As the dog grows older, it faces the risk of certain disorders.
These common occurrences in older dogs are capable of assuming life threatening proportions.
Female dogs face the problems of mammary gland tumors, pyometra, false pregnancy and mis-mating.
These problems can be averted by an ovariohysterectomy.
If your aged dog has already had this surgery, then you have already removed the root causes of many major threats to her health.
As far as a male dog is concerned, castration will prevent two reproductive disorders which occur in aged dogs.
However, castration has extensive side effects.
Hence, this surgery should not be done for mere preventive reasons.
Performing this surgery after the reproductive disease affects the dog makes more sense.
Male dogs suffer from balanoposthitis, which is the inflammation of the penis and the prepuce.
This disease can affect even young puppies.
However, it is far more common in aging males.
The condition leads to yellow or grayish discharge at the opening of the prepuce.
In some cases, greenish pus like discharge takes place.
The surface of the penis and the prepuce develops many little bumps and bacteria growth will take place in the secretions.
The dog will begin to discharge the secretions if it lies on any surface for any length of time.
If the problem is not very severe, you can treat it yourself.
Gently flush the sheath twice a day with hydrogen peroxide solution for at least ten days.
Use rubber human ear syringe to clean the penis and the sheath.
However, avoid contact between the syringe tip and the penis.
Fill in hydrogen peroxide until the sheath bulges.
Massage the fluid back and forth within the sheath and let the fluid drain out.
Clean the surrounding areas carefully.
However, if the problem is a severe one, contact your vet and apply medications to the delicate tissues.
Since the medications cause irritation, it would be applied under anesthesia.
Soothing antibiotics should be prescribed to control the irritation.
Aged dogs would be frequently bothered by this problem.
Regular flushing with the peroxide solution and application of antibiotic ointments should be done at least once or twice a week.
This will keep the discharge under control and also prevent any other serious problems.
As compared to humans, the man's best friend does not face similar risk of cancer.
Cancer exists in the form of a lipoma, which is a usually benign fatty tumor or breast tumors, which usually are malignant in nature.
Even if the cancer is malignant, the malignancy does not pose the risk of death.
Occasionally, dogs face liver or spleen tumors.
Such tumors may spread to the lungs as well.
Only in such cases does the risk of death occur as the tumor may bleed and cause death.
If the tumor is malignant, it can cause sufficient damage to organs like liver and cause the death of the dog.
Dogs commonly face the problem of fibrosis of the heart and kidney.
It is the most common cause of death in those dogs which die due to any disease.