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Turmeric for Dogs

Supports the general well-being of your canine companion

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How To Care For Your Senior Dog or Cat

Pet Care Tips 4 min read
Black scruffy dog with grey hair around the face laying down with a happy look on their face. How to care for your senior dog or cat

One thing is certain, our dear furbabies will get older, turn into a senior dog or cat, and require more of our attention. We must keep this in mind this when we get our pups or kittens and take them home. Personally, I adore seeing them growing up and getting older. Senior dogs and cats tend to be even more mellow, and in my experience, they tend to rely on us more, follow us everywhere, and give us extra love.

At What Age Are Dogs And Cats Considered Seniors?

A pet is considered senior around 7-8 years old on average.

A pet is considered senior around 7-8 years old on average. Around this time, they will probably start to demand more from us, more time, more naps, more love, more cuddles, more trips to the vets. When they are seniors, it’s time for us to give all the care and love they gave us, back to them.

At this age, they start to have issues with joints, sometimes some organ issues show, like kidneys and heart, and we need to pay attention to the subtle symptoms so we can act and take proper care of our furbabies when their needs.

Tabby cat asleep on a fuzzy fuchsia blanket in the sunlight. How to care for your senior dog or cat.

Best Food For Senior Dogs and Cats

Pets of any age need to have an appropriate diet. Just like humans, pets have different nutritional requirements according to their age. When they are younger, they will probably need more protein. Once they are older, their dietary requirements change. Typically, they will need food with less protein, fewer carbs, and richer in vitamins to help the joints and pain overall.

Talk to your veterinarian for help choosing the best food for your senior dog or cat; it can be commercial food, home-cooked, or even raw food. Just make sure to talk to an expert before choosing, to be sure that it fits your furbaby’s needs.

One of our in-house veterinarians, Dr. Amanda, offers personalized nutrition plans. Based on information about your pet, like weight, age, breed, and health conditions, she creates a guide for cooking at home for your pet.

Exercising With Your Senior Dog or Cat

They still need their daily walks and playtime, just slower. Exercise is important at every life stage. When they are younger, they will walk for hours, run and jump, and get the zoomies. Older pets still have zoomies, but they are just slower. Go slow and be gentle with them. They will enjoy that walk to the park, playing fetch, and going to the lake. Just don’t over-exercise them.

Attention – From You and The Veterinarian

Your senior dog or cat will need to visit the vet more often. General exams need to be done at least once a year when they are 8-10 years old and twice a year after that.

Everything is more sensitive when they are older, they will feel cold or hot with the slightest of temperature changes. Any changes, even if small, will need to be addressed. Observe if they are walking slower, having difficulties going up, and down the stairs, eating less, drinking more, peeing more, restless or getting tired more often. Small changes are big changes for our friends with frosted faces.

White and golden dog with a happy look on their face, laying in the grass. How to care for your senior dog or cat

Natural Support For Your Senior Dog and Cat

Some of the conditions that commonly appear in senior dogs and cats include kidney, liver, and heart conditions, joint pain like arthritis, and gastrointestinal issues like IBD. For each of these conditions, NHV has supplements that can support your pet and may slow down the condition’s progression. Supplements can also help reduce symptoms, providing your senior dog or cat with some relief.

Tripsy is our main formula to help with kidney function and urinary tract diseases. It may help prevent UTIs and urinary crystals.

Hearty-Heart acts to protect and promote heart function in cases of heart murmurs and heart issues overall.

Milk Thistle is a herb known for its benefits for the liver. Not only is Milk Thistle is beneficial for supporting the function of suffering livers, but it also helps protect the liver before it is damaged.

Turmeric is a very good support for the immune system overall. It also helps with inflammation of the joints in cases of arthritis and other muscle and joint issues.

TumFlora is our supplement formulated specifically for pets with IBD. It contains a blend of herbs that support gastrointestinal tract health and promote balanced gut flora.

Early Proactive Support

You may be proactive when they are younger and try to prevent some conditions from happening too early. Before thinking of the conditions your pet may get when they are older, you may want to consider some supplements to proactively support against them. Keeping their immune system healthy and balanced throughout their lives is a good start. Supplements like Stimmune, and Turmeric are good options as proactive support for healthy pets.

Overall, the life of a senior pet is as good as the life with a younger one. If anything, the older ones will just need you to hug, love, and cuddle them more and more. The best thing we can do for them is make sure they feel loved.


If you ever have any questions about your pet, their health, or supplements that can help them live longer and better, count on us. Our team of NHV Pet Experts is ready to help you. Click the button below to get started now.

Dr. Rebeca Oliveira DVM

Dr. Rebeca Oliveira DVM

Dr. Rebeca is a holistic veterinarian from Brazil with a passion for natural and integrative medicine. She’s been studying integrative medicine and alternative (and healthier) diets since 2015, and now started to study the power of herbs with the NHV Family. In her spare time, you can find her spending time with her golden retriever, Kuga.

Published: March 16, 2022

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