Senior Dog Food - Yet another dog food thread

Cherry Blossom

So is there anything in this senior dog food phenomenon? Is it worth investigating and researching different senior foods or is it better to just add joint supplements to the food I'm already feeding.

I'd rather not feed anything containing battery chicken so might be better sticking to non chicken based foods and adding supplements.

cocker5

Cherry Blossom wrote: »

So is there anything in this senior dog food phenomenon? Is it worth investigating and researching different senior foods or is it better to just add joint supplements to the food I'm already feeding.

I'd rather not feed anything containing battery chicken so might be better sticking to non chicken based foods and adding supplements.

Have you considered orijen five fish?
As its grain free add some foods rich in taurine to avoid heart issues ... ie shellfish, red meat a few times per week. U can also get a taurine supplement via ur vet (again covered by Allianz)

What age is your dog? Are the joints acting up now? Or is this a preventative measure?

Try adding yumove advance 360 (via ur vet and covered by Allianz)

Tumeric paste is a good anti inflammatory:
I bought Cody’s one here - https://www.holistichound.ie/product-page/golden-paste

I also added fish oils to his daily diet.. he had hip dysplasia and arthritis .. I’m not sure if senior food with joint supplements included are worth the money personally

amber2

Sashas blend is a good marine supplement for joint arthritis.

Cherry Blossom

He will be 9 next month. He is not showing any signs of bone or joint problems, it would be purely preventative as you say. He's not showing any signs of his age at all really. He is happy to walk 5k still which we rarely do any more, equally happy to not walk at all if its raining. Maybe he doesn't need any of this at all. He gets the odd tin of sardines with his food, he will eat anything.

cocker5

Cherry Blossom wrote: »

He will be 9 next month. He is not showing any signs of bone or joint problems, it would be purely preventative as you say. He's not showing any signs of his age at all really. He is happy to walk 5k still which we rarely do any more, equally happy to not walk at all if its raining. Maybe he doesn't need any of this at all. He gets the odd tin of sardines with his food, he will eat anything.

Honestly if it were me .. If its not broken as they say and he’s doing well .. I’d leave him be .. any change then look at supplements! I’d add a whisked egg and tinned red salmon to him meals once per week too.

tk123

Bailey is 11 and I haven’t really changed anything? He’s been on raw since he was 2ish. I do feed the senior naturediet sometimes but more so because it’s the lowest in fat. Other wet foods I use are Rocco/Rinti/Integra gastro cans from zooplus. Supplement wise he gets OmegaWild fish oil and another senior combo that I got a sample of with something I was buying - Canicox-GR - he thinks the tablets are lovely treats and will do anything for them lol. I err on the side of caution with supplements - it can be easy to fall down the rabbit hole of throwing things at them and assuming they’re fine because they’re natural. Golden paste for example I stopped using long ago because it did more harm than good for him.

I think a regular 6 month checkup with bloods can be better than any supplements or changes tbh because you know where you are and subtle changes can be spotted and tracked over time.

VonVix

I see most senior dog foods are just larger lower in calories (older dogs are typically less active) and maybe more digestible ingredients/easier to chew kibble. That's it, as far as I know. I don't have any plan to switch my dogs over to a senior diet, they get YuMove for their joints.

amber2

If it’s purely a preventative that you are looking at then maybe something like this would be good and it’s not just for joints but also digestion, heart and immune system.

https://www.petstop.ie/beaphar-salmon-oil?gclid=Cj0KCQiAlsv_BRDtARIsAHMGVSZv5mpAsQVsUbiMohMMuMvDMa3ag9upxSyzkQDiRA7bcHch8TZDNtIaAm4oEALw_wcB

Cherry Blossom

Yes I already give him salmon oil. It helps the plaque off stick to the food so it doesn’t get left sitting in the bowl when he’s finished. :pac:

"Senior" and "small breed" foods tend to come with a loaded price compared to regular dog food. As far as I can tell, it's simply a slightly different combination of protein %'s with maybe some added fish oil etc- nothing that you couldn't organise yourself for much cheaper.
reducing portion sizes of existing feed, especially if working well but taking into account reduced activity might be all you need to do.

Grainnef93

We use the natural dog company hip & joint supplements with all our dogs and don't use senior food.