By: Kelly Marshall
Submitted: 2010-04-22 06:25:44 | Word Count: 505
Making sure that your dog gets plenty of exercise is not usually difficult. Dogs, especially at a young age, love to play. They need no excuse to do so, and in most cases, need very little to play with. A ball or a chew toy, or even an old shoe, can provide hours of entertainment for your furry friend. However, as they get older, it becomes more difficult to get your dog to play. The age begins to wear on their joints and makes it more difficult to move around, let alone jump for a Frisbee. However, there can be serious health complications that will come with your pet not exercising regularly.
Just like humans, dogs need exercise to stay healthy. It is also important that they eat the right foods, and the correct portions of food. Health issues can become very serious when a dog does not exercise regularly, especially when the dog enters their senior years of their life. From the age of six years old, a dog is considered a senior citizen. Once they reach that age, joint problems and heart conditions begin to worsen, especially if they are not exercising regularly. This can lead to many different severe issues in their bodies.
[ advertisement ]
If the dog is not getting the correct amount of exercise and they begin to gain weight, the strain on their bodies becomes greater and they can develop osteoarthritis. This is a condition that is essentially the degeneration of the joints and the bones in the joints, causing mobility issues and severe pain. The more weight that is put on these joints, the more painfully it becomes and, soon, the dog cannot stand, or even get comfortable lying down. Eventually the dog will not be able to move enough to eat or drink, which can lead to starvation and dehydration.
Other health issues can arise from your dog not exercising. If your pet pooch does not exercise on a regular basis, their weight can compound and put undo strain on their heart. This can cause heart failure, heart disease, and can lead to the failure of other organs, such as the lungs, liver, kidneys, and brain, as well. Not only will exercise help manage your dogs weight; the activity will help benefit your pets mind, as well. Activity helps the flow of blood, which will ensure that enough oxygen is taken to your dogs brain, helping in the maintenance of brain cells. The extra activity will also help regulate your dogs blood sugar levels, which need to be at a specific level in the brain.
Making sure that your elderly pooch stays healthy and happy is very important. Keep a watchful eye on your dog and see a vet immediately if anything about their behavior changes. If your dog seems to become more lethargic, or they shy away from human contact, they may be in pain. Also, if your elderly dog begins to cough during exercise, or for any exhaustive activity, including walking up stairs, consult a veterinarian immediately.
