Healthy aging for pets may not be something we think of when we bring our newest member of the family into our home, but it is very important to consider.
Disclaimer- This post was written in affiliation with and sponsored by Purina Canada as part of the #PurinaPetPeople ambassadorship. All thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are my own.
When Spike was a kitten, she had this orange stripe down the back of her head that made her look like Spike from the movie, Gremlins. Okay, I may be dating myself with my reference to that 1984 film. Also, I had no idea until today that the character I was referring to is actually named Stripe, and not Spike! ALL these years, I had it all wrong?!
Anyway, the name Spike suits our feline baby. I chose that name for her as soon as she was born. I was present when Spike’s mom had her litter, and it was one of the most incredible experiences.
Spike has been in our lives for ten…almost eleven years!
She has been in Little One’s life for as long as Little One can remember.
Spike is now a senior cat. She was born in March of 2007. She is still friendly and cuddly. She loves her snuggle time. The only thing is that now that she is older, Spike has the occasional accident inside the house. Princess Peach is also trying to be boss now that Spike is not as young or as agile as our younger cat. Princess Peach wants to be alpha, but Spike isn’t letting her be top cat just yet.
Healthy Aging for Pets
Pets don’t just make life better. They make it bigger. Together, we can do the same for them while helping to improve their lives, even as they age.
Did you know that October is Pet Wellness Month? Pet owners are reminded that preventative care is the easiest way to help their pets live longer and healthier lives.
November is Senior Pet Month (for pets over the age of 7). Pet owners are reminded to take preventative care of their older pets to keep them healthy and prolong their lives, and to remind others that senior pets need to be adopted and cared for too.
Some ways to keep senior pets healthy include spending lots of quality time with your aging pets — this gives them time with you and keeps them active. Food is another important part of maintaining your pet’s wellness.
Purina believes that people and their pets live bigger and better together and want to empower and educate Canadian pet owners with older pets on how to improve their pet’s lives with Purina’s most innovative products – Pro Plan Prime Plus for senior cats and Pro Plan Bright Mind for senior dogs.
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● Prime Plus contains high-performance and highly specialized formulas including advanced
nutrition that supports the healthy aging of cats.
● Backed by a 9 year study, Prime Plus has a proprietary blend proven to improve and extend
the life of cats age 7+ (findings based on cats exclusively fed a complete diet with the proprietary blend
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● Pro Plan Bright Mind is a premium dog food with life-changing nutrition, outstanding taste and
advanced formulas that feature top-quality ingredients.
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● Bright Mind contains a special blend of enhanced botanical oils shown to promote memory,
attention and trainability in dogs age 7+ to support the healthy aging of dogs.
The Truth About Aging Pets
Some owners feel anxious and helpless as they think about their pets getting older. I know that when Chance first started showing signs of aging, I worried constantly about his health. Now that Spike is older, I worry about her too. She isn’t using her littler box properly anymore. She sometimes misses her litter box completely. Sometimes she even “does her business” where she isn’t supposed to. She’s a bit slower than she once was, and sometimes she goes into hiding, whereas when she was younger, she never hid. She seems to want solitude more, with the exception of when it comes to Little One. She loves Little One.
Spike has a healthy appetite, but seems to be a lot lighter than she once was. The vet has seen her, and has said she is in great health, even in her advanced age.
Purina wants to educate and empower pet owners with older pets through products that will enable their pets to enjoy a happier, healthier and longer life, which in turn can strengthen the bond they have with their owners.
Purina’s Pro Plan brand takes a pioneering approach that has inspired a full spectrum of high-performance and highly specialized formulas including advanced nutrition that supports the healthy aging of pets.
The goal of Pro Plan is to make a pet’s best life possible through the power of nutrition. Pro Plans’ advanced nutrition will help them to be energetic and resilient on the inside, while maintaining an ideal body condition, healthy skin and a stunning coat on the outside at every age.
Pro Plan is backed by a team of more than 500 scientists, including pet nutritionists and veterinarians, who continue to anticipate the evolving needs of pets and rethink what’s possible.
