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While most pet owners would say nothing less than an eternity isn’t long enough, our dogs are actually living longer, healthier lives than ever before. We may not have forever with them, but there are some things you can do to help your dog maintain a good quality of life for as many years as possible.
Focus on food
Like humans, nutrition plays a crucial role in our pet’s health. This means it’s important to eat a well-balanced diet that’s rich in high-quality ingredients and nutrients. When choosing a diet for your pet, you need to ask yourself three key questions:
- Is this diet suitable for their breed?
- Is this diet suitable for their size?
- Is this diet suitable for their age?
Freshpet is a great healthy food choice for dogs because it offers recipes rich in the essential nutrients they need to maintain their health at all stages of life. They offer a wide range of choices, but I recommend trying the Freshpet® Select Puppy Recipe with Chicken, Freshpet® Select Sensitive Stomach and Skin, or Freshpet® Select Fresh from the Kitchen™ Home Baked Chicken Recipe – which is also rich in cranberry antioxidants!
Schedule annual and semi-annual reviews
It is important to be consistent with your pet’s exams. Exams are great ways to make sure your pet is up to date on standard health care like vaccinations as well as annual or semi-annual blood tests. Depending on your pet’s age, your veterinarian may recommend a blood test once or twice a year. This gives your veterinarian a greater chance of identifying and treating illnesses earlier, increasing the likelihood of a successful response to treatment.
Monitor chronic diseases
If your pet has a chronic condition like diabetes mellitus or hypothyroidism, don’t worry. Most pets live a good quality of life with good chronic disease management. Depending on the chronic disease, your veterinarian may recommend that you follow an adjusted examination schedule so that instead of once or twice a year, you come more often. This will allow them to be consistent with tests that help monitor disease and alert your veterinarian if medication dosage needs to be adjusted.
Keep control of their dental health
Unfortunately, over 80% of pets have some stage of dental disease. It’s not normal for your pet to have awful breath or rotten-looking teeth – both of these are key indicators of periodontal disease. If left untreated, periodontal disease can lead to problems such as:
- Mouth pain
- Diet decrease
- Unintentional weight loss
- bad breath
- Contribute to systemic diseases
Based on the recommendation of your primary care veterinarian, you can expect dental cleanings to be scheduled once or twice a year. However, to be even more efficient and practical in your pet’s dental health, you can also start brushing their teeth at home twice a day. It can take a while to reach this frequency, so to start, try brushing your teeth at least twice a week and increase it from there. If this is your first time doing this, take a look at our tips for brushing your dog’s teeth at home.
Fighting obesity in pets
Besides periodontal disease, one of the biggest diseases veterinarians see today is obesity in pets. In fact, around 25-30% of pets are considered obese. Like humans, obesity increases the likelihood that pets will develop serious diseases like diabetes mellitus or worsen conditions like osteoarthritis. Be mindful of your pet’s weight and work with your primary care veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist to create a weight loss plan to bring your pet to an ideal weight. You can also check out our tips for keeping your pet at a healthy weight!
Talk to your vet about pain management
If your pet has recurring lameness, it’s likely that he’s in pain every day, even if it’s not noticeable. This could be due to a previous injury or osteoarthritis, but whatever the cause, it’s important to remember that pets don’t always show pain. They’re pretty tough creatures, but they deserve to be as comfortable as possible. A great way for your pet to live longer is to ask their veterinarian what level of pain management is right for their needs. Fortunately, there are many different options for pain management that your veterinarian can guide you through, such as:
- Acupuncture
- Analgesic
- Laser therapy
Invest in pet insurance
One of the things that pet parents often face is the unexpectedly high cost of veterinary care, and these personal expenses can weigh heavily on the family. The closest thing to medical insurance for our pets is pet insurance. Take the time to research which provider and type of plan is ideal for your needs, financial and otherwise.
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