Ageing is a normal occurrence in every living thing. As much as we would love our faithful companion to stay healthy and youthful, that is not the way nature works. Here are some tell-tale signs that will tell you that your dog is finally starting to age.
1. Signs of slowing down: your normally perky dog that likes to run amok the moment you open your backyard door will now trot slowly. When taking for a brisk walk, he will often lag behind and seem somewhat reluctant to pick up the pace. Instead of bounding up when getting up when you call him, he will slowly and gingerly get up to come near you.
2. Another sign is showing signs of graying hair: your dog will start to grow gray hairs around the muzzle and face particularly below the chin and around the eye brows. On some dogs, graying hair will also appear around the feet and tail.
3. Difficulty of hearing: some dogs experience neurological changes and suffer hearing loss. Initially it will come out as if your dog is being stubborn and refuses to follow your command. If you will observe your dog closely, he will respond more to low pitched sounds compared to high pitched tones. Other signs of deafness will be your dog getting startled when you make a sound from behind him as he did not hear your approach.
4. Cloudy eyes: a young dog’s eyes are normally clear and bright. As your dog ages, his eyes will start to dull and become cloudy and bluish in appearance. You will see your dog’s eyes forming a white ring around the cornea. These are deposits caused by aging but will not affect your dog’s vision. What will affect your dog’s eye sight will be the formation of cataract in the crystalline lens inside the eye. You will know your dog has cataract if he would bump into furniture and people yet does not show signs of dizziness and lack of balance.
5. Muscle atrophy: your dog may appear to have sagging muscles. This is due to muscle atrophy that is related to aging. This will result to weakness of your dog making regular exercises seem more difficult. Your dog will now have difficulty climbing up the stairs or pull on a favorite cart.
6. “Accidents” due to incontinence: this is also related to muscular atrophy. The muscles that control your dog’s bowel and bladder will now weaken and your dog will eventually lose control of his elimination habits. “Accidents” can happen while your dog is inside the crate, inside at home and even while you he’s sleeping.
It is important that you give appropriate support measures when you see these signs of ageing in your dog. You will need to have regular visits with your vet to monitor your dog’s condition for there are many age-related disorders that your dog can experience. These can range from canine cognitive dysfunction, arthritis, and heart disease. Ask your vet for appropriate dog supplements to help your dog stay healthy through the ageing process.
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