GIVEAWAY
Purina Canada and Life on Manitoulin want to give readers the chance to win a Purina Innovation Box with Pro Plan Prime Plus or Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind. Please use the Rafflecopter giveaway below to enter! Contest is open to Canadians only (excluding Quebec) and closes November 10th at 11:59pm.
I feed my senior dog appropriate food for her age and make sure we get exercise, but don’t over do it.
We exercise with him and make sure that his legs are checked annually.
Food from trusted Brands and trips to the vet.
We provide good quality food, lots of attention, and regular check ups.
I kept my senior cat healthy by adjusting her diet for what she needed as she was getting older. I also scheduled check-ups with our vet.
My senior husky, Kota, was so gentle with our two cats. So sweet. I miss him every day.
When my dog was at the age of 10 she had some joint pain so we had to limit her activities
I adopted my dog when he was 3.5 years old and now he is almost 10. I try to feed him better food when ever I can as I see he is getting much slower. My favourite moment with him is when I adopted him
My dog is almost 10 , I do everything I can to keep him healthy , taking him on daily walks and feeding him well i want him to feel good and be around as long as possible, he’s like my best friend
I have a cat who is 13 and a toy poodle who is 11. Scarlett our dog is showing signs of age already with heart issues etc. We do everything we can for her and our goal is to make her as comfortable and happy as we can. she still has such spirit about her and a zest for life.
I try to keep my senior pet healthy by regular checkups and I try to give them lots of attention.
I have two senior cats; Milo (11) and Daisy (12), They’re indoor cats. I buy them high-quality dry food, make sure they have cat grass all year round, and give them coconut oil to nibble on for their coats.
regular check ups and shots
Regular dental and overall check ups are a must to keep them healthy
regular check ups and i have pet insurance
I have 2 Senior cats Satan and Slash who I plus with daily and 3 1 year old cats that keep them active ( running to get away from them)
we make sure just as ourselves to have our fur baby have regular check ups and feed them a quality food.
I have two seniors, Missy and Chloe. I try to keep them healthy by feeding them a balanced food, playing with them and getting them checkups regularly.
I keep my older cats healthy with high quality food, lots of play time and smaller but more frequent meals.
we have a senior cat and to keep him healthy he is on weight managment food, no extra treats and try getting him up and about as much as we can
Our senior cat, Fuzzy, is now 12 and, despite her barn cat origin, her bulky frame and her frequent hairball emissions, has managed to outlive two of other cats. She shows no evidence of her age but we do feed her senior food, keep her inside and brush her and her teeth regularly. Sje also goes for her annual vet visits.
I had two beautiful cats from when I was 16, until they were 16. It broke my heart when they passed away. We have our first dog who is 2 and I take him for lots of walks every day and watch what he eats. I’d love him to live to a ripe old age, thanks for all of the tips!
My favorite moment was the day I got to meet him when I returned home.
We have 2 relatively senior cats in our home. We have many comfy spots for them to lay and make sure they get as much exercise as they can handle. We also have food and water in multiple rooms.
Provide soft blankets and towels for your senior dog’s bed. This will help him to rest easier and sleep better.
Lots of love
Our dog (Layla) is only 2 but our neighbours dog (Lou) is 12. His owner is 78 and has COPD so isn’t able to take him for walks. We take Lou with us each day when we walk Layla. He knows when it’s walk time and if we are running late, he will be waiting at his gate as we come out of our house like he’s saying “What’s taking so long?”. He is such a good dog!
We have one senior pet right now, her name is Jasmine and she is a grey cat. We try to keep her healthy by feeding her quality food, making sure she has her regular vet visits, playing with her and giving her lots of love. She loves to crawl up and hug our dogs (and they let her!), She is a bit of a food thief so she has given us lots of memories with the various things she has stolen off the counter.
currently we have 2 dogs aged 7 and 8 years — but honestly, they still behave like puppies!! they get lots of walks, and still love to run and play. it is so hard to watch a pet age 🙁 previously we had a cat that lived to the ripe old age of 21!! we gave her lots of love til the very end…. we still miss Cookie
I keep my senior healthy with regular checkups, dental treats and lots of play. My oldest senior is 17, a cancer survivor and is now as healthy as a kitten. The vet hardly believes her age. I’ve had her since I was a little girl.