Caring for Aging Pets: How Do We Handle the New Challenges ...

Article by Jeff Marshall

Thanks to extraordinary advances in veterinary care, our pets are living longer, healthier lives than ever before. Vital as regular visits to the vet may be, though, pet owners can play a central role in keeping their dogs and cats fit and fun-loving. Veterinarians underscore the importance of minding our pets? diets ? keep them rich in protein and fiber ? and of providing the right balance of affection and freedom, but every pet will start to show signs of aging. The challenge, then, consists in finding the best ways to let our pets continue living happy lives.

Cats and dogs begin to show their age most clearly in the realm of mobility. The tireless puppy or kitten that used to bound around the room, careening off the furniture and weaving through people and possessions like an obstacle course settles down with age. A dog will typically show signs of aging by their sixth year; cats, by their eighth. They will be less eager to spring into a dash, less inclined to chase after the unfortunate insects that catch their eye, and often unable to jump to the places they could before.

When a pet discovers that they can no longer reach their favorite couch, bed, or elevated surface on their own, they can sink into dejection ? can even become destructive, in a bid for attention. A growing array of dog-step products like the Doggy Steps, though, can help to restore a pet?s mobility and independence.

The Doggy Steps, a durable, portable, pet-sized staircase, give dogs and cats a boost to formerly hard-to-reach surfaces. Beds, couches, and car seats that might have posed a dangerous challenge to an aging pet become accessible again, and the Doggy Steps? multiple sizes allow for comfortable climbs to multiple surfaces. Both the Doggy Steps and similar pet steps products, by offering a safe and easy way to reach places that once required leaping, can help to prevent serious injury.

Pet owners play an indispensable role in keeping their pets healthy ? and fortunately, that role doesn?t need to be either strenuous or costly. Pet stairs like the Doggy Steps give both pet owners and their companions a leg up on the challenges of aging. We can?t stop the aging process ? not yet, anyway ? but we can help our pets to age in comfort, and with dignity.

Additional information on the Doggy Steps is available at http://www.thedoggysteps.com.

About the Author

Jeff Marshall is a freelance writer dedicated to providing thorough and accurate information to readers.

Source: http://shower-chairs-for-elderly.com/2011/08/12/caring-for-aging-pets-how-do-we-handle-the-new-challenges/

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