5 Ways To Make Your Senior Dog or Cat More Comfortable
Generally, when your dog hits 8 years, he is about 40 human years. Starting to slow, a few aches, can't tolerate processed foods well anymore, time for a lifestyle change.
Our Responsibilty as care takers is to provide the best quality of life for them and that is where nutrition and appropriate supplements can play a major part.
In our own furbaby family we have had dogs and cats reach their "ancient" age. A quality maintenance diet helps gets them there, but when they hit the early senior years, this is when we need to change a few things to support their end years.
Step 1. Diet - The Foundation of Good Health
You need to feed them anyway, right? So by adjusting your food choices for them towards foods that have removed Inflammatory Ingredients such as Rice, Potato, Wheat & Maize, you've made a good start. Further again, those that have the most meat provide the most nourishment!
Cats are "true carnivores" and that's why we emphasize the importance of a high meat & low filler, no grain food. A quality high meat Cat food will also help with a grumpy Cat who may just be telling you that I'm sore, leave me alone. Finding a good base food with a little supplementation may be a simple fix.
The Best Senior Dog Foods will deliver (from natural sources ) some of the highest levels of Glucosamine and Chondroitin, Increase the meat content (& quality) & has removed the Inflammatory Ingredients for more relief.
Step 2. Supplements to support Health
In addition to a great diet, you may get to the point where a bit of quality supplementation is appropriate.....like uncut 100% pure green lipped mussel powder (watch for those products with fillers), 100% Hemp Seed Oil and all life stages pets will benefit from one of our Pet Specific Probiotics, that when used correctly, can enhance your senior furkids life. ( Not Yoghurt, though! )
Step 3. Reduce Calorie Intake to avoid weight gain
The misconception of petfood is that overweight pets are caused by too much fat in their diet & we should reduce the fat for weight loss ( alongside exercise & correct feed rates)
Infact our Carnivorous fur family require appropriate fat levels for low GI energy & one of the biggest causes of weight gain in our porky furkids, is actually the massive inclusion of Inflammatory grains & potato in most petfoods today.
Their bodies are unable to digest these starches & proteins & especially at such high levels & are more often stored in the body & putting on the bulk ( a bit like us really).
Step 4. Maintain a consistant exercise regime
Dogs need regular excercise to maintain healthy muscle, joints & weight. Daily walks also provide mental stimulation.
Too much can be harmful to the senior dog, though. Long walks and high-impact activities can put pressure on already damaged joints. Many older dogs also don’t have the energy they once had.
The key is to remember that the walk is for your dog, not you! If your pet wants to amble at a slow pace, stop to sniff (and rest) every few minutes, then let him.
Look for other warning signs that your dog is struggling. Excessive panting, drooling or coughing can all be signs of exhaustion. Never force your dog to up with you.
Step 5 Choose The Right Bed To Relieve Joint Soreness
Your dog’s bed can make the difference between a comfortable sleep and waking up with sore joints. If your dog often seems stiff in the morning, his bed could be the culprit.
The best beds for senior dogs are made with thick memory foam. This moulds to a dog’s body shape, which prevents pressure points on sore hips and shoulders.
Keep in mind that heavier dogs need thicker memory foam. You don’t want the bed doesn’t allow the dog to sink through to the floor. You should also look for a bed with solid foam instead of shredded. Shredded foam doesn’t provide the same support.
Why do we choose the products on our shelves & not others ?
We have worked on a key philosophy ....sometimes you can actually get a better result spending less money but spending it appropriately on the right products.
Think of comparing the ingredient listings on your food like this... you buy a luxury car and spend $250,000 on it ! You pop the hood and look under it (ie looking at the ingredients on a bag) to your horror there's a second hand motor inside !Not happy? No surprise!
That's often what we find talking to our customers , that they are spending the big money on their food (think luxury car) and when you actually look at the ingredient listing ......and understanding the terms and how things are listed is key, they haven't got the food they thought it was ! ( worst of all they believed they were feeding the best to their pet)
And that's why for years our foods have clear ingredient listings, are priced according to value and why we do not stock some of the "better" known brands .