Regularly Test Your Dog For Loss of Hearing
The sudden decrease in attentiveness and an apparent loss of obedience training in your aged dog may not be a sign of insolence as it may appear. Rather, this may be proof of a gradual loss of hearing in your aged dog. Hence, if your aged dog is slow to respond or ignores you totally, do not punish him for being disobedient.
What seems like inattentiveness may actually be a reduction in the dog’s capability of hearing in terms of loudness of the noise as well as the range of the sounds. Not only do aged dogs hear less but their brain processes the information a lot slower and they may take more time to react. The combination of the lack of hearing and the lack of reaction may make you feel that the dog is being inattentive. However, that is not the case. If you punish the dog for which it is not to blame, it will begin to fear you. Make sure you avoid hasty actions which may lead to distrust.
If you feel that your dog is slow to respond, just conduct this objective test to test the hearing of your dog. Keep the dog in a quiet room where there are no distracting sounds, lights or vibrations. The dog should be resting but awake. Stand five feet behind the dog where he cannot see you and loudly clap your hands together. Watch the head and the ears of the dog when you do this. If the dog is hearing well, the ears should perk up and the dog should immediately turn around to locate the source of the noise. If there is delayed response, it may suggest impairment of hearing. On the other hand, if there is no response, then the impairment of the hearing may require immediate attention. If there is no response, repeat this test a bit closer to your dog.
If your dog responds properly, repeat this test with progressively decreasing volume of sounds. This will help you determine whether your dog’s hearing ability is normal or not. It is difficult to listen to a soft noise immediately after a loud noise. Hence, do not conduct the tests in rapid succession. Allow half a minute to elapse before conducting the test again with quieter claps. You should conduct these tests periodically to keep track of the hearing ability of your dog. Do remember that these tests are not absolute. There is a lot of difference in the tone and pitch of a man as compared to a woman. Do consider these factors before coming to a conclusion about the hearing ability of your dog.
Dietary requirements of aged dogs
As the dog grows older, its dietary requirements also changes. The quality of protein should increase but the quantity of protein in the food should decrease. High quantity of protein produces more nitrogenous wastes and this puts pressure on the kidneys. As dogs are susceptible to weak kidneys in their old age, it is better to feed only those foods which contain fewer proteins. The reduction in quantity should be compensated by an increase in quality. Foods like eggs, yogurt, tofu, ricotta, farmer cheese, cottage cheese and mild hard cheese are rich in protein. Further, feed a lot of raw, grated vegetables to your aged dog.
Author Bio: Article by Kelly Marshall of Oh My Dog Supplies - where you can find cute dog clothes in over 150 different styles
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