Due to better vaccines, nutrition and health care, older dogs are more ordinary today than before. However, older dogs have specific needs that must be met to insure continued health despite these advantages. As a dog gets old, he automatically begins to have hearing, vision, and dental problems.

He may suffer from behavioral changes concerned with cognitive dysfunction and arthritis.  He may face the periods of disorientation, accidents and lose his tolerance. He may never be more active anymore and also start losing muscle and his organs could begin to fail. We can be ready for them even though we can't prevent these maladies all together.

A fat dog is more frequently seen than a skinny one but fat is unhealthy. The best thing you can do for your older dog is to keep an eye on his diet. If your pet has a tendency to be overweight, but you should continue trying to have his weight lost even if it will be difficult. Don’t forget to make sure he's eating a low protein, low calorie and high fiber diet.