Top 5 ways to properly care for your senior pet

A senior cat or dog needs a different level of care than when they were young. The older your pet gets the more they’ll show signs of aging like arthritis, muscle loss, loss of hearing and eyesight, weight gain or loss, lethargy and more. Luckily, there are five things you can do regularly to help your beloved senior pet age comfortably and with ease.

The first step is to stay on top of your senior pets’:

1) Veterinary Care

No matter your pet’s age, you should be taking them for regular veterinary check-ups to ensure they are healthy in every way. However, the older your pet gets, the more important these regular check-ups become because older animals are more prone to developing hormonal diseases, cancer, diabetes and so much more.

Getting your senior pet evaluated by a vet at least once a year can help rule out any serious health problems, and these regular check-ups can catch certain conditions early so that your pet can get on the road to recovery faster!

2) Body Work

A great way to keep your senior pet feeling young and energetic is through Body Work! There’s a variety of Body Work practices that you can try to help your senior pet like massage therapy, acupuncture, acupressure, kinesiology tape, craniosacral therapy and body alignment.

Each one of these Body Work therapies has different benefits, but all of them can help reduce pain and inflammation in your pet’s body helping them to increase mobility and move like they are young again. Body Work can also help to reduce the risk of injury, which is so beneficial, especially for older animals.

3) Nutrition

Proper nutrition becomes increasingly more important the older your pet gets. This is because one of the most common issues among senior animals is obesity. As your pet ages, their metabolism slows down making it difficult for them to keep weight off.

Check the ingredients list of your pet’s food and make sure there aren’t any ingredients that could be making your pet sick or overweight. The best way to ensure your pet doesn’t become obese is by feeding your pet a raw meat diet because cats and dogs are natural carnivores. If you don’t want to handle raw meat on a daily basis, the next best option is a high-quality, freeze-dried commercial pet food brand.

Another way to give your pet’s diet the boost it needs is through supplementation. Senior pets benefit from immune-boosting supplements and joint support supplements.

4) Physical and Mental Stimulation

To keep your senior pet in peak physical and mental health, you need to make sure they are getting enough exercise and mental stimulation regularly. Daily walks are important for your senior dog and you can even consider bringing a stroller with you if your dog starts to get too tired.

For your senior cat, make sure you are playing with them enough throughout the day. This will keep them feeling young and agile.

When it comes to mental stimulation, things like car rides, teaching your dog or cat new tricks, and giving them a new toy can really help keep their brain active and healthy.

5) Energy Medicine

Energy healing is an excellent way to help your senior pet release old emotions and unblock stagnant energies in the body. Giving your pet regular Reiki sessions is a safe and effective way for pet parents to provide calming and healing energy to their pets. Reiki can also be beneficial in aiding pets in having a serene transition when the end comes.

Want to learn more about how to keep your senior pet healthy and thriving well into old age? Take Holistic Animal Studies’ comprehensive and fun online Animal Reiki Certification Course! This course will teach you everything you need to know to start using the healing powers of Reiki on your pet!

Learn Reiki Level One, Two and Three (Master Level) from Master Reiki practitioner, Dr. Angelique Barbara!

Start healing your pet today and take Holistic Animal Studies’ Animal Reiki Certification Course!