How to Feed Your Senior Dog a Healthy Diet

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1Making the Right Choices About Food

2Finding the Right Balance

3Ensuring the Food Has What It Needs

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Article Summary

When your dog gets a bit older, you do need to take more care with its diet. While age itself is not a disease, it is often associated with many diseases. Good nutrition is important to maintaining your dog’s overall health. You may also need to change up your dog's diet a bit, depending on whether your dog gains or loses weight as it ages.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making the Right Choices About Food

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   Determine when to begin a senior diet. Consider your dog as an individual when deciding if it might be time to switch to a senior diet. Different dogs may benefit from senior diets at different ages. Additionally, there is no formal definition for what constitutes a senior diet, so these diets will vary by manufacturer. Generally, a senior diet will have altered protein content, lower phosphorus, and reduced caloric content.

   • If you think your dog might benefit from a senior diet, talk to your vet.
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   Look for fewer calories for overweight dogs. Like humans, most dogs burn fewer calories as they get older. That means that they need to eat fewer calories overall, or they will gain weight. You can compensate by feeding your dog less adult dog food. Senior dog foods can help because they can keep your dog feeling fuller while maintaining a lower-calorie diet.
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   Encourage reluctant dogs. While many older dogs gain weight as they age, some become more reluctant to eat. If that's the case with your dog, you may need to make some small changes to encourage your dog to eat.

   • It's always best to have your dog checked out by a vet if it becomes reluctant to eat, particularly if the loss of appetite comes on suddenly.
   • You may need to buy smaller kibble to make it easier to chew or add a bit of warm water to make it softer.
   • If your dog has lost interest, you can try adding a bit of wet dog food to their diet to help encourage eating.
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   Keep change to a minimum. Older dogs don't take to change as well as younger dogs. When introducing a big change, try to do it gradually. If you make drastic changes in a dog's routine, you may find your dog is not as interested in eating.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Finding the Right Balance

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   Make sure your dog is getting enough fiber. Older dogs need a bit more fiber than younger dog. Just like humans, older dogs are more likely to become constipated. Look for a dog food that is at least three to five percent fiber.

   • If you still need to feed your dog "regular" adult dog food, you can add a sprinkle of wheat bran on top to increase the fiber.
2. 
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   Make sure the food doesn't reduce protein. While senior dog foods should have fewer calories, they should have at least the same amount of protein as "regular" adult dog food. The calories should come out of the fat or carbohydrate content, not the protein content.

   • There is no evidence to suggest that reducing protein content is beneficial to older dogs, and reduced protein can contribute to muscle loss. As long as your dog’s kidney function is good, a senior diet with higher protein levels than adult food may be beneficial.
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   Watch out for "meat-by-products." "Meat-by-products," which include things like bone, hide, and beak, are not harmful in themselves to your dog. However, though they can provide some protein, they are not as easy to break down as proteins like eggs, muscle meat, and organ meat. Because older dogs have a bit harder time digesting foods, you need to make it as easy as possible for them to get the protein from their foods, so try to pick foods that have high-quality proteins.
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   Add healthy treats. Dogs can eat many fruits and vegetables as an occasional treat. In addition to adding fiber, they are lower in sodium than most dog treats. Try carrots or apple slices, for instance. Never feed your dog raisins, grapes, onions, and garlic because these are toxic to dogs.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Ensuring the Food Has What It Needs

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   Check for gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). This acid is a type of omega-3 fatty acid. It's important for all dogs, but younger dogs produce enough in their livers. Older dogs may not produce enough, which is why you need to make sure it's added to their food.

   • Other fatty acids, such as DHA and EPA, can also be helpful to your dog, particularly if your dog has joint problems. Talk to your vet about adding supplements if your dog's food doesn't provide these nutrients already.
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   Look for fructooligosaccharides (FOS). Like humans, dogs sometimes need a little help growing helpful bacteria in their bodies. FOS is a substance that can help encourage that growth, which is particularly important in older dogs.
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   Pay attention to antioxidants. You've probably heard that antioxidants are an important part of your diet. Unsurprisingly, they're an important part of your dog's diet, too. They reduce free radicals in the body, which helps your dog look and feel younger, plus it can help your dog fight off disease.
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   Consider a special diet for specific health problems. For example, if your dog has kidney problems, they will likely require a diet with lower phosphorus, protein, and altered sodium. Other issues that may require a special diet include heart disease and diabetes. There are many diets available that are formulated specifically for dogs with health problems. If you think your dog may benefit from one of these diets, talk to your vet.
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