What Makes a Senior Dog Food Different?
So, what makes a senior dog food different from adult or all life stages dog food? Food that’s labeled for senior dogs may vary in their ingredient and nutrient profiles, but not always.
For example, the percentage of protein in adult dog food ranges from 18-30%. This is similar to the range of 18-23% for senior dog foods (on a dry matter basis). Other nutrient content can vary widely, as is often the case with sodium and phosphorus levels.
What sets senior dog foods apart from adult or all life stages foods is whether they also have certain nutrients and other ingredients that can help influence or manage certain diseases.
It’s important to read dog food labels, and if you are contemplating a change, check in with your vet to see what your dog’s specific needs may be.
All foods, regardless of stage, should provide the recommended amounts of required nutrients as established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (or AAFCO). It is important to note, however, that AAFCO approval does not ensure the food will be effective in preventing or managing a specific disease.
At what age should I switch my adult dog to senior food (and is this really necessary)?
The answer to this question will depend very much on the breed and health of the dog. Smaller dogs tend to mature faster and, after reaching maturity, begin to age more slowly. A little dog such as a toy poodle, terrier or Chihuahua isn’t considered senior until much later than a larger breed, (maybe 10 or 12 years old), and the giant breeds are considered “senior citizens” at 5 or 6. Most vets, though, consider a dog of 7 or 8 years and older to be a senior.
As dogs age, their health and stamina slowly decline. Their bodies lose the ability to repair themselves and maintain normal body functions, and they struggle to adapt to the stresses and changes in their environment. In addition, around age 7 for most dogs, and age 5 for giant breed dogs, metabolism slows down and the dog requires fewer calories (although some require more if they have digestion problems).
While senior foods may help dogs to live happier and healthy lives, they are not necessarily the right choice for an older dog with health problems. If your older dog has specific health problems (such as failing kidneys, diabetes or poor nutrient absorption in his gut) it will benefit from a diet that caters specifically to that problem, and your vet will be able to advise you in these cases.
Routine veterinary exams and blood testing can help determine what diet is best for your older dog, and since each pet food manufacturer has a slightly different understanding of “senior”, the age at which you change to senior food will depend largely on the brand you choose.
Clubs Offering:
A long life is the result of good genes, good care, and good luck. While a few four-leaf clovers never hurt anyone, chances are it’s a little late to worry about good genes once you’ve welcomed a dog into your heart. That leaves good care as the one thing you can control now. And a big part of good care is good nutrition.
However, there are issues when it comes to feeding your senior dog. Neither the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nor the National Research Council have determined official dietary requirements for aging dogs. It’s partly because senior dogs vary so much in their individual needs. That may explain why commercial foods for seniors vary so widely in nutrient levels.
Nobody expects you to be a nutritionist just to pick out a bag of dog food. But you should be aware of just a few important factors that apply to most senior dogs. This will help you choose the best dog food for your senior dog.
This matter is widely misunderstood. Many people still believe senior dogs should eat less protein. We now know the opposite is true. Healthy seniors need more protein, not less, in order to fuel muscle. Loss of muscle mass is a major problem in older dogs. Some seniors lose so much muscle they can no longer walk unassisted.
Older dogs need about 50 percent more protein to maintain muscle mass compared to younger ones. But, diets formulated for adult maintenance diets often don’t have enough protein to satisfy these needs. Veterinarian Ernie Ward, founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, recommends 28 to 32 percent protein on a dry-matter basis for healthy older dogs, especially in those cases where weight loss is needed.
Younger seniors tend to be overweight. But, very old dogs tend to be underweight. A 2011 study found that calories in senior foods varied widely, ranging from 246 to 408 calories per cup. So, the same senior food may be a great choice if your dog needs to lose weight. But it may be a bad choice if they need to gain weight.
Don’t forget that the time to consider calories is well before old age sets in. Two benchmark studies conducted by major dog food companies Purina and Waltham both found that restricting calories throughout life improved longevity and reduced illnesses. Essentially, good care for senior dogs starts in youth.
Other factors to consider are senior dog health problems such as heart and kidney disease. For both conditions, you’ll want a low-sodium food. But, that same 2011 study found that sodium levels in senior foods ranged from 33 to 412 mg/100 kcal. For kidney disease, you’ll want low phosphorous, but that’s not even mentioned on any label. The 2011 study found phosphorous levels varied by threefold in the senior foods they examined, but were on average higher than their representative adult maintenance food.
