Tips and Tricks To Extend Your Dog’s Lifespan

Dogs hold a unique place in our hearts and love us unconditionally. In response, almost all of us want our furry friends to live for as long as possible. Achieving this means understanding your pup’s needs, feeding it a nutritious diet, learning about its health, and enjoying plenty of playtime. Delve into the tips to extend your dog’s lifespan.

Learn About Its Breed

The breed of dog you have often plays a role in the canine’s activity levels. For instance, if your family is highly active and always goes on walks or hikes, energetic breeds, such as golden retrievers, poodles, Australian cattle dogs, and boxers, are wonderful options. These pooches often have bounds of energy and require several hours of rigorous activity.

Similarly, some families want a more protective dog to guard the family and children. This means adopting a purebred or mixed breed known for having a protective and loyal personality as well as being patient with children. Breed examples include Great Pyrenes, Doberman pinchers, and boxers.

Keep Its Diet Balanced

Just like people, canines require a balanced diet, and ensuring your dog lives long often means straying from standard kibble. While dry dog food is more affordable and easier, it’s hard for dogs to digest and often doesn’t contain all the needed nutrients. Of course, when you’re a busy parent, making home-cooked meals for the family and your dog isn’t easy. Strive to purchase human-grade dehydrated food for your pooch—it’s packed with vitamins, and you just have to add water!

Understand Health Risks

Different breeds are more prone to specific health conditions, which is also true as your dog ages. During your annual visits to the vet, discuss your dog’s health. If the veterinarian diagnoses your pooch with a condition, discuss treatment plans and ask for research resources so that you can learn more.

For example, if your pooch is in its golden years and the vet diagnoses it with diabetes, you’ll need to understand what foods your diabetic dog should avoid eating to keep it healthy. Likewise, if your pooch has arthritis, you’ll need to make at-home accommodations, such as ramps, to help it get on the couch.

Brush Those Teeth

Many dogs dread having their teeth brushed and try to run at the sight of the toothbrush. As a result, this becomes more of a chore for you; however, brushing your dog’s teeth is an essential tip to extend its lifespan. Similar to people, your pup’s tooth health can impact heart health. Also, if it gets a tooth infection due to a lack of brushing, it can become an abscess and lead to emergency vet bills or death.

Enjoy Plenty of Playtime

Playtime is a wonderful way for you, your family, and your furry friend to bond! Playing games of fetch and tug of war or going for a walk also provides your pooch with much-needed mental enrichment.

Our dogs are loving members of the family. And by understanding your pet’s individualized needs, you can give it the appropriate care. Take incredible care of your pup so that you can make memories with it for years!