
November is Senior Pet Month, and with 57% of us proudly owning a pet in some unspecified time in the future, it’s necessary to know the way to get as a few years together with your pet as attainable.
To assist maintain senior pets in higher well being and having fun with their golden years for even longer, pet consultants at TrustedHousesitters have joined forces with veterinary surgeon, Pete Wedderburn.
“As people, we all know that if we wish to stay for so long as attainable, we have to give attention to points like food regimen, train, sleep, psychological well being and minimising stress. For our pets, the identical basic rules apply”, Pete says.
Five methods to extend the life, and high quality of life, of your senior pet
- Adapt their food regimen as they age
As your pet ages, their digestive system modifications, so it’s very important to change their food regimen to incorporate meals acceptable for his or her age. “Choose a very good high quality food regimen that has been designed for older pets, with high-quality components and vitamins which were adjusted to satisfy the totally different wants of an older animal,” Pete says. “Also, be sure that they’ve continuous entry to contemporary water: change their consuming bowl day-after-day in order that the water is rarely fusty and stagnant”.
- Invest in key dietary supplements
Supplements similar to probiotics and prebiotic may help your pet’s intestine well being and immune system as they age. For canine, prebiotic-rich meals, similar to broccoli and candy potato, might provide further help to the very important organs and nervous system, so think about together with these of their food regimen.
For cats, search for a gut-friendly and fibre-rich cat meals. Cats require extra particular pre and probiotics, so giving them human meals received’t be helpful.
- Keep psychological stimulation and enrichment going
As pets grow old, it’s necessary to maintain their brains lively with common stimulation. Play time, walks with a number of sniffing and time to socialize are important every day, at the same time as they age. “Make positive that your pet has sufficient every day stimulation to maintain their minds lively”, Pete says. “As nicely as common walks and play, give them common consideration in the course of the day, and check out providing food-releasing toys (similar to Kongs) to offer them one thing to do if you find yourself not there beside them”.
- Dental well being is significant
As nicely as serving to your pet’s tooth to look good, sustaining your pet’s tooth and gums will assist forestall oral points and ache in your pet, and even assist to keep away from organ injury from micro organism that may be carried into the bloodstream resulting in further well being issues. Good oral care is crucial as pets enter their senior years and ought to be taken care of every day. As nicely as brushing their tooth, dental stick chews and a few greens are good for freshening breath and preventing plaque.
- Ensure you’re minimising stressors on your pets
As with psychological well being, older pets will be extra affected by stress than their youthful counterparts. Pete explains, “Try to know what your pet likes and what upsets them. As a very good instance, in the event you go away on vacation, think about having them cared for by a petsitter in your individual dwelling, somewhat than subjecting them to the stress of boarding kennels or a cattery”.
If you’re happening vacation and you’ve got a senior pet, choosing a pet sitter will be an effective way of minimising stress and making certain your pet is cared for on a one-to-one foundation. To study extra, go to https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/