Prescription diets are available for heart, kidney, and other diseases that take into account these nutritional needs. However, even those foods may have wide ranges of nutrients. Any dog food manufacturer should be able to provide these numbers to you on their website or with a simple phone call. While you’re at it, ask them about the credentials of the people formulating their foods. If they can’t provide either, that’s clue number one that you should find another product.
Some senior foods include supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin in an effort to combat osteoarthritis. Unfortunately, the evidence that these supplements actually work is limited. However, they won’t hurt—except maybe your wallet.
On the other hand, omega-3 fatty acids probably play an important role in senior diets because they may help combat both osteoarthritis and especially cognitive losses. If you are adding your own to your dog’s diet, aim for the amount of EPA and DHA combined to be in the range of 700 to 1,500 mg. Build up starting at the low end and cut back if your dog has any diarrhea or vomiting.
There’s probably more to the recipe than simply EPA and DHA, however. Research conducted at Purina tested Beagles between the ages of 9.5 and 11 years of age that were fed either a standard diet or one supplemented with antioxidants, B vitamins, fish oil, and L-arginine for six months. The dogs fed this “Brain Protection Blend” performed significantly better on a series of mental tasks, especially the more difficult ones, compared to the dogs not receiving the blend. The tasks involved determining which one of several shallow wells contained food when the cue was a marker either next to it, near it, or displaced at an angle; or seeing how well they did on a task requiring them to discriminate right, left, and center, and then relearning which side was correct in order to receive a reward.
(What the Vet’s Dogs Eat) Easy Homemade Food for Senior Dogs
It has often been said that aging, in itself, is not a disease. However, aging is often associated with a variety of diseases. Nutrition can be a powerful tool in maintaining health, preventing disease, and in helping to manage disease. However, deciding on the “best” diet for an older dog or cat can be a difficult decision; there is no one best diet for every older animal. Animals are individuals so just because your pet turns 7 or 10 or even 15 years old doesn’t necessarily mean she’s biologically “old”. The aging process depends on a variety of factors including breed, genetics, and health problems. Therefore, just because a food is marketed for older animals, doesn’t mean it is right for your older dog or cat.
Individual differences aside, there are a number of changes that occur with aging that can affect nutritional needs. Although much more research is needed in dogs and cats (much of the information is based on humans), aging is typically associated with lower energy requirements and the tendency to gain fat and lose muscle. Immune function and kidney function also decline with age, although the degree to which this occurs depends upon the individual animal.
Human adult dietary requirements are separated into age groups: 19-30 years, 31-50 years, 51-70 years, and >70 years, but adult cats and dogs are considered as a single group, whether the animal is 2, 8, or 15 years old. More specific requirements for senior animals are needed as the requirements of older dogs and cats are most certainly different from a young adult. However, adjustment of the diet may or may not be necessary or even desirable in older animals. Many older dogs and cats can continue to eat a good quality commercial diet designed for adults and do not need to be changed to a different diet.
Other aging dogs and cats, however, may benefit from changing to a “senior” diet. It is important to understand that there is no legal definition for “senior” or “geriatric” foods – diets marketed as senior diets need to follow the same legal guidelines as diets for young or middle-aged adults. Although you might think that this title generally implies lower protein, lower phosphorus, and a lower caloric content, the levels vary by manufacturer so each manufacturer’s senior food will have different properties. Therefore, some foods will meet the needs of an individual animal better than others.
Some of the nutrients that may need to be adjusted as a pet ages (but are not necessarily modified in individual senior diets) include the following:
If your senior dog or cat is healthy, in good body condition, and eating a good quality nutritionally balanced diet, there is no reason to change foods. However, if your pet has one of the diseases often seen with aging such as arthritis, diabetes, cancer, dental problems, heart disease, or kidney disease, dietary adjustments may help improve symptoms or even slow progression of the disease. Dietary modification can help to optimize health in the dog and cat and to manage any diseases that might arise as they age.
There are many good quality commercial diets available today, and their variable nutrient content provides many choices for optimizing the health of the individual senior dog and cat. Working with your veterinarian can help you to find the diet that is truly best for your dog or cat, not just the diet with the best marketing.