Illnesses in Elderly Dogs
Age is an inevitable factor in our lives. Every living organism ages as time passes, as we grow older, we become slow, and weak. Our muscles generally lose strength, flexibility, and endurance, these issues happen with dogs as well. This species of the organism with the name Canis familiaris as we call them dogs have a fixed average life-span of 10-15 years. The relativity of a dog’s age and that of humans is 7:1. A one-year-old dog grows and matures as much as humans acquire at 7 years of age. As dogs grow older, they face issues with their body both health-wise and physical-wise, they cannot communicate their problems and pains and hence require some extra attention and care.
There are certain problems and health issues that are commonly seen among most dogs.
Dental Problems
Dental problems are amongst the most common issues with dogs, bacterial infections are seen in their oral cavities which leads to swollen gums or inflammations. If not treated at the earliest it can cause extreme pain and they might bleed in their mouth along their tooth line.
Eye Problems
With growing age, older dogs fall prey to eye illness, which is again very common. They suffer from a blurred vision which results in their eyesight becoming weaker. A few problems that are common amongst elderly dogs are cataracts, eye dryness, and microbial infections, these problems need to be rectified at the earliest, and failing to do so can lead to partial blindness or even loss of vision.
Hearing Loss
Deafness or hearing loss is a factor that we cannot control. Most dogs do not rely on their sense of hearing much as compared to their sense of smell or vision. If your dog has hearing difficulty or deafness it is still possible to communicate with them through hand signals and gestures. Though there is nothing that can be done completely to stop or avoid this, it does not affect them as much.
Heart Disease
As it is known, having a heart disease of any sort is drastic and worrisome. Heart diseases are responsible for millions of lives every year. There are chances of your dog having heart disease if they are not taken care of properly which includes the diet they follow, obesity, and so on. Maintaining your dog’s diet is very important. Following a healthy fiber-rich diet that includes vegetables and fruits with ample exercise can help diminish the possibility of your dog getting heart disease.
Cancer
Some dogs do unfortunately suffer from this serious and deadly disease. As they grow older, they become prone to being caught with it. Some forms of cancer that are common amongst dogs are bladder, bone marrow, and mammary glands(breast) cancer. There are various symptoms such as significant weight loss, low energy levels, constant panting, slow healing wounds, difficulty in breathing, and so on. If you suspect your dog has these symptoms, it is best advised to go to your vet and seek medical attention immediately. If diagnosed early and treated well, the chances of your dog surviving are significantly higher.
Dogs and elderly dogs suffer from various diseases, it is important as pet parents to check and find out these issues as they cannot communicate. Proper and timely treatment, post-care, and attention can prevent dogs from catching diseases and leaving before time. Dogs do possess that sentiment and get invested emotionally more often than we humans do. When they grow old and suffer from any health-related issue, again they feel and bear that pain without communicating about it. It is our job to help them and be there for them constantly.
