Food for elderly dogs

Many dogs reach adulthood with dental problems, due to the wear of their teeth during their younger years. So, choosing a feed that is soft and easily chewed is one of the best options for them.

The diet of an older dog ​​should contain around twenty-five percent less metabolizable calories because of the reduction of its physical activity. You don’t want your dog to gain weight.

Fattening will pose a serious problems for your old dog’s joints and blood circulation, which is why it is so important to choose a good feed that is made for older dogs. 

A natural option, known as the BARF diet  which stands for Bones and Raw Food, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food is gaining popularity. A raw dog food diet typically consists of: bones, either whole or ground, Organ meats like livers and kidneys, muscle meat, raw eggs, vegetables  like broccoli or spinach, and fruits such as apples. This diet has its advantages and disadvantages.  It is a better food for your dog but it is expensive and can run 3-6 dollars per day depending on the size of your dog. You have the prep time involved and  the handling of raw meat which could pose the problem of bacterial contamination. You also need to get the ratios of the nutrients in the correct balance. There are now commercially available raw foods and cookbooks that can help you make these choices.

If you opt for feed, remember that it should be low in calories, that it contains a good amount of Glucosamine and Chondroitin  (for joints) and antioxidants, without forgetting that the kibble bits should be soft. Make sure the ingredients consist of high quality meat sources and limit the amount of grains and fillers.

You can add water to your kibble to make it softer as well and give your dog some extra fluids.

Increase your petting of an older dog

Elderly dogs tend to have more fears and can feel somewhat unprotected. So, we should increase our affection towards them.

Petting them daily and showing them how happy we are with them is essential to make them feel loved and accepted, especially during their senior years.

We even recommend that you start to massage your elderly dog, to relax his muscles and also strengthen your emotional ties. 

It is also normal for some elderly dogs to lose control of their bladder and inadvertently urinate in the home or in places where they have never done so before. Remember that we should never scold them. We should only use positive reinforcement.

Regulate the exercise of an elderly dog

We should treat our elderly dogs ​​like puppies; we should never force them to run or exercise, nor to take long walks, much less to play when they do not want to.

We should ideally maintain our routine of walks but let them set the pace. If they get tired and want to sit down to sniff things, we should sit down with them; if they want to walk slowly, we should do the same.

The best way to take care of older dogs during walks is to let them determine how to take a walk when they want to walk. Respect your older dog, let him be the one in charge.

Increase veterinary check ups

Unfortunately, older dogs will not have the same vitality as a younger dog, and a small infection or disease can become very serious for them. Their immune systems are not what they once were.

To prevent any problems, we should pay a little more attention to their health and schedule a series of routine visits to the vet. Even if they are not sick, a check up is a good way to make sure everything is fine.

Some of the most common diseases in elderly dogs are:

• Cataracts / Blindness

• Elbow or hip dysplasia

• Tartar problems on their teeth

• The occurrence of canine osteoarthritis

• Cardiovascular / circulation problems

This  does not mean that all older dogs will suffer from them, but rather that they are common in dogs at a certain age.

Adapt your home for an elderly dog

Older dogs are not as resistant to seasonal changes like cold or heat. So, we must adapt a space at home with a comfortable and soft bed for them. When it is summer and it’s very hot, we must try to put their resting place in a cool area (always close to us) so that they feel good. If it is winter, we must find them  a warm place, where they can sleep comfortably.

It is even a good idea to put two beds, one in our room so that they can sleep with us at night and the other in the living room so that they can be with us when we are at home.

Always leave fresh water available for them and some toys to entertain them when they might want to play. Remember that older dogs still like to play despite their reduced energy.

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