Your dog's body takes a beating throughout thought there short lifetime. Muscles are pulled, joints stressed, and organs scarred by infection. A dogs cell structure breaks down, decreasing the efficacy of organs and tissues. What happens is all of these traumas cause abnormal cell development, which in turn create tumors and arthritic conditions. On the outside, they can appear as healthy and active as any younger dog, but inside his organs are not functioning as efficiently as when he was younger.
When there kidneys begin to deteriorate, they can continue to function with only 40 percent of the tubules (the part of the kidney that breaks down nutrients from urea) working. From the outside your aging dog will continue feeling fine and behaving normally. However, this can take a quick turn for the worse if a kidney disease continues to deteriorate. This can happen slowly or what seems like overnight. Before this happens, the only difference in your dog will be that they will need to urinate more often. Otherwise, there is no sign of a problem. As your dog ages, you need to ensure them complete health by adjusting his diet, exercise, and by keeping a close watch on his behavior. In fact, you'll notice many problems first through behavioral changes before his body shows the outward signs.
Changes might include things like appetite, a lack of desire to move about, or overall grouchiness are usually symptoms of a deeper problem. Your dog's muscles will remain strong, provided they exercises. The more they do as a youngster, the more they can do as an older dog. You must keep in mind, however, that they cannot tell you they don’t want to go those extra miles with you. All they want to do is to be with you and please you, regardless of how they feel. There muscles may still be strong at this point, but there internal workings are no longer operating in prime condition.
Your dog can still remain physically healthy with a little less exercise - maybe two or three mile hike instead of five or you can run on softer ground instead of hard concrete. The musculoskeletal system will usually exhibit arthritic changes as they turn into a senior dog. Arthritis is formed through changes in the joint bones, a reduction of cartilage, and a thickening of the synovial fluid between the joints. Often, inflammation can cause more irritation and lameness. Not only will the arthritic changes cause pain in the joints, but they will also cause atrophy in the muscles because your dog will not want to move around. The muscles begin to get loose and hang off the bones. This is most obvious along the spine, chest, and hind legs.
As the muscles atrophy, the skin will appear looser or baggy. Overall, your dog becomes a different dog as his senior years take over. They move more slowly, picks at meal times, and may bump into things that they can't see. However, the biggest change will be in there behavior. As they age, they may not only slow down, they will also become less excitable in general. They will still greet you with a wagging tail, but not jump on you or perform aerial leaps when you come home. When going out, they might walk to the door and wait patiently as you search for his leash - no more racing in circles, barking excitedly, and jumping about.
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