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Aging Care

Caring for Your German Shepherd as He Ages:

Give It the Same Love

There is nothing worse or crueler than abandoning an old German Shepherd and sad as this may be, there are many heartless people who do just that. They abandon the German Shepherd once it becomes too old. There are rescue services that do take in unwanted dogs but that is not the answer to the problem and only shows a certain lack of responsibility. However, it may be mentioned that taking care of the German Shepherd as he ages is something that should have begun from day one and continues till the dog passes away.

A Lifelong Commitment

Keeping the German Shepherd means a commitment of at least 12 to 15 years and since this breed generally attaches itself closely to its master as well as family members the need to take care of it during its advanced years cannot be greater. It would indeed be very traumatic for the German Shepherd if were to be abandoned when it most needs the most care.

 

Caring for a German Shepherd as he ages should include giving it plenty of nutritious food since a good diet would play a major factor in its continued good health. Raw food as well as plenty of greens, muscle meat, trachea as well as gullet would help strengthen its bone marrow and these ingredients have enzymes that are useful in helping the old German Shepherd digest its food better. They also contain many amino acids, friendly bacteria lactobacillus acidophilus as well as chondroitin sulfate that are useful for the health of its cartilage.

 

Caring for the German Shepherd, in its old age, means including less sodium and phosphorus in his meals. One should include enough essential fatty acids, as that will prove to be very healthy as a good diet should help to keep it going. Keep in mind that the food that is given to the German Shepherd does not have excess proteins, vitamins and minerals as all these do is more harm than help.

 

If you have not already been caring for your aging German Shepherd seriously, now is the time to really get down to it and remove the cobwebs of misinformation regarding caring for the German Shepherd in its old age. You should firstly have already given it vaccinations at least three to four times and also need to give it its booster shots annually.

 

Just as with younger German Shepherds, one should keep a stern check on the weight of the dog as he or she would not be able to carry the excess weight which would be detrimental to the health of any dog, leave alone the dog aged ten years and more. Keeping a check on its weight would be one way to care for your German Shepherd as he ages as this helps ensure that it does not contract heart trouble as well as helps arthritis.

Prevention is Better than Cure

In any case, German Shepherd geriatric care should be focused on prevention rather than cure and one should try to detect diseases in their early stages. With better veterinary medicines available, the German Shepherd may live longer than its expected 12 to 13 year life span. Grooming it less may be better and one should give them extra attention if they develop skin conditions, which is quite usual. This means keeping it clean and for changed skin conditions, such as dry and flaky skin, one should give it medicated shampoos and brush it well. Having learnt how to care for the German Shepherd in its old age one should not forget to focus on its diet and nutrition.

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