve probably heard time and again that the dog is man’s best friend. Well, this is true. If you have a dog, you ought to understand the effects that your furry friend has had on your life.

Basically, dogs are not only our friends. They are part of our family. They are with you during bad and good times just like any other member of your family.

However, just like humans, dogs get older with time. Due to the emotional bond developed overtime with dogs, it can be quite overwhelming for a vast majority of pet parents to admit that their dog is aging. 

However, the truth is that your dog is aging in one way or another, and facing this fact head-on is the best thing that you could do to your dog. As a dog owner, it’s imperative that you be aware of the changes that your dog is facing as it ages. 

Read along to find out seven ways you can ensure that your senior dog is not only happy but comfortable as well. 

1. Feed Your Senior Dog a Healthy Diet

One of the best ways to ensure that your senior dog remains healthy is to ensure that your dog maintains a healthy diet. After all, a well-fed pet is a happy pet. 

Although most pet parents might be tempted to overfeed their senior dog, it’s imperative that you feed your dog a healthy diet that consists of balanced nutrition.

You should also ensure that the diet is high in protein and low in fat. This will go a long way to ensure that your senior dog maintains a healthy weight and gets the much-needed energy.

It’s also critical to select the right protein. Choose protein sources that are easy to digest. Vets often recommend chicken and chicken broth. If you don’t have the time to cook for your pet find a pet food product that uses these ingredients. For instance, Halo Canned Dog Food for senior pets uses chicken broth and chicken as its primary source of protein. Halo dog food for seniors uses real chicken instead of chicken meals and uses non-GMO veggies. Find quality senior dog food instead of picking regular dog food that uses inferior ingredients.

2. Keep Your Senior Dog Active

Apart from maintaining a healthy diet, dogs also require to be physically active for them to remain happy and healthy. Just like senior humans, senior dogs also need to exercise their body and mind, regardless of whether they are moving slower.

Even so, you should ensure to start off your senior dog with slow physical exercises. Try walking him around the block as you intensify the activity level gradually. This way, your dog will not suffer muscle difficulties in the process.

3. Regularly Visit The Vet

Let’s face it. You might be held up in your daily hassle that you forget that your dog requires to visit your vet. After all, you should take your dog for a checkup at least once a year. 

However, this is not the case when it comes to senior dogs. It is vital that you have your senior dog checked by a vet regularly. This could actually make a difference between making your dog comfortable and happy and becoming ill.

4. Socialize Your Senior Dog With Pups

I bet you enjoy going out with friends occasionally, right? Well, your furry friend is no different, at least not going on a night out, though.

Ideally, dogs are pack animals by nature. Moving around or playing with their type is what makes them happy. Therefore, organizing play dates with other dogs, mostly puppies, will not only ensure that your senior dog is happy, but physically active as well.

5. Give Your Dog Health Supplements

As your dog ages, different things will also change, including their health.  

Some of the most affected organs are the kidneys and bladder. Adding a health supplement for the affected areas is a good way of ensuring that your senior dog remains healthy and happy. The best thing is that these supplements contain crucial ingredients that immensely help your dog’s digestive and urinary systems. 

6. Ensure They Have Comfortable Beddings

On average dogs tend to sleep between 12 and 14 hours a day. Even so, senior dogs tend to sleep for more hours. What’s more, they are most likely to develop different conditions such as arthritis. 

As such, ensure to accord your senior dog comfortable beddings. Among other things, this will ensure that your senior dog is cushioned from the hard floors when sleeping. 

7. Make Your Home Accessible

Senior dogs always face difficulties moving around. Unlike pups, senior dogs won’t be able to move around the house with ease. 

In a bid to make life easier for your senior dog, ensure to make each part of your home accessible for your dog. If your dog’s bed was elevated, you can either lower the bed or simply place a ladder for your dog to climb on.