How to find the Best Senior Dog Food

Nobody likes getting old, everything feels too difficult and it’s not just tough for humans but dogs as well. There is a human saying “The key to a healthy and happy life is eating well”. We would agree with that but finding the right balanced diet for your old pal is quite difficult. So we are here to make your life and your dog’s life a little easy. In the following, you will know how to pick the best dog food for your aged buddy.

Key Points

With age, your dog’s nutritional requirements change and evolve. The common problems for seniors are obesity, arthritis, and cognitive and appetite loss. While there's no way to bring back the good old days of youth, some nutrients can help.

Once a wise man said, “A long life is the result of a good diet, good care, and good luck”. You can’t control the luck so just don’t even try. Instead, focus on what you can control i.e. right care and the right diet.

However, you can’t generalize all senior dog nutritional needs. It’s because of an obvious reason which is, senior dogs vary so much in their individual needs. But that wouldn’t stop us to give you some general nutritional advice for your buddy which would apply to every dog...

Now we know that you’re not a nutritionist but it doesn’t mean that you can just pick out any bag of dog food from the supermarket. All we are asking you is to be a little aware of just a few important factors that apply to most senior dogs.

Protein

This issue is widely misunderstood. Many pet owners still believe that senior dogs should eat less protein, but it’s a myth. Healthy seniors need more protein in order to keep their muscles in shape. Loss of muscle mass is a major problem in seniors. In many cases, older dogs lose so much muscle that they can no longer walk unassisted.

If compared to younger dogs, then older dogs require approximately 40 percent more protein to maintain muscle mass. Many studies recommend a food with 28 to 32 percent protein should be fed to the seniors.

Calories

Unlike Cats, Dogs don't need to deal with obesity at an older age but they tend to get underweight. Don’t forget that the time to consider calories is well before old age sets in. Restricting calories throughout life improved longevity and reduced illnesses.

There are other recommendations like low sodium diets for good organ health like kidneys and heart. An easy to chew food is a must for senior dogs. It’s not always about food, other efforts like serving them food on a raised platform so that they wouldn’t feel uncomfortable while bending is also a way to help your aging buddy. The best thing you should do is consulting a Vet; they could diagnose your little furry friend and prescribe the nutritional diet and medicines (if needed) for your senior dog