by Janet Farricelli CPDT-KA

Created on: November 05, 2008   Last Updated: November 18, 2008

Along with painful joints and a lower desire to move about, many elderly dogs may refuse food more often than usual. While this may be alarming for most owners, please keep in mind that as the dog ages, its metabolism slows down and generally their need for calories decreases. This means that you cannot feed an elderly dog the same amount you used to feed him when he was young. This is the main reason why we see so many obese elderly dogs.

Feeding an elderly dog takes a bit of extra caution, but should you keep a careful eye on your dog's daily rations and follow some essential guidelines, your dog may seem to earn back a bit of his youth! Below you will find various tips and guidelines about feeding your elderly dog:

1) Check his Mouth

More often than not, elderly dogs have a certain extent of dental decay. This decay may be the cause of a dog suddenly refusing to eat his dry food. Because of the discomfort experienced upon chewing hard kibble, some dogs may take a mouthful of food and drop some kibbles here and there. Dogs suffering from dental decay also have a tendency to salivate and exhibit a foul mouth odor.

When a veterinarian is presented with an elderly dog that has become a finicky eater or has stopped eating, the first thing he or she will do is check the mouth. In many cases a dental cleaning and possibly extractions are suggested. If your elderly dog is in good health and his bloodwork results return negative, very likely the veterinarian will advise to have your dog put under anesthesia for a dental procedure. This is a routine procedure done succesfully even on senior dogs. Periodontal disease is known to cause inappetence, weight loss, mouth pain and even kidney or heart disorders.

Should your dog present some extent of periodontal disease, you can help by offering canned food or by moistening up his dry kibble by adding a bit of warm water or broth with no onion or garlic in it. This will decrease the amount of pain and hopefully your dog may be a bit less reluctant to eat.

2) Check his Bowel Movements

Elderly dogs are also prone to bouts of constipation. Just as in humas, their metabolism slows down and their bowel movements may be every other day, rather than every day. In such cases, look for a dog food with fiber. Most dog foods made especially for senior dogs do have a good amount of fiber. Always add new foods gradually never feed a new food cold turkey. You can also help obstinate cases of constipation by adding 1-2 teaspoons of plain canned

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