Our dog, Rio, has seen better days. Adopted from a local shelter when he was four or five, he’s lived with us for five years. He’s got a bad hip and a cranky attitude, but we love him anyway. As he has gotten older, we’ve looked for ways to keep him healthy and happy for the rest of his life. We’ve found 5 tips to keep older dogs healthy that have worked well for us and hopefully, will for you too.
5 Tips To Keep Older Dogs Healthy
1. Find a Veterinarian and schedule regular appointments. This sounds simple, but many people don’t find a veterinarian until their pet is sick. Take the time to find one you like and who listens to your concerns. It took us a few years, but we found an awesome vet who combines eastern and western medicine and believes in keeping pets calm and happy during their visit. It’s made our life much easier!
2. Give your pets as much attention as possible. Take them for walks, pet them when you’re watching television, whatever you can do to give them attention. Giving attention to pets keeps them from getting bored and lets them know they’re love, both good things.
3. Pad Out Their Bedding. Pets can have lots of aches and pains when they get older, so keep them as comfortable as possible by adding extra towels or sheets to their bedding to make it softer. Tip: If they sleep on the bed with you, make sure they can get on the bed easily or set them on the bed yourself.
4. Teach Them Something New. Think an old dog can’t learn new tricks? It’s never too late to try something new! This helps provide mental stimulation, keeping their brain sharper. Remember: It might take longer for an older dog to learn new tricks so be patient.
5. Provide good nutrition. What you feed your dog is important. Purina Pro Plan has developed a breakthrough formula with their Bright Mind Adult 7+, which contains enhanced botanical oils shown to promote alertness and mental sharpness in dogs seven and older with visible results within 30 days. I’ve seen this in action and it really works! I was amazed at the difference. This spring, Purina Pro Plan introduced BRIGHT MIND Adult formulas that feature a proprietary blend of brain-supporting nutrients that support cognitive health in adult dogs. And we all want our dogs to be sharp and alert, am I right?
To celebrate, Purina Pro Plan is partnering with Dognition, an innovative online platform that offers fun, science-based games that reveal the unique way each dog sees the world. (Hint: It’s not the same way we do.) You can get a better understanding of dog cognition and the important role nutrition plays in dog brain health. Want to get a FREE Dognition® Assessment? Starting this month, purchase any specially-marked bag of Purina Pro Plan BRIGHT MIND dry dog food to receive and you will received an exclusive access code inside the package. It’s a $19 value and available while supplies last.
If you’ve ever wanted to see how your dog’s brain works, four people will receive a free Dognition Assessment. Just enter below.
I lost my 15-year-old Coonhound girl, Suki, back in April. I always found myself trying to figure out if she was feeling well, or if she was feeling any pain. I really wish dogs (and cats and other animals) could tell us when something is wrong. Suki had a long, happy life, but in the end was definitely not at her best and I just hope I did right by her.
Great tips for sure. Growing up my grandfather had a mean old dog. The dog didn’t like kids, it was a bit blind and the hearing wasn’t the greatest. I don’t think my grandfather was doing all of these things for his dog. Perhaps Jake would have been a much nicer pet.
My dog is getting older and lately I’ve been a bit worried about him. He had a rough year. Our kids all left for extended periods away from home and I don’t know if it was harder on me or him. He really likes us all in one place. I’ve been trying to give him extra attention but I didn’t think about teaching him something new.
My Sister has little stairs for her dogs to get up on the furniture. Her oldest dog is 13 and has hip issues.
Our St Bernard is 5 and his health and wellness needs are definitely changing from a younger pup to an older dog. I make it a priority to pay attention to this and totally agree that keeping routine vet visits as a way to help monitor his overall health!
I bet my son’s girl would be interested in this… she’s a foster mama for dogs. I’m going to see her today and ask her if she’s heard of it.
My fur baby is 11, almost 12 years old and she’s definitely hitting old age finally. She’s still spunky but has lost most of her teeth. 🙁
These are indeed great tips for keeping an old dog healthy. This sounds like a great platform for any dog owner. Patients is almost a must when you have an older dog but you are right it is never to late to teach them new things. Thanks for shairng the tips and giveaway.
Teaching an old dog new tricks eh. The old saying isn’t true after all 😉
I find this very helpful, I have lots of dogs and their age differ from one another. I want them to stay strong longer.
I would love to know more about our dachshunds and how to care for them appropriately. With them being small dogs, I am sure there is so much for me to still learn about them. I want to make sure we are giving them the best nutrition.
Wow, great tips! I remember our dog when I was a kid. he died at age 8.
These are great tips! Our two dogs are 13 and 11, and I always make sure we give them the best of the best.
These are great tips! Definitely trying all these to our dog.
They’re just like us as we they age. It’s important to give them the attention that they need especially since they’re more prone to illnesses and health complications. I like these tips, it’s perfect for keeping them healthy!
One of my dogs is 9 years old and we rescued her from a shelter when she was about a year old. Don’t neglect their teeth. She was laying around and started not eat less. After, she had to have a bunch of her front teeth pulled, we noticed a huge difference. She is playing again and seems happier.
I’m glad you mentioned teaching new skills, my young dogs love learning new tricks, but even my old dog could still learn new things, and it really makes them light up.
These are all great tips to keep dogs healthy, our pet doggies matter too for sure!
These are really great tips! My dog is going to be 13 this year and we make sure to spoil him as much as we can.
id like to learn how to make his life easier as he gets older
These are all so important! Our oldest pup is almost 7! We want him around for as long as possible so we are always trying to make sure our pups are well taken care of and probably a bit spoiled!
My pug is right around 15 and we often wonder how many years she has left. I like the idea of giving her extra padding in her bed, as that seems to be where she spends the majority of her days.
I would like to know what my dog is thinking and how he’s feeling.
It’s very important to put in the effort to take good care of our pets, a lot of people I’ve seen don’t seem to know this but hopefully posts like this will bring it to their attention. Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind sounds really healthy for older dogs.
This is a great list. We have big dogs and the older they get, the more attention they need and the more support they need in their bedding.
These are all great tips. Just like people, as dogs age, their needs change. It’s important for owners to remember that.
Our oldest was 18 when she passed, We have always tried our best to keep them healthy. These tips are great my pug , just turned 7 ty for sharing
Padded bedding is a great idea for older dogs. They get stiff just like people. Our dogs actually have memory foam dog beds. They’re not even old. LOL
Yes, good nutrition should be a lifelong thing. We treat our pup to lots of massages and he loves it.
These are great tips – thanks! Our pup is turning 6 this fall, so we’re not there just yet, but he’s not a puppy anymore either.
I would love to learn why she likes to chew up towels and blankets. She is a rescue and she just loves to chew up bedding and stuff like that.
Our Max is barely out of the puppy stage. Thankfully he is starting to settle down a little bit. We started visiting the vet as soon as we adopted him. These are all great tips for making sure Max is well cared for when he gets older.