Dogs have a shorter life cycle than humans, so it is impossible not to see them grow old. It is not something that should make us sad, since we must value it is the quality of life that it has had, has and will have.
The fact that a dog begins to age or is older does not mean that its quality of life is worse, but simply that it is necessary to adapt to new habits. We will review what are the main symptoms of aging in dogs and how we should interpret them.
Index of contents
- 1 When does a dog start to age?
- 2 What are the symptoms that a dog shows when it gets older / gets older?
- 2.1 Appearance of gray hair and change of color in the hair
- 2.2 Lack of appetite and less desire to play
- 2.3 Body stiffness and / or lack of control when relieving yourself
- 2.4 Lack of energy when walking
- 2.5 Color change in your eyes
- 3 What should I do if my dog grows older?
When does a dog start to age?
Dogs age faster depending on their size Although it seems strange, it is. Small dogs have a life expectancy of about fifteen years on average, while large dogs have a life expectancy of about ten or twelve years.
Lack of appetite and less desire to play
Lack of appetite is a common thing in adult and older dogs, if your puppy eats three times a day, you can try giving yourself twice (breakfast and dinner) and evaluate. You can also use natural food that they always like more than the feed, making it yourself by following these steps: BARF diet for dogs
Remember that you should go to the vet to check his mouth When they are of a certain age they can suffer from problems with their gums or teeth. A vet should check your puppy’s mouth at least once a year.
Adults or older dogs at general levels are less willing to play than puppies and young. It is something completely normal and that should not worry us, although that does not mean that we should pay less attention to them, on the contrary, we should increase the time we dedicate to them and see what they prefer to do with us: walk, play or simply receive a lot of pampering.
Some races how Boxer They are playful from the first to the last day, others stop playing when they are adults, others when they are older and others never…. We just have to keep playing with them but without forcing / forcing them. you have to let them set the pace.
Body stiffness and / or lack of control when relieving yourself
The rigidity It is something common that occurs with increasing age, but we should not stop going to the vet to rule out diseases such as osteoarthritis in dogs. These diseases require medication to alleviate pain and maintain a good quality of life.
Lack of control when relieving itself only occurs on occasions, when the dog is very old. There are special diapers for these situations, so we should simply look for solutions and never be angry, under any circumstances, with our puppy.
But, remember that many other factors, such as a urine infection, can also cause lack of control. So we insist that it must be forever a vet who determines the reason.
Lack of energy when walking
This is something completely habitual, your dog is no longer a kid and you need to walk at your own pace and without excess. Just observe your dog and you will see how he is who tells you if it is enough for the moment or if he wants to walk a little more.
Never force your dog to walk, much less exercise, an older dog should not do intense physical exercise. Simply walk and play at your leisure, setting the pace yourself.
Color change in your eyes
This is completely natural too, as they get older the color of their eyes loses intensity, showing something grayish. Although how in previous cases, we must go to a veterinaryn to verify that it is not glaucoma. The falls are operable.
What should I do if my dog grows older?
The first thing you must understand is that you also get older, so you should simply see your old age as something totally natural. The life of a dog is not measured in how many days it lives, but how happy the days it has lived have been, always remember it.
Older dogs require different needs, which we can more or less summarize in:
- Food suitable for its age and size, for senior dogs. If it can be natural, a hundred times better. If you have dental problems, you can puree it with the feed and a little water or with natural food.
- Adaptation of walks and exercise, it is the dog who marks the amount and intensity of them.
- Periodic review by the vet, simply as a precaution as a maintenance. Older dogs are weaker against diseases, so we must keep their vaccinations and check-ups up to date.
- Exponential increase in the time and love that we dedicate to him, he must know and notice that we love him as much or more than before, that we are happy with his company and that he will be loved forever.
Remember to put a comfortable bed in a warm place at home, next to yours it can also be, where clean and fresh water is available at all times. Enjoy your puppy every one of your days, because he enjoys each of his.