Reader's Digest - USA (2019-08)

little

bitatleast.

FITNOTFATIfyou’refeeding

yourdogorcathealthyfoodsin

appropriate-sizedportionsand

makingsurethey’regettingenough

exercise,youshouldn’thavean

overweightfriendatyourside.

However,if youstillthinkthey

needtolosea fewkilos,youcan

discusswithyourvethowtohelp

themshedfatandmaintaina

healthyweight.Carryingextrafat

causesunnecessarystressonyour

pet’sbody,particularlyontheir

jointsandinternalorgans.

SCHEDULEVETVISITSRegular

checksatthevetcanprevent

ssuesflaringupand

lderpetsshouldbe

thevetatleastonce

ixmonths.

yournextvisit,ask

vetwhatcommon

usuallyaffecttheir

larbreed,suchas

s ordiabetes.Youcan

GOODFOODKeepingyourpet’s

diethealthyandnutritiousisvital

atanystageoftheirlife,butasthey

agetheyrequirea differentsetof

vitaminsandminerals.Mostbrands

havea seniorrangeoffoodthatwill

likelyincludemoreomega3,6 and 9

fortheirbonesandjoints.

GETTINGOUTANDABOUT

Althougholderpetsmayhavea

slowerpaceandpreferencefor

snugglesoveroutdooractivity,this

doesn’tmeantheyshouldavoid

regularexercise.Youdon’thave

todragthemona ten-kilometre

uphillhike,butencourageyourpet

togetoutandaboutinthefresh

air.Thesightsandsmellsshould

inspiretheir

trotabouta

again.Ifthey

particularlyl

smallindoor

andplaywith

thatwillkeep

mindactivea

themmoving

How to ensure your elderly dog or cat stays healthy

Caring for an Ageing Pet

BY Sophie Taylor

PHOTO: GET T Y IMAGES

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