Just like humans, older dogs and cats can suffer from typical age-related ailments. Fortunately, you can support your older dog or cat with food supplements. For some common age-related problems, we are happy to explain which supplements may help your pet.
My older dog or cat is getting stiff
Does your dog or cat suffer from stiffness when standing up? Or is jumping getting difficult? These could be signs of osteoarthritis: wear and tear of the joints. In the long term, this results in loss of joint cartilage, leading to pain and inflammation of the joints.
With food supplements you can help your pet to preserve the remaining cartilage for as long as possible. Supplements containing glucosamine and chondroitin, such as Cosequin dog and Cosequin cat, provide your pet with extra nutrients for joint cartilage.
Furthermore, omega 3 fatty acids are helpful in osteoarthritis by reducing inflammation. The Seraquin Omega dog and Seraquin Omega cat supplements contain not only omega 3 but also glucosamine and chondroitin.
In addition to tablets, Pharmacy4pets offers joint supplements in the form of capsules, syrup or as a powder to mix with your pet’s food.
- Take a look at all our joint supplements for dogs
- Take a look at all our joint supplements for cats
Instead of supplements, you can also opt for a diet food with extra nutrients for the joints, such as Sanimed Osteoarthritis for dogs.
My older dog or cat is behaving strangely
An older dog or cat may be suffering from dementia if you recognize one or more of the following symptoms:
- No longer responding to his/her name or familiar commands or routines
- Changes of character, like irritability and aggression
- Aimless wandering around, appearing lost or confused in familiar surroundings
- Staring blank at walls or at nothing
- Changes in day-night cycle: restless behaviour and vocalisations at night, more sleeping during the day
- Anxiety, like separation anxiety
- Toilet training problems
However, these complaints can also be caused by problems elsewhere in the body. Your vet can rule out other causes in your pet. If your pet seems to be suffering from dementia, a brain supplement like Cholodin is a good first choice. This supplement not only supports your dog or cat mentally, but also improves liver function and skin and coat quality. Besides brain supplements, avoid stress and keep your pet mentally active by playing for example. At a later stage, medication (on prescription) can be helpful, such as Selgian for dogs.
My older dog or cat gets blue pupils
Consult your vet to investigate your pet’s eyes. Your vet might diagnose cataracts, a clouding of the eye lenses that is common in older pets. As a result, your dog or cat gradually sees less and less.
In an early stage, the food supplement VT Phak might slow down further progression of cataracts in dogs. The nutrients in this syrup also have a beneficial effect on the intestinal flora of your dog. Once cataracts have progressed, only cataract surgery can improve your pet's vision. With cataracts, seeing less is a gradual process. Your pet gets used to this and usually knows the way around in his or her own living environment.
Do you have a question about food supplements that Pharmacy4pets offers? Our customer service is happy to help you!
