The Top 5 Ways to Care for Your Aging Dog

It’s hard to see our once frisky furry friends slowed down by age and arthritis.

Fortunately, there are things we can do to ease our pup’s pain and make their lives easier after they’ve been diagnosed with age-related degenerative arthritis. Here are the top 5 ways to care for your dog with arthritis.

Give Your Aging Dog a Comfortable Place to Relax

Senior dogs can sleep 16 to 18 hours a day, plus spend a few more hours relaxing, so it’s important to provide a place that’s as supportive as it is comfortable. Orthopedic dog beds (20% off for a limited time) differ from regular dog beds by providing extra support for the joints and allowing your dog to get up from a sleeping position more easily. (Does your current dog bed stack up? Hint: if you need to “fluff” it regularly, or you can compress it so much that you can feel the floor underneath it with your fingers, it’s not providing the support of an orthopedic bed.)

Keep Fido Fit

Exercise is an important part of your dog’s overall health regimen, even if their arthritis is bad. Leisurely walks every day keep the joints active, and swimming is another great, gentle activity to consider. Also, if your dog is overweight, put him on a diet until the excess weight disappears, as it strains the joints and makes arthritis pain worse.

Add stairs up to your Pooch’s Favorite Places

With arthritis, jumping up onto a bed or into the car becomes difficult, and coming down can be even more treacherous. Adding dog steps or dog ramps, like this scalloped dog ramp (20% off for a limited time) that can accommodate dogs up to 100 pounds, are a great help to your hound.

See Your Vet Regularly

Twice-yearly visits to the vet are recommended for senior dogs. Your vet can monitor the progression of the arthritis and suggest medication to manage the pain and/or supplements to help rebuild the joints and cartilage. While many of these drugs are available over the counter, it’s always smart to have your vet’s approval before starting your dog on them.

Seek Out a Canine Massage Therapist

Massages for dogs? Yes! Canine massage therapy is becoming more widespread as people realize the benefits of bodywork for dogs. Massage stimulates blood flow, slowing down the degeneration and providing relief from aching muscles. Plus, it just feels good! While you can certainly massage your mutt yourself, trained canine massage therapists have the expertise to really get results.

Remember that dogs evolved to avoid showing outward signs of pain, so even if your pooch doesn’t appear to be in pain, that’s no guarantee they’re not suffering. That’s all the more reason to do everything you can to ease the arthritis and make your dog’s life a little better. After all, don’t our faithful companions deserve it?

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