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It can be a hard time when your older family dog is coming to the end of their life. But you can keep them friendly and active with some special care to ensure they enjoy life until the end.
Provide Comfort at the End
When the time comes, your dog will love having you around to say a loving goodbye. Seeing their family and shrouded in their favorite blankets with their best toys is a great way to send off your family pet. It can also be hard to transport a sick or dying dog, and the best thing might be to hire a mobile pet euthanasia service to come to your home and end their life as humanly as possible. This may also be the best course of action if there is an illness or a severe injury.
Keep Up their Exercise
Even in their old age, dogs love getting outside and playing or even for a simple walk. They won’t be as active as they once were, and it can be damaging. But you should aim to exercise your older dog often but for a shorter time. This will help prevent the weight gain common with dogs when they get old. And their mind will also stay sharper up to the end. So there’s no real reason, except an illness or injury, that you can’t do the normal things with your dog as they age.
Manage the Nutrition of an Older Family Dog
A healthy dog relies on good nutrition. And this applies at each stage of their life. For instance, you must feed your dog special food when they are a puppy, the right food as an adult, and specially formulated pet food when they are older. These formulations are specifically designed to help with the conditions your dog can get as they age. They are typically full of nutrients with more fiber to help digestion. However, you can speak to your vet for the best nutrition advice.
Provide Care for their Joints
Like humans, dogs can get problems with their joints when they become a little long in the tooth. Yet this can also happen when they are young if you feed them the wrong food and don’t exercise them enough. You can use supplements designed for dogs to help ease the pain and issues associated with stiff joints or canine arthritis. To tell if your dog has stiff joints, look out for limping, loss of appetite, and a licking or chewing of a joint area on their legs and paws.
Find Ways to Decrease Stress
Dogs are resilient by nature and can handle much more stress than you might give them credit for. Of course, there are common stressors, such as fireworks or loud noises, but these are expected. In older dogs, even seemingly harmless events can cause stress. So it helps to keep them away from noise, provide a warm and comfy space for them to relax, and prevent exposure to too much activity. There may also be an increased chance of biting when stressed.
Summary
An older family dog needs a lot of care and attention. You can provide end-of-life comfort, ensure they eat the right food, and help them relax stress-free towards the end of their life.
