Similar to an elderly person, many elderly dogs have difficulty in digesting food that once maintained their health with no problems. This makes proper feeding of an elderly dog essential to the dog's health as they become older. Weight control for the elderly dog becomes much more difficult, accompanied with a wide variety of special health needs that arise due to an improper diet. The majority of dogs maintain a normal ability to digest essential nutrients-energy, ash, protein, and fat, yet age-related changes that develop over the years make nutrient requirements very important, which may mean modifying the diet of the elderly dogs.
Larger dogs live shorter lives, so special diets for large elderly dogs usually begin when they reach five years of age while smaller dogs should have a special diet beginning around eight years of age. Age is important as the digestive system of elderly dogs cannot work as efficiently, and is less able to care for the body's total system in order to prevent disease or infections. Improper diets will bring about more trips to the veterinarian and higher levels of medical care, with a reduced quality of life for the elderly dog that could result in death.
THE ELDERLY DOG AND WEIGHT ISSUES
Some elderly dogs do not have the appetite as when they were younger, needing to be tempted more than usual to eat what is in front of them. This may bring about a weight loss vs. overweight of the elderly dog, brought about by being less active with less energy. A tight balancing act, an easy way to check out the dog's weight is by placing the palm of the hand over the ribs. If the ribs are prominent, or are easily seen, the elderly dog is considered underweight. If the dog is too thin, a vet exam is essential to eliminate any underlying problems of the animal's health, especially if there is more urination than normal or incontinent issues that are beyond normal.
Regardless of the popular opinion that elderly dog are usually overweight, a study by D.S. Kronfied, S. Donoghue, and L.T. Glickman in "Body condition and energy intakes of dogs in a referral teaching hospital" shows that 16 percent of the 12-year old dogs in the study were underweight while only 5 percent were overweight. With numerous studies since then demonstrating that various breeds of dogs and their daily energy intake decline as they age, it shows that age brings about a fall in energy expenditure, requiring some form of energy-dense diet.
WHY ELDERLY DOGS REFUSE TO EAT
As dogs age, they lose their sense of smell and taste while the efficiency of the digestive system lessens. For these reasons, eating is not the fun it used to be when they were younger. Feeding an elderly dog needs to become more palatable with a highly digestible diet in order to make it more appetizing and healthy. As dogs age, they lose their sense of smell and taste while the efficiency of the digestive system lessens. For these reasons, eating is not the fun it used to be when they were younger. Feeding an elderly dog needs to become more palatable with a highly digestible diet in order to make it more appetizing and healthy.
The following tips may help with dogs that have a reduced appetite: (1) feed less often, in two or four smaller meals; (2) feed at slightly below body temperature, warming the food slightly; (3) if the dog does not consume the food within twenty minutes, remove it as fresh food provides more of an appeal to the elderly dog; and (4) feed the dog in a quiet and undisturbed place without other dogs around.
LOW RESIDUE DIETS
Many older dogs sometimes have difficulty making it through the night without toileting, depending on the breed, the health, and the age of the dog. For example, an 8-year old Welch Corgi may need to be taken out during the night as they cannot make it through the duration without toileting. The number one item is to first have a veterinary exam to rule out incontinence issues or medical conditions. If the dog is otherwise healthy, suggestions may for a low-residue diet to reduce the animal's stool amount which lessens the urge to toilet so often. Highly important and necessary, a diet change is one that will require a graduated change over five-to-seven days in order to reduce digestive distress and loose stools, which would compound the problem and add to the situation.
One idea is Iam's Intestinal Low-Residue TM formula dog food which will show results in approximately three days, depending on the nutritional and the dog's response to the food. It can be fed long-term to the elderly dog for intestinal health, vomiting, loose stools, constipation, and gas issues. It can also be mixed with the animal's usual feeding, depending on the dog, beginning in small doses over a week or so.
LOW PHOSPHORUS DIETS
A reduction in kidney function in elderly dogs sometimes requires a low phosphorus diet to reduce kidney disease. It also provides a lower protein amount in order to reduce a harmful waste product buildup in the dog's blood. Yet recent studies show that this reduction in protection is harmful to elderly dogs or those with renal failure, so consulting with a veterinarian is highly essential regarding up-to-date research.
ENERGY-DENSE DIETS
The energy-dense diet helps the fall in energy expenditure of the elderly dog. One quality food example is the PEDIGREE Pal Professional Weight Control Diet for obese older dogs, with the PEDIGREE PAL Professional Formula Conditioning Diet for the average older dog. Not all, but some elderly dogs require some sort of adjustment in their diet and energy density to compensate for their body condition and food intake. Meanwhile, the majority of the elderly dogs area able to maintain their ability to digest food and its essential nutrients well into their old age. Knowing a dog's eating habits and health condition has a lot to do with recognizing what the eldery dog needs, due to it not functioning well or 'up to par.
HIGH PROTEIN DIETS
A study by R.W. Wannemacher and J.R.McCoy, "Determination of optimal dietary protein requirements of young and old dogs", showed that even though excess protein diets stressed renal function, older dogs required a higher protein requirement than the younger adults. In the study, 12 and 13 year-old Beagles required more protein/metabolisable energy at 19 percent for the repletion of tissue protein as compared to 13 percent for 9 to 12 month Beagles. Renal failure affects approximately 10 percent of all eldery dogs over 15 years of age, with other experiments with rats referring to renal issues associated with dietary protein intake. Yet more recent studies disproved this low-protein diet for elderly dogs over a two-year study with no direct evidence connecting renal failure to high protein intake.
SUMMARY
Feeding an elderly dog is not a one-size fits all determination even though today we have available a wide assortment of healthy food types. Different breeds age in different ways, dependant on life's situations and health. Assessing the animal in question to determine where the elderly dog is should be essential to the problem and its associated diet: refusing to eat, in pain, dulling of smell or taste, reduction of hearing, reduced vision, gum diseases, bad teeth, arthritis, problems toileting whether it is urination or defecation, or refusing to go outside, all require a vet exam to rule out physical problems that diets will not touch but can influence their life's duration.
One example is that a large St. Bernard may not live as long and have more arthritis as compared to a lithe Rat Terrier or Jack Russell. Know the breed and what it is susceptible to, regarding diseases and developing body conditions. A rescue dog may have a life of bad health before coming to your home, as compared to someone who has raised their dog since a pup. Every dog is different, and should be evaluated as such with close association of the family vet. But always, the quality elderly years of an elderly dog can be controlled, if not eliminated, by a correct diet.