New year, new dog! 5 essential health tips for your dog in 2025

As we make resolutions for ourselves in the new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect and set goals for our dog, too. We want to make sure that your dog starts off the year right with simple, yet effective, tips that improve their health and quality of life through new wellness routines and engaging activities. Let’s make 2025 the best year yet for your four-legged companion!

Dr. Brennen McKenzie, our Director of Veterinary Medicine, says, “As glad as I am when I can help my canine patients regain their health and happiness after an illness or injury, the best medicine is always prevention. The strategies described here are simple but powerful ways you can keep your dog healthy and happy, and have fun doing it!”

1. Make sure your dog is at their healthiest weight

Is your dog looking a little bigger around the middle? If they’re developing a rounder stomach, they may need a weight loss goal in 2025.

A study on caloric restriction has shown that maintaining a healthy weight could extend healthy lifespan in dogs. In Purina’s caloric restriction study, scientists found that dogs who were fed 25% fewer calories than their paired littermates lived ~2 years longer.^1,2 (LOY-002, the first drug we’re hoping to bring to market in 2025, aims to give dogs longer, healthier lives by targeting some of the same mechanisms as caloric restriction.)

Additionally, as your dog gets older, the amount of calories they need decreases. It’s a byproduct of the aging process — our dogs gain weight because they’re less active, and their bodies process their nutritional needs differently. Work with your vet to evaluate the right amount of food and build an exercise regimen for your dog.

This Body Condition Score (BCS) chart is a helpful way to determine if your dog needs to lose a few pounds. If you have a fluffy dog, it may be helpful to evaluate them from above when they’re wet after a bath or a swim.  

2. Establish an exercise routine with new games and activities

Keeping our dogs moving is an effective way to keep them metabolically healthy, both through weight maintenance and strengthening their muscles and joints. Below are some games and activities we suggest — working these games into your daily or weekly exercise routine will both enrich and invigorate your dog.

Many of us are busy, so if you’re only able to bring your dog on short walks throughout the week, that’s okay too! Set a goal of spending at least 30 minutes on higher engagement exercises on the weekend.

Before you jump into new exercises, it’s important to know your dog’s limits and tailor the intensity of the exercises to your dog’s age, breed, and health. Older dogs may prefer lower energy exercises like hide and seek or slower walks. Additionally, dogs need to warm-up and cool-down to prevent injury, and make sure you always provide plenty of water to hydrate them during and after high-energy activities.

3. Give them a weekly enrichment goal

Enrichment and stimulation is important for your dog — it helps them connect to their environments and adds variety to their days. By incorporating enriching activities into their routine, it enhances their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

For example, you can take them on a “sniffari” by teaching them how to play nose games.

Puzzle toys and obedience training are great for mental stimulation. Challenging their senses with enrichment activities will reduce behavioral issues like anxiety, stress, and destructive behaviors.^3,4

For senior dogs, enrichment is especially important. Studies show that enriched environments and challenging activities like training can help preserve cognitive ability as the dogs get older. Another study by the Dog Aging Project found that dogs who exercised more showed fewer age-related behavioral problems and were less likely to be diagnosed with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CCDS).

A variety of activities can be enriching for your dog

4. Keep treats to under 10% of their diet

It can be tempting to give our dogs treats and chews because food is love. However, dogs rely on us for their diet, and it’s up to us to provide them a healthy balance of nutrients. 

One way to keep your dog’s diet balanced is to keep treats and chews to under 10% of their total diet. The other 90% should be their nutritious, formulated daily food.

An easy way to make sure you’re not going over is to measure out your dog’s food and treats for the day in the morning, or at the beginning of the week. By preparing the amount ahead of time, you won’t be tempted to accidentally give them too many treats or chews.

5. Let them get some beauty rest

Sleep isn’t only important for humans. It’s important for dogs, too, as it provides the opportunity for their bodies to rest and recover. Depending on how old your dog is, they may need anywhere from 14 to 20 hours of sleep a day. Puppies tend to sleep more than adult dogs, but senior dogs often like to snooze as they age.

It may be tempting to try to play with your dog all the time, especially if you have multiple family members vying for their attention, but letting them rest will allow them to function better. Their sleep will repair their muscles after active days, and in older dogs, will preserve their bones and joints by providing much-needed breaks in activity. 

They also get mental and emotional benefits from sleep, which will improve their mood and focus during training or social situations. 

Our adorable team dogs love to nap. How cute are they?

We hope these health tips help you spend more quality time with your dog as you ring in the new year. After all, if we could spend 100% of our time in 2025 with our pups, wouldn’t we all?

Follow us for more health tips and updates on our longevity drugs for aging dogs →

Sources

1. Kealy RD, Lawler DF, Ballam JM, Mantz SL, Biery DN, Greeley EH, Lust G, Segre M, Smith GK, Stowe HD. Effects of diet restriction on life span and age-related changes in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2002 May 1;220(9):1315-20. doi: 10.2460/javma.2002.220.1315. PMID: 11991408.

2. Lawler DF, Larson BT, Ballam JM, et al. Diet restriction and ageing in the dog: major observations over two decades. Br J Nutr. 2008;99(4):793–805. doi:10.1017/S0007114507871686

3. Zulch HE. Mental Stimulation for Dogs to Prevent Behaviour Problems: What Makes a Good Toy or Game? Proceedings British Small Animal Veterinary Congress. April 8-11, 2010.

4. Hunt RL, Whiteside H, Prankel S. Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Dog Behaviour: Pilot Study. Animals (Basel). 2022 Jan 7;12(2):141. doi: 10.3390/ani12020141. PMID: 35049764; PMCID: PMC8772568.