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134 results for “older dog”
Why Does My Dog Pant Heavily at Night?
Brief panting after exercise, fever, excitement, or stress is normal, but frequent nighttime panting deserves attention. Common causes include respiratory disease (tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma), heart disease in obese or older dogs (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, heart failure), obesity pressing on the airways, poor sleep posture, and anxiety or bad dreams. If panting is frequent or comes with lethargy, low appetite, exercise intolerance, or coughing, see a vet. Keep the dog slim, the home clean and calm, and manage any weight issue.
Signs Your Dog Is Getting Old
A dog's life spans only a little over a decade, and aging creeps in through everyday details rather than all at once. The earliest changes are white muzzles and cloudy eyes, followed by dental trouble, shifting personality, and less stamina. Because organ function declines with age, seniors also show digestive and urinary changes. Spotting these signs early lets you give your older dog the comfort and care they deserve.
CoQ10 for Dogs: Why It Matters for Your Pet’s Heart
As dogs age, heart function naturally declines, and heart disease is especially common in small breeds. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a nutrient that helps power heart-muscle cells and protects them from oxidative damage, which is why it is widely used to support cardiac health in senior pets. Yet the supplement market is uneven—many products overstate or never verify their CoQ10 content. This guide explains what CoQ10 does for your dog's heart, how to choose a supplement with genuinely usable CoQ10, and what the current evidence says, so you can make a confident, informed choice.
Choosing the Best Dog Food for Senior Dogs (Age 7+)
Once a dog turns seven, its metabolism slows, digestion weakens, and organs such as the kidneys, heart, and liver begin to decline — so the right senior dog food matters more than ever. Look for a formula with at least 25% crude protein (30%+ is better), fat held between 8% and 15%, fiber under 9%, starch no higher than 32%, salt under 2%, and a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 1:1 to 2:1. Bonus nutrients like glucosamine, fish oil, and probiotics support aging joints, brains, and guts. Prefer wet food for dogs with poor teeth, transition gradually over seven days, and feed smaller meals. For dogs with heart, kidney, or diabetic conditions, a vet-guided prescription diet is safest.
Common Causes of Coughing in Dogs
Coughing in dogs most often points to a problem in the respiratory system, but it can also come from heart disease, infectious illness, a swallowed object, or even a fracture. Watching the type of cough - wet, dry, weak, or continuous - and noting whether the dog also loses appetite, runs a fever, or has nasal discharge helps you and your vet pin down the cause. A wet cough with phlegm suggests airway disease, a harsh dry cough may be kennel cough, a weak cough can mean pneumonia, and a repeated dry cough may signal heart trouble. Many conditions from roundworms to heart failure, tracheal collapse, pneumonia, and distemper can all show up as coughing, so persistent or severe cases deserve a veterinary check.
Why does my dog have black spots on its skin?
Black spots on a dog's skin are usually harmless — they often appear with age as normal pigment deposits (age spots) from metabolic changes. They can also follow a skin infection that damaged the hair follicles, in which case the marks typically fade over time, or result from sunburn in short-coated dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors.
How to Care for Your Dog in Autumn
Autumn's cool, dry, changeable weather feels great to us but asks for a few adjustments in dog care. Fatigue from summer, dropping temperatures, and dry air all affect a dog's body, coat, and digestion. A few simple habits around food, grooming, exercise, and disease prevention keep your dog comfortable through the season.
5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Walking Your Dog
Walking is one of the simplest ways to keep a dog happy and healthy, but the wrong approach can do more harm than good. From erratic schedules to walking in extreme heat, a few common habits put unnecessary strain on your dog's body and safety. Here are five mistakes to leave behind.
How to Stop Your Dog From Peeing Everywhere
A dog treats the whole world as its toilet, but at home that is unacceptable - and scolding alone never works because the dog simply does not know. Inappropriate urination has many roots: territory marking (common in adult males), no house-training, revenge moved to the sofa after being yelled at, unclear home boundaries, attention-seeking, fear from abuse, post-neuter incontinence, or illness. The fix is patient positive training: indoor spot training, outdoor training, and never hitting the dog. Holding urine over eight hours harms the kidneys, so leash up and clean up on walks.
How High Blood Pressure Affects Dogs
High blood pressure harms a dog's eyes, heart, kidneys, and nervous system. It can cause retinal damage and vision loss, heart enlargement and failure, kidney failure, and stroke or paralysis. Owners should watch for signs and see a veterinarian, who may measure blood pressure and suggest a low-salt, low-fat diet or medication. Risk rises with obesity, age, genetics, diabetes, thyroid or kidney disease, and stress. Prevention includes regular checkups, a healthy weight, calm surroundings, and daily exercise.