Like a loyal companion of human beings, dogs deserve the best treatment.
A right diet is no exception. Since senior dogs have a different appetite and food portion compared to puppies or adult dogs, you need to remember which ingredients are the best for them.
You can find all the information about the best senior dog food in today’s article.
Let’s keep on reading!
Page Contents
What are the signs of a senior dog?
There is no medical agreement on what is considered a senior dog.
Given all factors, size and weight are the two most important. In general, the bigger a dog grows, the shorter his life expectancy becomes.
Therefore, 5 or 6 is considered the senior age. However, for small breeds, they may not become seniors until the age of 8 or 9.
You may spot signs of aging in your dog, including vision impairment, lumps, skin issues, bad breath, weight loss or gain.
At the end of the senior period, other symptoms can be found, such as memory loss, easy irritability, personality changes, increase urination, impaired mobility, and more.
Keep a close watch on the signs as mentioned above to take your pet to the vet clinic.
The vet can conduct a thorough examination to evaluate and recommend an instant change in nutrition.
Therefore, your little oldie can get what his body wants at this age.
Since specific symptoms may have different impacts on the diet, pay attention to how your pooch goes with his meals.
What is the Best Thing to Feed an old Dog Food?
Along with physical and medical changes caused by the aging process, dog diet will change.
In comparison with a regular adult canine diet, meals for the elderly dogs have some nutrient adjustments.
It comes with higher digestibility, softer texture, extra joint supplements, omega-3s, and antioxidants.
Nutrient Adjustments
Depending on specific activity levels or medical conditions, senior dogs may benefit from changes in their diet’s nutrient composition. Higher content of protein is necessary.
A senior dog tends to lose muscle mass and protein storage more quickly than the younger ones.
Therefore, additional protein provides more amino acids to compensate for that loss. This will keep aging dogs more mobile and stronger.
However, the increased amount of protein leads to a rise in phosphorus content. For senior dogs diagnosed with kidney diseases, phosphorus must be kept at a low level to curb progression.
Fat content also needs adjusting. If your pup loses weight, pay attention to medical conditions such as digestion or calorie needs. In that case, an increase in fat is highly recommended.
On the other hand, for dogs suffering from obesity, you need to go for foods that are lower in fat.
Some foods for senior dogs are more calorically dense while others, less. It depends on your dog’s specific need, either losing or gaining weight.
Also, take notice of the fiber ingredient. A diet with a higher content of fiber may do an aged pooch with constipation good.
Given that fiber may adversely affect the absorption of essential nutrients, some senior pawsome fellows prefer the otherwise.
Higher Digestibility
Contrary to common belief, the aging process has nothing to do with dogs’ ability to digest nutrients.
However, senior dogs are likely to suffer from digestion-related conditions. They include food allergy, colitis, or inflammatory bowel disease.
Read More: Dog food allergies FAQs
In most cases, fresh foods are preferable. The dog body tends to break down and pull nutrients from such foods more efficiently than uncooked or processed kibbles.
Softer Texture
The best senior dog food may be in the soft form.
It may be tough for seniors to break through kibbles because they are likely to have infected or loose teeth.
To handle oral problems, you can consider foods with added moisture. Additives such as sodium hexametaphosphate are useful in preventing minerals from sticking calculus together.
At the same time, probiotics, or healthy bacteria, play a vital role in tooth health.
Added joint supplements
As a dog’s age, the development of arthritis is inevitable, especially those fat or overweight.
A diet filled with glucosamine and chondroitin proves useful in reducing the symptoms of arthritis. So are omega-3 fatty acids.
They are testified to ease joint inflammation besides minimizing the chances of developing arthritis.
Top-Rated the Best Senior Dog Food List 2020
There is no one best senior dog food.
Each dog requires a different nutritional value, so you should evaluate your furry friend before making changes.
The best senior dog food brands should be a mixture of extra nutrients, digestibility as well as softer texture.
Dedicated to dogs’ interests, we have rounded up a list of the best senior dog food 2020 on the market nowadays.
Time to enjoy harmless meals showered with love.
1. Orijen Senior Dry Dog Food
- First ingredients: Dehydrated turkey and chicken
- Crude protein: 38%
- Crude fat: 20%
- Crude fiber: 6%
- Calories: 449 kcal/cup
- Price: $$
Product highlights
- The product derives much of its protein from boneless chicken, boneless turkey, whole herring, and whole salmon together with poultry organs.
- Dehydrated turkey and chicken are air-dried at a low temperature to provide a highly concentrated protein source. Rendered poultry meals are never used.
- Omega-3 fatty acids like DHA and EPA can be extracted from saltwater fish to support the immune and nervous system of dogs.
- Orijen dog food also uses fish and poultry meats to provide a natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin.
- Other fish sources of protein, vegetables, botanicals, and berries are also available. Chelated minerals prove helpful in facilitating dogs’ absorption of minerals.
- Peas and pea fiber are found on the package to replace grains.
The downside
- A bit is pricier than other brands.
Every pet owner needs to aware of dog allergens to take precautions before it attacks.
2. Merrick Lil’ Plates Small Breed Senior Dry Dog Food
- First ingredients: Real, deboned chicken
- Crude protein: 32%
- Crude fat: 12%
- Crude fiber: 3.5%
- Price: $$
Product highlights
- The recipe uses real, deboned chicken as its main ingredient in combination with real fruits and vegetables.
- Merrick is committed to keeping glucosamine and chondroitin at ideal levels to ensure the development of healthy hips and joints. L-carnitine is also added to promote healthy metabolism.
- Compared to other products, this Merrick dog food is lower in calories and fat so that aging dogs can maintain a healthy weight.
- Chicken meal is used along with the real chicken to make sure the product derives the majority of its protein from meat.
- Sweet potatoes also contain a great deal of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A.
- While pea is rich in various vitamins, minerals, and plant-based protein, potatoes supply plenty of dietary fiber and antioxidants.
- The producer doesn’t forget to include beneficial fruits like apples and blueberries. Apples contain much dietary fiber while blueberries are a great source of manganese, vitamin C, and vitamin K.
The downside
- Not suitable for dogs wanting to benefit from the whole grains.
3. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Senior Dry Dog Food
- First ingredients: Real, deboned chicken
- Crude protein: 18%
- Crude fat: 10%
- Crude fiber: 7%
- Price: $$
Product highlights
- Designed for dog well-being, it contains the finest natural ingredients fortified with essential minerals and vitamins.
- This food is a perfect blend of high-quality protein, garden vegetables, whole grains, and fruit.
- Protein is derived from deboned chicken combining with L-carnitine, giving support to strong muscle maintenance.
- Brown rice, oatmeal, and barley provide essential carbohydrates to sustain energy for a healthy lifestyle.
- Healthy vegetables like whole peas, carrots, and sweet potatoes along with antioxidant-rich fruits such as cranberries and blueberries are also available in the recipe.
- Chelated minerals and antioxidants enhance immunity to diseases while calcium and phosphorus prove helpful in boosting bone and tooth health.
- There are chondroitin and glucosamine to strength dog joints, hips as well as mobility in general.
The downside
- The protein level may be too high for some dogs.
What Have you Chosen?
We have been feeding our senior dog on Orijen for a long time.
He seems stronger and less vulnerable to aging diseases.
How about you? Let’s share your experience of the senior dog food with us. Here is our last advice. To find out more senior products, you can click here.
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Last update on 2021-11-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API