All of a sudden one day you notice the shining white (grey)creeping into your dogs muzzle . He sleeps a little more carefully now but most time seems to be just as energetic. What is wrong-nothing. He is just aging. Happens to us all.
If you have not already, now is the time to begin a regular program of excercise.
Inside your aging pet:metabolism is slowing, organ function is slowing, and the response to disease has diminished. In addition, your senior will probably urinate more often.
Excercise stimulates tissue as it increases blood flow. Tissues become oxginated abd toxins are removved from them more readily. In additon, excercise helps bowel function. This is especiallyt true in older pers.
Without adequate use, muscles weaken and atrophy. This becomes a vicious cycle. As excercise decreases the , the muscles weaken and the less they can do.
Making sure your senior gets enough excercise may seem like a difficult task, but try one or more of the following tips:
- If you choose outside excercise, make surfe that the weatheris suitable for the type of excercise you are doing. Dogs can suffer heatstroke and frostbite. You must be especially careful with seniors.
- Walking is excellent. Start with 10-15 minutes a day and slowly increase to 1-2 hours a week
- Spend more interactive playtime with your older pet. More walks, more games of feteh, tug of war., hide and seek
- Good nutrition is more important than ever in aging pets. This is especially true with excercise.
- Give your pet vitamin and mineral supplement-A good one is important for seniors