10 Tips to Increase the Lifespan of Your Dog

1. Brush Teeth Regularly

As humans, brushing our teeth is a very automatic and natural process. But how many of us do the same for our dogs? Not many. True, brushing your dog’s teeth can seem like a very tiresome task, but it is an essential one.

2. Ensure Physical Fitness

There is a common misconception that if a dog keeps eating well, he is healthy. While indeed eating well is a good sign of health, things can get worse when the dog starts gaining too much weight.

3. Maintain a Healthy Diet

Of course, it goes without saying that diet really matters. You are what you eat, and that applies to your dog as well. Rather than feeding your dog packed dog food for every single meal, make sure he eats fresh and healthy homemade meals at least three to four times a week.

4. Keep Them Engaged

Along with physical fitness, your dog’s brain needs to be exercised too. Leaving dogs unattended and bored for long periods of time makes them prone to mental issues like dog depression or anxiety.

This is a very common mistake among dog parents. Though vets and literally everyone else insist on regular medical check-ups for dogs, many people neglect this and take trips to the vet only when they notice something unusual in their dog.

5. Maintain Regular Health Check-Ups

6. Exposure to Cigarette Smoke

Just like humans, even dogs are severely affected by second-hand smoke. First of all, smoking is detrimental to your health, and additionally, you are putting your dog at risk too. Passive smoking can make dogs more prone to cancers and a variety of respiratory issues.

7. Neglecting Deworming and Vaccination

Dogs have a weaker immune system than humans and this makes vaccination and deworming highly important. Dogs and their tongues are all over the place and this makes them easily vulnerable to numerous infections and diseases.

8. Socialize

It is impossible for us to stay at home forever and we feel we are losing it when we don’t catch that weekly beer with our gang. Similarly, your dog goes through boredom, frustration, and other psychological issues when cooped up at home 24/7.

9. Spay or neuter

Most dog parents are not aware of the risks that are eliminated by spaying or neutering a dog. Several studies have also proven that dogs that are spayed or neutered live longer than those that are not.

10. Shower Them With Love

This might seem very simple, but it plays a crucial role in enhancing your dog’s lifespan. For your dogs, you are their whole world – their entire day and life revolves around you.