One of the great things about advances in veterinary science is the fact that there are a lot of ways to ensure that your senior dog lives a long and healthy life. Listed below are two reasons to take your senior dog to a vet on a regular basis.

Increase Your Dog's Life Expectancy

One of the first reasons to take your senior dog to the vet regularly is that you can discuss longevity with your vet. The reason for this is that your vet will be able to look at your dog's particular condition and provide recommendations as to how to stretch out your dog's lifespan as much as possible without having to sacrifice your dog's comfort and well-being.

In many cases, this appointment will result in frequent disease screenings and tests for your dog in order to ensure that any potentially life-threatening illnesses are caught early enough to be treated without doing a lot of damage to your dog's health. This is extremely important when you have a senior dog because senior dogs are going to have a much weaker immune system than a younger dog, which means that they are more prone to getting dangerous and potentially fatal diseases.

Ensure That Your Dog Is At A Healthy Weight

Another reason to take your senior dog to the vet regularly is to ensure that your dog is at a healthy weight at all times. This is very important because as your senior dog ages, he or she will be less likely to exercise as much as he or she did when he or she was younger, which means that weight is going to be gained. While you may be tempted to think that this is okay because your dog can just relax and be fat and happy, the weight gain can actually be extremely dangerous for a senior dog.

A major reason for this is that as your dog gains weight, he or she becomes prone to many more illnesses and diseases that can make his or her quality of life drop substantially. This can include developing diabetes or having the weight cause your dog to be in pain constantly due to the extra strain of that weight on his or her bones and joints. As a result, taking your senior dog to the vet can result in the vet providing you with recommendations as to how to change your dog's eating habits and type of food while also providing you with tips as to how to effectively exercise an older dog that has begun slowing down In order to keep your dog in a healthy weight and potentially add several years to his or her lifespan.

Make an appointment with your local veterinary hospital today in order to discuss how they may be able to help you with your senior dog and his or her particular needs. A vet can help you with your senior dog by increasing your senior dog's life expectancy and ensuring that your dog is at a healthy weight.