Diet of Your Senior Dogs

Just like senior humans, older dogs also need a balanced diet to maintain their health in a proper condition. As a responsible pet owner, you need to serve a diet that fulfills his nutrient requirements perfectly. If you have a senior dog in your house, plan a new diet chart for him and never mix up his diet with the young one. Remember that senior dogs always need special care during their last stage of life.

Your dog will show the visible manifestation of getting old at 8 to 10 years of age. While feeding to them, concern about their health condition and helps to get optimum body weight. As your dog ages, various health issues arise such as joint problems, digestive problems, loss of eyesight, dental problems, loss of muscle integrity, prone to become obese, etc. These conditions may exacerbate if you don’t provide a specific diet to them.

Research has shown that senior dogs require high protein content in their diet, this helps to make them strong and active at 10 years or more. Diets that contain an optimum level of digestible protein will help your dog to get good muscle mass. Older dogs usually become prone to get obese. Reduce the amount of fat from your dog’s diet. Reducing fat from the diet will lower the caloric density of your dog’s diet and help to avoid weight gain. On the other side, increasing the amount of protein will build up his body.

How much food should you give to your adult dog?

You can formulate the ration for your senior dog with the help of a veterinarian and nutritionist. Veterinarians recommend feeding senior dogs twice daily. Although, the amount of feed depends upon the breed, sizes, and activity level of your four-legged friend. Following a feeding chart can be a good option for you. You can check for Omega-6 fatty acids in your dog’s diet that help to maintain healthy skin and coat. During ages, certain beneficial bacteria may decrease from your dog’s intestine. That’s why you can add FOS (fructooligosaccharides) to your dog’s diet to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. Antioxidants like selenium and vitamin-E also prevent the damage to body tissues and fight against aging. This also increases the effectiveness of the immune system in senior dogs.

Take your senior dog to the veterinarians every month for a regular checkup. Maintain a proper body condition scoring chart to see whether your dog turns to become obese. If a drastic change occurs, try to minimize the change by following the guidance of your vet.