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Number and Variety of Senior Dog Care Products Growing

Rebekah Harrison//September 2, 2014//

Number and Variety of Senior Dog Care Products Growing

Rebekah Harrison //September 2, 2014//

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Aging is just a part of life.

There is no way of aging without health issues. There are countless remedies for human senior care, but what about senior dogs?

“Senior pet owners need to have a better visual of what is available,” said Susan Weiss, president of Ark Naturals.

Dogs need special care when they reach a certain age. From joint issues to heart problems, there are many products to encourage a healthy lifestyle for a dog who is entering the golden years.

Solvit makes a variety of products to help with senior pet access and mobility, like their ramps, which are specifically designed to help pets reach the bed or car with ease.

Their newest ramp, the Wood Bedside Ramp, is a good solution for pets unwilling to use stairs to access a bed. It even features ribbed carpet to provide sure footing.

Solvit makes pet stairs that offer an affordable way for pets to reach their favorite places. One such product, the Decorative Pet Steps, can be purchased in multiple heights to provide custom help to your pet feel at home.

Alternatively, Solvit also offers the CareLift Lifting Harness. This harness provides a convenient and safe way to improve pets’ mobility by allowing owners to help pets up stairs, into vehicles, onto furniture and many more. The CareLift supports dogs from both hips and abdomen, resulting in less stress than similar items which only lift from either the legs or the abdomen.

Keep Them Moving

For dogs needing a little help with joint care, Ark Naturals offers the Sea “Mobility” Joint Rescue. Along with a great taste, these treats are an easy way to deliver glucosamine to dogs. They increase dog flexibility, mobility, range of motion and joint comfort.

Ark Naturals also has an entire product line dedicated to senior pets. The Gray Muzzle line offers the Old Dogs! Happy Joints supplements that maximize joint mobility with glucosamine and turmeric.

Ark Naturals Gray Muzzle line also offers Heart Healthy! Wags Plenty!, which is a natural supplement that helps promote healthy heart function, healthy heart muscles and heart rhythm, as well as blood pressure and circulation. Each soft chew contains taurine, dandelion extract and other ingredients that support heart health.

Gray Muzzle also features a cognitive function supplement.

“Like humans, animals as they age have very similar brain issues,” said Weiss. “They may forget where they are. The purpose of this product is to help with this cognitive disorder.”

Gray Muzzle’s Brain’s Best Friend! is a bite-size soft chew that supports memory. The chews include fish oil, resveratrol and other ingredients to encourage recognition and leaned behavior.

Zuke’s Hip Action is also a treat that helps maintain hip and joint function and features all natural ingredients, so it’s totally okay if the dog even eats the whole bag. Co-factor vitamins and minerals support the absorption of nutrients and antioxidants.

Dogswell offers a full line of glucosamine and chondroitin products. There are jerky treats that come in regular, bar and strips. There is also Veggie Life Treats that offer a vegetarian alternative to meat treats while also offering the same benefits of glucosamine and chondroiton. The Happy Hips line includes both canned and dry food.

Supplements are important in caring for a senior dog. They offer vitamins and minerals to help with aches and pains, coat problems and many more senior dog ailments.

NaturVet makes Bladder Support Tablets specifically formulated to help dogs maintain healthy bladder control. They also offer Digestive Support Senior tabs and powder with special prebiotics and probiotics targeted for senior dogs.

In addition, their Quiet Moments Calming Aid Chews help support the nervous system in reducing stress and tension often associated with senior dogs.

Feed Them Well

When it comes to food, it is important to feed senior dogs a diet that supports a more sedentary lifestyle.

Fromm’s Gold Holistic Reduced Activity & Senior Dry Dog Food offers dogs a reduced calorie dry food with added ingredients to protect overworked joints and ease inflammation.

Nutro Natural Choice Senior Dog Food comes in a wide variety of options depending on dog breed. The ingredients support the immune system, promote brain and cellular function, maintain healthy joints and promote healthy skin and a shiny coat.

Orijen Senior Grain-Free Dry Dog Food offers high levels of dietary protein that enables senior dogs’ peak conditioning.
In canned food, Wellness Senior Canned Dog Food contains phosphorus and increased fiber. It is also great for senior pets with diminished sensory abilities.

Another senior care canned food is Merrick’s Golden Years Senior Medley. It contains no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

Senior pet care can go beyond foods and supplements. Gray Muzzle now offers No Shampoo! Shampoo!, a grooming product for pets with difficulty standing.

“It’s really a natural product and it solves the problem of how to keep a senior animal clean without stressing them any further,” said Weiss. “You don’t have the issue of putting them under the water. You can put this product on them and it’s really refreshing. It’s rinseless and odorless.”

All these products are meant to help senior pet owners prolong the life of their dog. These products are not meant to serve as vet care.

“In these cases, these products are not replacements for quality, veterinary care between the pet guardian and the vet,” said Weiss. “This is not about never seeing a vet. We are just promoting good health for senior animals.”